Bill Wilby
ACCUD, CCD, Canada DE
Currently the owner-manager of two e-commerce businesses , Strida Canada and Cycle For Fun. Support and farm-hand at Settle Down Organic Farm, Board Director Gulf & Fraser Credit Union,
Entrepreneur, Business Owner, Organic Market Garden Support/Farm-Hand
Dedicated to the future of credit unions...and to the credit union of the future
Welcome
The G&F Credit Union election of directors was held March 13th – 31st.
There were three director positions open and I was one of the three candidates elected to a three year term beginning April 18th 2023.
I have the capacity, co-op business experience and passion to fill this role. I have been fortunate to learn and experience the cooperative business model, and I am passionate about how a financial cooperative (credit union) can benefit its members and the community it serves.
From credit union members during my campaign I received support and help of which I am thankful. It was encouraging to see the amount of member engagement that was demonstrated. Thank you to everyone that asked questions, offered suggestions and showed interest in their credit union. And thank you to the members who helped and supported me with my successful campaign.
Some History
When I became a director of Grand Forks Credit union in 2014 I thought I was well prepared for the position. I soon learned that there is a lot to know about fiduciary duty, governance, oversight and protecting the members and communities best interests. I also learned that I had valuable skills to contribute to a board, diversity of thought being one. This blog post explores diversity or thought.
I also became hooked on the cooperative business model. The co-op model is something I have explored with a tour of Northern Italy’s co-ops as part of a St. Mary’s University program. I Studied the United Nations Sustainability Goals as they apply to co-ops, with the Canada DE program, also hosted by St. Mary’s University. And as the chair of our credit union peer group executive committee, organized a meeting of cooperatives in Nelson B.C. This blog post explores the cooperative advantage.
During my nine years on the board of Grand Forks Credit Union I served on all the board committees. And I have chaired the Governance and HR, Audit and Operational risk, Credit and Market risk and the Member and Community Relations committees. I served as the vice chair of the board and for 2022 I was elected the chair of the board. For a three year term, 2019 to 2022, I served on the board of Stabilization Central Credit Union. Stabilization Central’s members are the B.C. credit unions.
Full training and experience details can be found here.
Looking back on my last nine years I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn and grow as the credit union system has evolved and changed. There are many more changes to come with financial services and I am prepared to serve credit union members, much more prepared than I was in 2014.
I am excited to begin a new chapter of my credit union experience with my election to the Gulf & Fraser board and I would like to continue the member engagement that I have experienced in the last two months campaigning. I will be maintaining this website and Facebook page with the intent of continuing member contact and engagement.
My full bio can be found here………
My blog posts detailing learnings and ideas can be found here……
G&F Board Position
G&F Credit Union is currently in merger discussions with Interior Savings Credit Union who are also in merger discussions with North Peace Credit Union. The possibility of G&F becoming a provincial wide credit union may soon be a reality.
With my election to a three year term on the Gulf & Fraser board I can contribute to the diversity of thought that living in Grand Forks, Christina Lake and Boundary Area offers. Living, working and playing in our part of B.C. is very different than the lower mainland of B.C. Credit Union member engagement is high in our area and I would like to maintain that as our credit union grows and changes.
How can you help?
You can help by staying engaged. Please consider following my Facebook page and subscribing to my newsletter. If you have a suggestion, concern or would like me to explain something I will try and help.
Facebook, Please Follow My Credit Union Director Page
My director Facebook page includes comments and likes from many people who support me as a credit union director, check it out!
Testimonials and Comments
More testimonials, endorsements and comments from community members and credit union associates can be found on this page…..
I had the pleasure of working with Bill for a handful of years, including going through our Credit Union Director accreditation together, and have known him for decades. He brings a different perspective and voice to the Board, particularly with his focus on values-based banking and social inclusion. The time that he has given to volunteer locally for community-building opportunities and co-operatives, whether agricultural, financial, or otherwise, clearly demonstrates his dedication to community values and helping advance what our communities need.
I’ve known Bill Wilby for many years, first as a business owner in Grand Forks, and then as a co-director on the board of GFCU. Bill is passionate about building communities, and that shines through in everything he does. He is an active learner, as demonstrated by his extensive participation in director training. His knowledge gained while on the Stabilization Central Credit Union board is a much-required skill for the stability and resilience of the credit union system. Bill’s business acumen layered with cooperative principles would be a tremendous asset for a $5 billion credit union such as Gulf and Fraser.
