7:30am - 9:00am

7:45am - 8:45am

8:45am - 9:00am

9:00am - 10:00am

10:00am - 10:30am

10:30am - 11:45am

Experience a uniquely insightful and interactive panel session about the state of the credit union system – from a Canadian, American and global perspective. This panel session includes an engaging world café where every delegate will have the opportunity to share their insights, expertise and collaborate for a better, strong future for credit unions.

11:45am - 12:30pm

12:30pm - 1:30pm

The launch of the Real-Time Rail (RTR) marks a fundamental shift in how money will move in Canada; not just faster payments, but new expectations around immediacy, certainty, and control. For consumers and businesses alike, real-time payments have the potential to change how they manage cash flow, settle obligations, and interact with financial institutions in everyday moments that matter.

The panel will explore what the RTR is ultimately meant to deliver for Canadians and how those outcomes can be translated into meaningful member services. Rather than focusing on the technology or the mechanics of the rail, the discussion will centre on how real-time payments can enable new experiences, address long-standing frictions, and support unmet needs across households, small businesses, and communities.

Bringing together system leadership and credit union practitioners, the panel will examine how credit unions can access and leverage RTR to create differentiated value.

1:30pm - 1:35pm

1:30pm - 2:30pm

Better, Not Just Bigger: Excelling at M&A in a Consolidating Industry

Over the past two decades, the number of credit unions in Canada has declined from roughly 500 to fewer than 200, with further consolidation expected. Successful M&A is driven by both strategy—choices around partners, rationale, and deal structure—and execution, particularly the ability to integrate well. This session explores how credit unions can strengthen their M&A capability across member and employee experience, culture, brand, and technology, while balancing speed with long-term cooperative value. Drawing lessons from high-performing U.S. bank acquirers, participants will gain a practical framework for turning mergers into sustained strategic advantage.

Speaker: Kevin Poe, Vice President, Financial Services Consulting, CGI

Taking AI Beyond a Buzzword: Making of a Frontier Credit Union

This session explores what separates today’s credit unions from tomorrow’s frontier firms. It’s not just technology—it’s how you use it.

Explore how AI is reshaping member service, operations, and risk management. You’ll hear what’s working now, what “responsible AI” looks like in a regulated, member-owned environment, and how forward-thinking credit unions are laying the groundwork to lead.

If you’re ready to move from pilot projects to purposeful progress, this session will help you chart your next 120 days—and beyond.

Speakers: Rob Palin, VP, DNA Managed Services and GM Canada Banking, Fiserv, Cheryl Zhu, Industry Advisor, Financial Services, Microsoft and Jason Cinq-Mars, CIO, Innovation Federal Credit Union

2:35pm - 3:05pm

3:05pm - 4:05pm

In a rapidly evolving financial landscape, disruption is no longer a threat—it's a strategic opportunity. This panel brings together visionary credit union CEOs to explore how purposeful innovation can drive meaningful transformation. From modernizing legacy systems to embracing AI, data, and digital ecosystems, leaders will share how they are intentionally leveraging technology to enhance member value, strengthen resilience, and shape the future of cooperative finance.

4:05pm - 4:35pm

6:15pm - 10:15pm

Grouse Mountain

Join CGI and your fellow delegates for a magical evening reception at the top of Grouse Mountain.

The evening will begin with bus transportation to Grouse Mountain (about 15 minutes). You will be transported up the mountain on a scenic aerial tramway to an elevation of over 1,200 meters.

Upon arrival, you’ll be treated to an evening of music, specialty cocktails and local cuisine, while you watch the sun set and enjoy the sparkling lights of the City of Vancouver below.

Don’t miss the memorable evening with your colleagues, friends and credit union system supporters.

7:30am - 8:50am

8:50am - 9:00am

9:00am - 10:00am

10:00am - 11:00am

What if credit unions weren’t just financial institutions—but community hubs that connected members to a broader network of services, support, and opportunity? In this session, we’ll explore bold ideas and real-world examples of credit unions acting as ecosystem builders—partnering with local organizations, fintechs, and social enterprises to deliver holistic value. From small business support and financial education to housing, wellness, and digital access, we’ll ask: What does it look like to serve the whole member—not just their money?

11:00am - 11:30am

11:30am - 12:30pm

Future-proofing Canada’s financial system: from readiness to relevance

Canada’s financial system is entering a decisive phase where real-time payments, open banking, and data-driven services move from strategic discussion to operational reality.

As Canada moves toward real-time payments and open banking, the financial system is being reshaped at both the infrastructure and business-model level. These changes create significant opportunity… but only for those prepared to rethink how payments, data, and partnerships fit together. 

This session is about moving from readiness to relevance. It looks at the concrete decisions credit unions must make now, like where to invest, what to defer, and how to avoid being passed by as Canada’s payments and data-sharing infrastructure comes online. We’ll explore how real-time payments and open data can be leveraged to improve member experiences and act as the foundation for new value-added services, and drive competitiveness in an ecosystem where speed, trust, and interoperability increasingly determine success.

Speaker: David Hooper, Vice President, Banking and Payments Consulting, CGI

Winning the SME market: how digital agility can beat the Big Five

To dominate the SME sector, credit unions must embrace digital agility with platforms that deliver seamless, personalized experiences tailored to business needs. By enabling real-time payments and exploring embedded finance, credit unions can remove transactional friction, reduce churn, and build lasting member loyalty. Featuring insights from Coast Capital Savings, this session will explore how a digital-first strategy can accelerate growth and help agile credit unions compete with the Big Five through speed, “invisible banking,” and member-centric innovation. 

Speakers: Dan Killey, VP Canada at ebankIT and Jeff Wong, Chief Digital, Information and Technology Officer, Coast Capital Savings

The future of patronage

This breakout session explores how traditional patronage, once rooted in long-term trust and reciprocal support, is being transformed in the digital era through modern loyalty strategies. Participants will learn how data-driven insights, personalized rewards, and seamless user experiences can revitalize member engagement and create sustainable value. Through real-world examples and interactive discussion, the session will highlight practical approaches for credit unions and community-focused institutions to evolve patronage models into measurable, tech-enabled loyalty systems. Attendees will leave with actionable frameworks to modernize their engagement strategies and strengthen long-term relationships.

Speakers: Will Christodoulou and Sukhman Dulay, Co-founders at Cyder

12:30pm - 1:30pm

1:30pm - 2:30pm

From segments to signals: unlocking the power of data

Discover how financial institutions can leverage advanced data strategies to deepen relationships with members and drive marketing growth, efficacy, and expansion. This session explores how uniting traditional datasets such as demographic, transactional, and behavioural data with advanced machine learning and AI-driven insights can uncover nuanced member needs, predict next-best products, and personalize engagement at scale. Using real-world examples, learn how intelligent segmentation, predictive modeling, and analytics enable more relevant and timely interactions, transforming data from a reporting function into a relational advantage. Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of how advanced analytics can be practically applied to strengthen trust, improve marketing ROI, and deliver experiences that feel uniquely tailored to every member.

Speaker: Sean Kennelly, Chief Product and Innovation Officer, PMG Intelligence

2:30pm - 4:00pm