Does your future credit union CEO come from marketing or business development?

by. Nancy Hutchinson

Traditionally, the CEO has come from just about any place but marketing or business development. Credit unions bent on operational excellence might look to their finance teams or their COO to take the top slot. But rare is the credit union that focused on the dynamic relationship between credit union and community. Is it time for a marketing or business development CEO?

There are strong indicators that the role of the CMO and CBDO is shifting today. Where marketing and business development was once seen as an art form, new technologies and advancements have allowed marketing and business development to be more fact based than ever before. Where marketing was about creative; today it is about business value. What once was seen, as business development accelerators are now value partners and enhancers. In the race to the CEO top slot in the credit union, marketers and business development professionals were always relegated to be the backup. Now, marketers and business development professionals are armed with the tools and technologies to give them a real shot at the race.

If we don’t step up more and more middle management bankers are coming into the credit union arena, not saying this is bad or good . . . Just saying stand up for your knowledge and attributes!!

I got a new CEO today, she came from a bank!

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