Wellington Holbrook is the President and CEO of Vancity, Canada’s largest community credit union. With a 30-year career in Canada’s financial services industry, Wellington has focused his career on cooperatives and banking institutions with missions that extend beyond profits.
As a CEO currently leading one of the largest credit unions in Canada, Wellington brings an operating perspective that reflects the realities, challenges, and opportunities facing credit unions nationwide. Wellington’s experience spans retail and commercial banking, wealth, payments, brand, community impact, risk resilience, technology modernization, and strategic transformation.
Prior to becoming CEO of Vancity, Wellington held progressively senior roles at financial institutions across Canada. At connectFirst Credit Union, Wellington served as Chief Operating Officer before taking on the role of CEO, leading the credit union through mergers and the integration of several credit unions under a new brand. At ATB Financial, he led their retail, business and agriculture banking lines of business and, as Chief Transformation and Technology Officer, he
led an ambitious digital, business and cultural transformation at the largest Alberta-based financial institution. Serving as the Senior Vice-President of Operations at the Business Development Bank of Canada, Wellington played a pivotal role in leading and shaping the bank’s business across Western Canada.
Fluent in French and English, Wellington holds a B. Comm from the University of Manitoba and an MBA with distinction from the University of Oxford. In 2008, he was invited by the Clerk of the Privy Council of Canada to partake in a yearlong program focused on foreign diplomacy, where he honed his leadership skills.
In addition to his executive career, Wellington also has meaningful board experience, including service on the Calgary Convention Centre Authority and currently serving as Chair of the Board. Previously, he has served as a Treasurer and Board member on the Calgary Chamber of Commerce as well as other several community and industry boards. Wellington is excited by the opportunity join the Central 1 board and to leverage his payments, transformation, and unique perspective from the credit union system to support Central 1’s continued growth and success.
Areas of Expertise: Canadian Payments Experience | Treasury and Liquidity Management Experience | Business Transformation and Innovation | Client-focused Delivery Experience at Scale | Strategy and Strategic Planning Experience
Professional Experience:
- President & CEO, Vancouver City Savings Credit Union (Vancity) and Vancity Community Investment Bank (VCIB), 2024-present
- Senior Director, Gartner, 2023
- Chief Executive Officer, connectFirst Credit Union, 2022
- Chief Operating Officer, connectFirst Credit Union, 2020-2022
- Chief Transformation Officer, ATB Financial, 2016 to 2019
- Executive Vice-President, Business and Agriculture, ATB Financial, 2011 to 2016
- Executive Vice-President, Retail Financial Services, ATB Financial, 2010 to 2011
- Senior Vice-President, Operations (Financing and Consulting), The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), 2005-2010
- The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), 1995 to 2010
Board Experience:
- Chair of Board & Board Member, Calgary Convention Centre Authority (CCCA), 2016 to 2024
- Board Member, Alberta Central, 2022
- Treasurer and Board Member, Calgary Chamber of Commerce, 2014 to 2021
- Board Member, Calgary French and International School (CFIS), 2017 to 2020
- Member, Google G-Suite Corporate Advisory Board, 2017 to 2019
- Investment Committee member, District Ventures (Arlene Dickinson), 2016 to 2019
- CIO Strategy Council (now Data Governance Council) Advisory Board – 2016-2019