Make no mistake about it, the people who work at Central 1 are driven to make a difference in Canada’s banking industry. We have assembled a team of people who apply their curiosity, courage, and smarts to powering Canada’s financial institutions. They can’t wait to collaborate with you.
Mark Blucher
President and CEO
Mark Blucher joined as Central 1’s President and CEO in January 2018. Mark has had a successful career spanning more than 30 years in executive leadership roles, including extensive experience in financial services across three countries. Before joining Central 1, Mark spent five years as the President and CEO of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, the second largest Insurance company in Canada. Prior to that, he spent 12 years in several executive positions at the Suncorp Group; a diversified Top 20 ASX listed financial services conglomerate in Australia. When he’s not busy being the CEO, he’s making the world’s best scrambled eggs and taking in as much Rugby as possible. In addition to his professional roles, Mark holds volunteer positions with a number of community organizations, including Director of St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation, Director and Past Chair of the United Way of the Lower Mainland, and Governor of the Business Council of B.C.
Jim Walker
Manager, Research
With 33 years credit union experience, Jim understands the many challenges credit unions face as they compete against Canada’s banks and fintechs. When not providing research insights to Canadian credit unions he keeps busy biking, running and hiking the North Shore mountains. As a prolific up-cycler he has repurposed dozens of pieces of furniture for donation to a local North Vancouver non-profit.
Andre Lewis
Managing Director & Portfolio Manager
Andre Lewis joined Central 1 as Managing Director & Portfolio Manager in October 2019. He is responsible for formulating and executing fixed-income investment strategies for its liquidity portfolios of ~$15 billion. Prior to joining Central 1, Andre held a number of senior Treasury roles in the public and private sector at the Region of Peel, President’s Choice Financial, George Weston Limited and Manulife Financial. Andre is a CFA charterholder and completed a Master of Finance degree from Rotman School of Management in 2014. During his personal time, Andre relishes time with his family, enjoys watching and playing basketball, and has a passion for mentoring youth to reach their full potential. Andre sits on the Board of the Laidlaw Foundation, a youth-focused advocacy organization, as the Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee and a member of the Investment and Governance Committees.
Kelly Latzel
SVP Strategy, Marketing and Communications
Kelly joined Central 1 in May 2011 and brings 16 years of professional experience in financial institutions and regulation. She is responsible for Strategy Planning, Design and Execution coupled with Marketing and Communications.
Michael Kerdachi
Vice President of Treasury Solutions
Michael joined Central 1 as Head of Treasury Solutions and is responsible for the strategy, operations and delivery of Treasury products and services. He is an accomplished leader with over 20 years of experience in finance, treasury, and enterprise risk management. Prior to Central 1, he was the CFO at Prospera Credit Union.
In his spare time, Michael enjoys being outdoors spending time hiking, skiing and at the lake. He and his wife have 4 kids which keeps life busy!
Yuen Newbrook
Client Relationship Manager
Yuen is a Client Relationship Manager with over 14 years of experience at Central 1. She is a Strategic IT Professional with experience building relationships and implementing complex enterprise solutions. An active rock climber, she has scaled rock walls in 5 different countries
Sue Whitney
VP, Payment Strategy and Relationships
Sue Whitney is an expert in Payments. As Vice President, Payments Strategy and Relationships at Central 1 and Head of Product Strategy and Head of Industry Relations at Payments Canada she is focussed on developing better payment solutions for Canadians, as a regulator, innovator and a leader of market transformation initiatives. Outside of work, Sue can be found trying to keep up with her teenage twin boys.
JP Lowes
Director, Information Security
JP (John Paul) is responsible for ensuring Information Security is part of the fabric of Central 1. He brings over 20 years of technical experience from Hospitality, Retail, Manufacturing and Financial Services sectors. After initially joining in 2011 as a Team lead in the Systems area, when Central 1 decided to grow a formal Security team in 2015 he jumped into the role with both feet. When he’s not advising on best practices or helping squash vulnerabilities he can be found somewhere in the Fraser Valley by a lake or in a forest with his wife and kids.
Harry Birdi
New Program Sales Director
Harry has over 20 years of sales experience. In his role as the Sales Director, he is responsible for leading a team of consultants for proposals and projects to create business solutions based on client growth requirements and market-driven business enhancements and will take accountability for the winning of competitive proposals and the successful executions of assignments, projects and large delivery programs coordinating with local and global delivery centers.
