OMISTA’s Strength Enhanced by Employee Satisfaction

In Progress magazine’s annual survey of the Top 20 Best Places to Work in Atlantic Canada, companies are ranked on human resource policies and employee responses to questions relating to leadership, culture, and company practices. At the Best Places to Work Awards Ceremony, OMISTA Credit Union’s signature strengths were recognized through securing the award for position #10, rising from last year’s rank of #12 across the Atlantic.

The Best Places to Work program was designed to showcase the best employers in the region who are recognized by their employees for making it a priority to create better workplaces.

As an employee, Anise Boudreau agrees: “OMISTA is not my job but my career, my future, where I am part of a team and have the opportunity to empower our owners to take control of their finances on a daily basis.”

In May of this year, OMISTA’s Human Resource Manager, Beverly Somers, was chosen as one of five nominees for the National Credit Union Young Leaders Award. This Award was created by Credit Union Central of Canada’s Board of Directors to demonstrate strong support at a national level for young leadership. It recognizes tomorrow’s leaders in Canada’s Credit Union system.

Beverly worked diligently with the four other nominees from across Canada to develop a Leadership session for presentation at the World Credit Union Conference in Calgary. That presentation was made in July before a large group of Credit Union professionals representing 62 countries around the world. The five nominees and their presentations were assessed by a panel of judges. We were thrilled and filled with pride when we learned the number one Young Leader for Canada was our very own Beverly Somers! For her achievement as an outstanding young leader, Beverly receives a $10 000 scholarship to cover tuition and travel costs to attend a leadership development program at a recognized University in Canada.

Strengthening Our Team

Our strong base of employee skill sets and expertise, combined with a matching of employee values to our unique Credit Union culture, form the foundation for our success. Education and ongoing professional development further strengthen that foundation. In each of us there is a potential which, fulfilled, can be leveraged into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our Credit Union network.

Corey Bowes recently assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer. Corey began his career in the financial services industry in 2002 after completing his Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree from Acadia University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Dalhousie University. In 2005, he joined the OMISTA Credit Union team as a Commercial Service Representative and quickly advanced into the position of Commercial Service Manager. A member of the New Brunswick Credit Union Youth Committee and Vice-Chair of the Atlantic Business Owners Strategy (ABOS) Committee, Corey also earned his designation as a Fellow of the Credit Union Institute of Canada (FCUIC). In his new role, Corey will be a leader in the strategic management of OMISTA to further strengthen branch operations and business development activities.

Stephanie Christie recently joined OMISTA as our new Commercial Service Manager,. Stephanie graduated from the Nova Scotia Agricultural College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics (BSc. Agr) and subsequently earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Université de Moncton. She also holds the designation of Professional Agrologist (P.Ag.) and is a member of the New Brunswick Institute of Agrologists (NBIA). Stephanie began her career in the financial services industry in 1996 with her primary area of expertise being agricultural and commercial lending. In her new role, Stephanie will further develop and strengthen existing and new relationships with OMISTA business owners.  She will leverage her skills and expertise to  grow our commercial portfolio into an even stronger 2009.

With 18 years accounting experience Tammy Christopher recently advanced to the position of Chief Financial Officer with OMISTA. Tammy graduated from New Brunswick Community College with a diploma in Business Technology – Accounting and subsequently furthered her education by earning her Certified General Accountants(CGA) designation. In 2005 Tammy began her career with OMISTA as our Controller. As Chief Financial Officer, Tammy’s primary areas of focus are accounting, budgeting, forecasting, financial analyses, and wealth management. She is also currently in the process of obtaining her Fellow of the Credit Union Institute of Canada (FCUIC) designation and an active participant on the National International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Advisory Group. Tammy will continue to leverage her strenghts in accounting and financial analysis to further highlight areas of growth and economic benefits for OMISTA Credit Union.