Vancity announces appointment of Executive Vice President, Inclusive Banking and Sustainable Wealth

Vancity has announced an exciting new appointment to its executive team that signals the organization’s commitment to the future of community banking in British Columbia. Linda Bowyer, outgoing President and CEO at First Credit Union (FCU), will be joining Vancity as the new Executive Vice President of Inclusive Banking and Sustainable Wealth.  

“We are thrilled that Linda will be joining our executive team as we move forward with our proposed merger,” said Wellington Holbrook, President and CEO of Vancity. “Linda brings the expertise, experience, local knowledge and leadership that will help propel us forward into a new and even better credit union for all our Vancity and FCU members.”  

In this new role, Linda will bring her deep knowledge of communities on the Sunshine Coast, Gulf Islands, and Vancouver Island to Vancity’s leadership table— of critical importance as Vancity and FCU move closer to formally merging, following a positive vote by FCU members announced last week. Linda’s experience will ensure all members of the combined organization are represented at the executive table, that local voices guide improvements to the member experience, and that the shared values of Vancity and FCU continue to drive the credit union forward. Linda will be responsible for all retail member banking and wealth management services.

With experience as a Senior Executive at TD Canada Trust, CIBC and the insurance division of BCAA, Linda specializes in building high performance results-based teams, change management, leadership, sales & service distribution, and operations & process improvement. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration and an MBA from Simon Fraser University, as well as a Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma. Linda is also a director on the boards of Stabilization Central Credit Union, the Canadian Credit Union Association (CCUA), and the World Council of Credit Unions.

“Our proposed merger is about preserving the future of local community banking,” said Holbrook. “It means ensuring that the voices of FCU members, the identity of the credit union they love, and the presence of the teams they know are preserved and strengthened as we forge this new path together. I’m thrilled that Linda will be part of driving this work.”

The proposed merger of Vancity and FCU is a strategic, values-driven partnership driven by a shared vision to preserve and enhance community cooperative banking across the province. Unlike traditional mergers which are often focused on immediate cost savings, this merger aims to establish a scalable, long-term model with greater ability to withstand economic uncertainty. It will serve as a blueprint for like-minded institutions to effectively combine resources while safeguarding local identity and the personal service standards members have come to expect.  

Linda will start her new position on December 1st when the proposed merger becomes official, following a positive vote by FCU members announced last week.

About Vancity

Vancity is a values-based financial co-operative serving the needs of its 570,000 member-owners and their communities, with offices and more than 50 branches located in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Victoria, Squamish and Alert Bay, within the territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka'wakw people. With $36 billion in assets plus assets under administration, Vancity is one of Canada's largest credit unions. Vancity uses its assets to help improve the financial well-being of its members while at the same time helping to develop healthy communities that are socially, economically and environmentally sustainable.