CANDIDATE PROFILE

"My experiences have taught me that diversity of thought, active listening and servant leadership are key competencies to deliver results on the Servus board. As a current Servus board member, I am energized about our future and believe my strategic and open-mindedness make me a strong board member."

Statement of intent

I stay connected to Servus because I believe success comes from investing in our staff, our communities, and you!

A constant of my career has been stepping into opportunities that challenge the status quo, provide space for sharing new ideas, and focus on creating impact for the people around me. In my early days, I embraced the concept of servant leadership, a belief in the people around you and a desire to promote their well-being. It’s a philosophy embodied by encouraging diversity of opinion, embracing calculated risk, and a focus on solving problems (for Bigweld fans, it’s simply “see a need, fill a need”).

I have been fortunate that my experiences have crossed different industries, different localities, and many different personalities. I offer a rich blend of academic achievement, practical application, real-life experience and belief in the power of people.

I am so excited about the next four years at Servus. We are uniquely positioned to build an innovative financial institution that embraces entrepreneurship, cooperation, diversity, and the tenets of servant leadership. I ask for your support to continue championing the values that make Servus strong.

Servus’s Noble Purpose is “Shaping member financial fitness.” What does that mean to you?

Financial services have gone through a transformation over the last 25 years, centred around standardization, technological advancement, and the creation of a culture of service centred — to a great degree — on self-reliance. You have immense choice and flexibility as a banking consumer today — choice and flexibility that is growing exponentially with every passing day.

For some, this has been revolutionary, for others it has been overwhelming and they feel left behind. Shaping member financial fitness is about you — meeting you where you are, understanding where you want to go, and supporting you with tools, knowledge and confidence to achieve your financial goals.

It’s a partnership where Servus lives its noble purpose by being your financial coach. This means helping you set your goals, sharing best practices to achieve those goals, and making products/services available that are easy to understand and take the complication out of staying financially healthy.

What makes Servus Credit Union different than other financial institutions?

Membership — the intersection of shareholder and customer!

Sadly, it’s become a pastime to criticize our bank competitors. Chartered banks serve a large constituency in Alberta and sometimes they deliver products or services difficult for Servus to match. However, sometimes the very nature of their corporate structure pits the needs of customers at odds with the needs of their shareholders.

Servus is uniquely positioned to align customer needs with stakeholder value. It’s a partnership that turns consumers into entrepreneurs where residual earnings flow back to those that created them — or get used to investing in building stronger communities where each of us live. The more focused Servus is, with a member-centric philosophy, the quicker we can unlock the value of doing business together, and be able to support each other in shaping our financial fitness.

What are the key issues or challenges facing the credit union system today?

COVID-19: The pandemic is having a profound impact on our members, employees and communities. It is proving we have the capacity to adapt how we work, support our members and lead in our communities. It starts with caring for the people around us.

Diversity and Inclusion: Our institution always needs to be a reflection of the communities we serve. Credit Unions originally came together to serve economically disenfranchised communities. Today, we can come together and be leaders in serving all the diverse needs of our communities by rallying around one thing we all have in common, articulated by our Noble Purpose.

Technology: COVID-19 is proving we have to “keep up” and keep you safe. Some might suggest we build “walls” to protect our interests, but I think we prosper by building partnerships and alliances that promote collaboration expanding our knowledge, increasing our options and reducing/mitigating our risks.

How will your skills and life experiences bring value to the collective Servus board?

Adam Grant, author of Think Again, says: “If two people always agree, it’s a sign that at least one of them isn’t thinking critically or speaking candidly. Differences of opinion don’t have to be threats. They can be opportunities to learn.”

His quote captures the spirit of what I bring to our board meetings every day. I have received feedback through our board assessment process that sometimes people “aren’t sure where I am coming from because my perspective on a topic may shift.” I understand, and believe directors are accountable for considering all the information, perspectives and opinions on a topic as part of their decision-making process.

The ability to shift one’s perspective is a sign of strength. Open-mindedness shows a willingness to collaborate. I value the diverse opinions around the Servus Board table and lean in to the ones that, at their core, support what moves us forward.