Jonathan Kutner
Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer
Jonathan is the Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. He is licensed to practice in both Canada and the United States and has extensive experience in the software industry, fintech, payments, banking and general technology. When he’s not coaching his son’s soccer team you can find him in NYC visiting family.
Bryan Yu
Chief Economist
Through his engaging economics reports Bryan has become Central 1’s local celebrity, with his work featured by various media outlets including the Globe and Mail, BNN, Bloomberg and BC Business. When he’s not keeping busy as our Chief Economist, Bryan can be found spending time with his wife and kids or volunteering with various charitable and industry associations.
Dinesh Garbharran
Chief Risk Officer
Dinesh Garbharran, Chief Risk Officer, comes to Central 1 having worked within the financial and health sectors in Canada, US, UK, China and South Africa. He has held senior executive roles in operations, risk management, and compliance at Scotiabank, TD Bank, Standard Bank Group, and Discovery Holdings. Dinesh specializes in leading high-performing teams to deliver complex regulatory, technology, and business programs. Outside of work you can find him embarrassing his wife and kids with his musical performances on the piano.
Arash Taheri
Director of Quality Assurance/Quality Engineering
Arash is a workout-aholic who trains in the gym at least 6 days a week. He loves hiking, especially the “Grouse Grind” with an all-time personal best of 44’ 50’’. Arash has a small Pomeranian and absolutely loves the little guy. As the Director of Quality Engineering / Quality Assurance at Central 1, Arash is responsible for defining QA/QE processes and roadmaps, as well as implementing best practices with a high degree of focus on automation testing. With over 15 years of industry experience, Arash strives to deliver top quality products/services to clients.
Vik Gujarati
AVP, Commercial Real Estate Lending
Vik joined Central 1 in 2010, bringing 12 years of experience in real estate finance. In 2014, Vik started his current role as AVP, Commercial Real Estate Lending. He manages Central 1’s commercial real estate syndication portfolio partnering with financial institutions to help them meet their goals. In his free time, Vik can be found walking with his beloved, and big, St. Bernard.
Quy Nguyen
Director Architecture Digital and Payments
Quy has been at Central 1 for over ten years. As the Director of Architecture, he is a visionary helping to create products that allow credit unions to undergo a digital transformation. Like most Vancouverites, Quy loves the west coast and enjoys a weekend escape to Tofino or any other nearby dog-friendly destination with his 85-pound Husky-Shepherd, Caesar.
Shannon Crowley
Client Development Manager
When Shannon isn’t singing B-52’s Love Shack at the CCUA conference, you can catch him improving client satisfaction, working on client development and expanding usage of Central 1’s products and services as a Client Development Manager. He has over 15 years of asset management and account management experience in the financial services industry taking him to work in New Zealand, Australia, UK and Canada. On the weekends you can see him training his 2 year old to be one of the next All Blacks rugby players.
Steve Faust
AVP, Payments
Steve is an accomplished leader and is well known in the payments community as an innovative and creative thinker with deep experience in technology and payments. He currently represents Central 1 and the Credit Unions on a number of industry forums. As such, he’s always looking for input from members regarding their future needs in payments. In his spare time Steve enjoys team sports and running marathons. He has been a volunteer coach for youth hockey, lacrosse, rugby and soccer for the past 16 years.
Uche Chibututu
Program Director
Uche is our Forge Program Director. As a director he’s an expert in translating complex business needs into actionable strategies and plans. He speaks three languages and loves fast bikes and cool guitars. Catch Uche if you can!
Sheila Vokey
Chief Financial Officer
Sheila is the Chief Financial Officer at Central 1. She has over 25 years of business experience with proven talent providing business, risk and financial leadership. She is recognized for translating corporate strategy into action, providing insights on key investments, and leading change and effective operations. Her past experience includes Payments Canada and The Bank of Canada.
Sylvain Painchaud
AVP Client Development Program
Sylvain is the AVP, Client Development Program and has been with Central 1 for over 7 years. He is a skilled leader with over 30 years of banking experience. When he’s not working you can catch Syl travelling the world, one of his favourite places to explore is Iceland.
Karen Zygun
People Practice Leader
Karen is a proud dog mom and accomplished tap dancer. As the People Practice Leader she is helping to reimagine the People Solutions department and guide credit unions through digital transformations as they prepare for the future of work. Within Central 1, she leads an agile evolution of the organization. Karen brings over 20 years of experience in Technology and HR Strategies, aligning work to those strategies, Agile and waterfall project management, and building change management capabilities.
