4 minutes
Meet the 2014 CUES Next Top Credit Union Exec Top 15
Online voters and a panel of past finalists narrowed the CUES Next Top Credit Union Exec field from 24 to the Top 15 applicants. The challenge, held in conjunction with DDJ Myers and administered by Currency, searches for emerging leaders age 35 and under from within the credit union industry.
The Top 15 are blogging about their project on www.nexttopcreditunionexec.com/blog. And to provide additional value to the competition experience, they’ll each receive an executive coaching session from DDJ Myers, a CUES Supplier member and strategic provider. A judging panel of two CUES members and Deedee Myers of DDJ Myers will then score the Top 15’s applications and blog posts, narrowing the competition to five finalists.
The five finalists will receive additional coaching, airfare, accommodation and registration to CUES’ CEO/Executive Team Network™, Nov. 2-5 in Amelia Island, Fla., where they will give their final presentations. The 2014 CUES Next Top Credit Union Exec will receive further coaching, airfare, accommodation and registration for two CUES’ CEO Institutes, a total prize package valued at $20,000.
For the next several weeks, we’ll be checking in with the Top 15 to see how their project is going and learn a bit more about these next generation leaders.
Alex Castley, CHRP
Engagement & Communications Manager
$1.25 billion Integris Credit Union
Prince George, British Columbia
Follow Alex on LinkedIn
Watch Alex’s CUES Next Top Credit Union Exec video
Give us the elevator speech about your project (as in how would you describe your project to someone you meet in an elevator?):
In 2013, our newly hired CEO identified communication as a challenge for our organization … and for good reason. We have seven branches across five communities which, when travelling by car, amounts to seven hours of travel from each end of the spectrum. At the beginning of 2014, I was selected for my role as engagement and communications manager (a newly created position at Integris) which can be described as a fusion of human resources, communication and marketing. My project is to improve communication between the branches and focus on engagement within our communities. For more information—including about why communication/engagement could use a boost in our organization and how I’ve been doing this—check out my blog in the upcoming weeks!
What is your long-term career goal?
Generally speaking, my career goal is to be a difference-maker, no matter what job title or position I have. That said, I often see an untapped synergy in most organizations between human resources and marketing. As such, I want to see a hybrid human resources and marketing position seated at the executive level and, as a long-term career goal, this is where I would like to be.
Fill in the dots: The future of credit unions will be bright if ...
We stay ahead of trends, while remaining true to our roots. We need to continue to focus on what is important – aligning our corporate values with that of the communities/people we serve – through all changes to the way we conduct business and technological evolutions we can be certain will occur in the upcoming years.
What my generation brings to the credit union movement is …
Fun, humour, and a natural tendency to cooperate.
People consider me a leader because …
I walk the walk and live outside my comfort zone. When I suggest crazy new ideas, I’m always the first to volunteer to see them through. I believe in being humble and paying tribute to others by giving credit where credit is due. I encourage my peers to try new things and support them in doing so.
Who is your hero and why?
This is a hard question for me, one I haven’t put much thought to before. I think very highly of people who support a worthy cause, no matter what controversy it stirs. This is why I would have to say David Suzuki http://www.davidsuzuki.org is a hero. He is an environmentalist who knows how to effectively communicate even to the least receptive of audiences and get people to listen.
Who is a must-follow on Twitter?
Roberto Luongo (goalie of the Florida Panthers NHL team… @strombone1). This is probably not the response many would expect, even if I am Canadian. The reason he is a “must-follow” is this: While Luongo is a professional hockey player, he rarely uses his Twitter account to discuss serious hockey talk and is often quite humorous. What this does is create a likeable personality who people listen to, regardless of which NHL team they root for. I see this as a reflection of how our organization’s Twitter account should be. I believe if we present ourselves as the likeable, honest and trustworthy organization we are in our social media, people will be more likely to consider (and trust) us for their financial needs regardless of where they bank.
Does your credit union have Twitter/Facebook/YouTube/Pinterest/LinkedIn/Instagram other social media accounts?
Absolutely, - we primarily use Twitter, Facebook and YouTube:
Twitter @Integris_CU
What is your favorite CUES member benefit? Or, if you are a new CUES NextGen member, what benefit are you most looking forward to using?
I am most looking forward to networking with high calibre people and the educational component(s) CUES has to offer.