I have had the pleasure of working with Bill Wilby over the past few years. Together, we have built the Peer Group meeting themes, including the presentations/panels that were highly rated by both Directors and Executives. Bill’s ability to seek out feedback and understand your needs- a key quality required in this elected position- is very much demonstrated through these offerings and is transferable to any position he sits on representing Peer Group 3. As a consultant, I have also had the pleasure of facilitating Stabilization Central’s Strategic Planning Session where I was able to first hand witness Bill’s strategic thinking and candidness with his questions. These qualities, paired with his unwavering dedication to life-long learning makes him an excellent candidate for this role.
Bill is a dedicated and engaged collaborator in everything he does. He has great ideas and energy, a wealth of experience, and very little ego. He is principled and inspired. He can see beyond the current challenges and persevere to the larger goals. I have connected with Bill at a number of events and credit union convenings over the years. It seems like he is everywhere all at once, always looking to learn more and participate in everything that is happening. I first met him at a credit union event he organized in Nelson in 2019 to bring together co-ops in the area, to build relationships and share knowledge. He understands that business is personal — to the leadership and to the members. He also has a great sense of the wider sector trends and challenges, a pulse on current events, and a passion for community. Any credit union would be lucky to have Bill on the board.
I sat with Bill on the Board of Stabilization Central Credit Union; Bill was a thoughtful, conscientious and diligent Director. I would be happy to sit on a Board with Bill again.
I am happy to provide support to Bill Wilby’s candidacy to represent the best interests of our communities. Bill’s entrepreneurial experiences added to his years in leadership positions on our local Credit Union Board make him a perfect choice for the merged board as our two organization move forward together.
I would like to add my support and encouragement to have Bill Wilby represent the values and interests of Grand Forks on the G&F Board.
Over the many years that I have known Bill I have never been disappointed in his integrity, community concern or positive action,…whether in his entrepreneurial pursuits, or in his various community and Credit Union roles.
I cannot think of anyone I would be more willing to trust to look after my interests, the interests of my community and the interests of the G&F Credit Union.
If you would like to contribute a comment, endorsement or testimonial to my website for publication please use this contact form. If you would like to subscribe to my newsletter please us the form at the bottom of the page.
You have found the bottom of the page and a list of recent blog posts. Enjoy the reading and please consider leaving a comment, I would really like to know what you think of my observations and opinions.
Co-operation Slides
Co-operation Slide Project A while ago, (2018) after I completed a training event and when I was feeling inspired, I created this slide presentation. My thoughts then, as they still are now, are that many credit union members have very little understanding of what a...
Good Governance
What Makes Good Governance? When I first became a credit union director, although I was eager to serve, I did not have a lotof knowledge about good governance. And what a difference good governance of an organization could make. For me the definition of...
Brave Browser Review
Brave Browser Review I have been using the Brave Browser for the last two months. You may be surprised to find this review included in my blog but I will explain. I like to write about and share information on things that interest me. Most of my topics are related to...
The Credit Union Advantage
The Credit Union Advantage The credit union advantage, or the cooperative advantage, may not be well understood with most credit union members. I think one of the reasons for this lack of understanding may be attributed to the success of credit unions, over the last...
NFTs Explained
NFTs Explained As I have been exploring all things Blockchain and Crypto, I have been puzzled by non-fungible tokens, or NFTs. But then I found this free short course on decrypt.co found here. This short course has 10 parts and a quiz at the end. When completed and...
New Technologies and Financial Services
Financial services new Technologies I have always been interested in change and evolving technologies. This interest was developed during my photographic career while experiencing first hand the digital transformation of the photo industry. I have a blog post...
Diversity of Thought
As a new credit union director nine years ago, I hadn’t thought very much about diversity of thought. It took time and experience for me to understand how diversity of thought can help or hinder board decision making. And it took time and experience for me to...
World Council of Credit Unions Conference, Glasgow
Once a year the World Council of Credit Unions holds a world conference This year's conference was held in Glasgow Scotland. I was fortunate to be able to attend using my professional development fund. I believe there has never been a better time to be part of a...
Digital Transformation, lessons learned
I posted this on my LinkedIn page May 29th 2022. There have already been many changes in the financial services industry with digital transformation, but my thoughts about behavior change have not changed. Many articles relating to digital transformations appear on my...