Quintin Paulson
Director, Platforms
Quintin has been with Central 1 for 16 years. He started as a Java developer and through his natural leadership abilities and foresight has grown his career to be the manager of the platform that supports Forge. When he’s not working at Central 1 he enjoys flying racing drones.
Shane Kerpan
AVP, Payment and Client Support Services
Shane is a lifelong learner and proud family man who has been with Central 1 for over a decade. He is responsible for the strategic direction of Central 1 payment operations for the credit union systems in BC, Ontario and Atlantic Canada. He also provides similar services to credit unions in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Umesh Manocha
VP, Application Management and Data
When Umesh isn’t showing off his voice as a classically trained singer, he works as Central 1’s Vice President, Application Management and Data. He has over 25 years of progressive IT experience in directing & delivering enterprise level / large technology. He is part of the Forge tribe and helps credit unions navigate their digital transformation.
Kathy Green
Client Development Director
Kathy Green spent 15 years travelling the world working on cruise ships. With her global experience, she brings an adventurous spirit to the Client Development team. She is known for her collaborative leadership and supportive guidance. When she’s not helping credit unions Kathy can be found exploring the outdoors with her husband and two children. She is also a proud billet Mom to a Hamilton Hockey player (OHL)- Go Bulldogs!
Nino Di Teodoro
Client Development Director
When Nino isn’t drumming in his punk band, he’s putting his 20 years of comprehensive international business experience to good use as a Client Development Director at Central 1. Nino is known for his strategic leadership and management of high-performing cross-functional teams.
Brent Clode
Chief Investment Officer
Brent joined Central 1 in July 2015, bringing 19 years of professional experience in banking and insurance. He is responsible for managing Central 1’s investment portfolio and liquidity functions, as well as overseeing Treasury and Funding, capital markets, commercial lending and system securitization.
Ian Colvin
Head of Communications
Ian has almost 20 years experience in the financial services and non-profit sectors, focusing on external and internal communication, employee engagement, corporate citizenship, issues management, social media, and Diversity & Inclusion. Ian enjoys going on adventures with his husband, two kids and Boston Terrier, as well as taking way too many pictures to document all their journeys.
Jerry Jim
VP, Enterprise IT
Jerry has over 30 years of experience in leadership roles around infrastructure, operations, transformation and IT. Jerry is known for his highly innovative work and brilliant problem-solving capabilities. His unique approach to work might come from the summer he spent following the carnival circuit when he was 18.
Julie Breuer
VP of Member Relations & Stakeholder Engagement
Julie is a masterful connector. She is responsible for all member/owner-related aspects of relationships with Class A members of Central 1. Julie joined Central 1 in February 2016, bringing more than a decade of experience in the credit union system. Her incredible talent to connect has taken her to over 65 countries to live, work and play. Nowadays Julie calls Canada home where she makes an impact as an elected member of the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada’s Board of Directors.
Jessica Morettie
Client Development Director
Jessica’s energy for powering progress among Canada’s credit unions comes from over 20 years’ experience of working closely with them to create and implement digital banking and payments services and features. Jessica is an expert in strategic client management and roadmap planning. A true collaborator in the space, Jessica also chairs Central 1’s Product Advisory Council. Jessica’s passion in life is for the outdoors. A lifelong skier, Jessica’s latest achievement is seeing her two girls ski for the first time.
Barbara Symons
Client Development Director
As the Client Development Director, Barbara is responsible for clients ranging from C-Suite to management. Her work ensures that clients have the tools and assistance they need to drive their businesses forward. Barbara has been with Central 1 for over 17 years, allowing her to foster deep relationships with Canadian Credit Unions. On the weekends, Barbara can be found skiing with her family or trying new culinary delights.
Brian Raine
VP, Treasury and Portfolio Management
Brian is responsible for the funding, cash management, balance sheet risk and liquidity management of Central 1. Within this role he oversees the capital markets trading business and the portfolio management of the Mandatory and Excess Liquidity Pools. He joined Central 1 in 2013, bringing over 10 years of capital markets trading experience. Brian is known for his excellent management, critical thinking skills and foresight. Brian is a proud father and outside of work you can find him spending time with his family.
