Laurentian Bank of Canada taps Rania Llewellyn as CEO; first woman in role

Oct 20 (Reuters) - Laurentian Bank of Canada on Tuesday named Rania Llewellyn chief executive officer and president, making her the first woman to head a major Canadian bank.

Llewellyn joins the bank after a 26-year career at Scotiabank, where she recently served as executive vice president, Global Business Payments, Laurentian Bank said in a statement.

The appointment comes after François Desjardins stepped down as president and chief executive in June. The bank named Stéphane Therrien as his interim replacement.

Earlier this year, U.S. bank Citigroup Inc named its consumer banking head Jane Fraser as its next chief executive officer, making her the first woman to lead a major Wall Street bank.

(Reporting by Ambar Warrick in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernard Orr)