Ian Robertson
Client Development Manager
Ian Robertson is responsible for leading the relationship with client accounts and providing proactive contact to maintain business, improving client satisfaction and expanding usage of Central 1’s Direct Banking and Payments products and services. He has extensive experience in all facets of Operations, Business Development, Retail Banking, Wealth Management, Small Business, Training and Development, Risk Management and Customer Acquisition and Retention Strategies.
Jen Gerald
Director, Marketing
Jen first cut her marketing teeth in the fast-paced agency world, specializing in brand strategy and experiential design. For the better part of the last 10 years she’s led Central 1’s marketing agency business, collaborating with credit unions across Canada to drive customer engagement. Known for her “let’s do this” attitude and infectious passion to always raise the bar, Jen loves proving how thoughtful design can influence transcendent customer and employee experiences.
Karen McDonald
Director of Government Relations and Acting Associate Corporate Secretary
Karen McDonald has over 20 years of communications and government relations experience. She leads government relations strategy and execution for Central 1 with a focus on growing and enhancing services to credit unions. An adventurous spirit has taken Karen all around the world; she even backpacked around New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific for a year. Nowadays, her adventures are closer to home, and usually involve her faithful dog Jasper.
Arvind Sharma
Chief Digital and Payments Officer
Arvind has over 20 years of experience across retail and institutional payments and technology. As our Chief Digital and Payments Officer, Arvind is considered an industry leader and often shares his expertise internationally at conferences or through his LinkedIn blog. When he’s not leading digital transformation, Arvind can be found spending time with his wife, son, and very spoiled dogs.
Alexa Creelman
Manager Member Relations and Co-operative Social Responsibility (CSR)
Alexa’s hidden talent is that she is a fluent Spanish speaker, which she tries to keep up by visiting a Spanish speaking country each year. As the point of contact for BC credit union leaders, she is responsible for the member-owner related aspects of Class A relationships on matters such as strategy, system resiliency, and governance. To further CSR at Central 1, Alexa aligns efforts across the organization to incorporate societal and environmental impact into our business model to drive our member value proposition in meaningful ways.
James Crickmore-Thompson
Product Director of Origination Solutions
If James could be any animal he would be a bear because they get to sleep half the year. However, at work, James is anything but restful as he is the Product Director of Origination Solutions. He works developing the vision for the product and positioning our member credit unions for growth and a favourable competitive stance in the market.
Warren Newton
AVP, Internal Audit
Warren Newton is our Associate Vice President of Internal Audit. He is a former Military Police Officer and brings over 20 years of Internal Audit experience to Central 1. When he’s not busy auditing Warren can be found rocking out to Purple Rain by Prince.
Mark Blucher
President and CEO
Mark Blucher joined as Central 1’s President and CEO in January 2018. Mark has had a successful career spanning more than 30 years in executive leadership roles, including extensive experience in financial services across three countries. Before joining Central 1, Mark spent five years as the President and CEO of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, the second largest Insurance company in Canada. Prior to that, he spent 12 years in several executive positions at the Suncorp Group; a diversified Top 20 ASX listed financial services conglomerate in Australia. When he’s not busy being the CEO, he’s making the world’s best scrambled eggs and taking in as much Rugby as possible. In addition to his professional roles, Mark holds volunteer positions with a number of community organizations, including Director of St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation, Director and Past Chair of the United Way of the Lower Mainland, and Governor of the Business Council of B.C.
Jim Walker
Manager, Research
With 33 years credit union experience, Jim understands the many challenges credit unions face as they compete against Canada’s banks and fintechs. When not providing research insights to Canadian credit unions he keeps busy biking, running and hiking the North Shore mountains. As a prolific up-cycler he has repurposed dozens of pieces of furniture for donation to a local North Vancouver non-profit.
Andre Lewis
Managing Director & Portfolio Manager
Andre Lewis joined Central 1 as Managing Director & Portfolio Manager in October 2019. He is responsible for formulating and executing fixed-income investment strategies for its liquidity portfolios of ~$15 billion. Prior to joining Central 1, Andre held a number of senior Treasury roles in the public and private sector at the Region of Peel, President’s Choice Financial, George Weston Limited and Manulife Financial. Andre is a CFA charterholder and completed a Master of Finance degree from Rotman School of Management in 2014. During his personal time, Andre relishes time with his family, enjoys watching and playing basketball, and has a passion for mentoring youth to reach their full potential. Andre sits on the Board of the Laidlaw Foundation, a youth-focused advocacy organization, as the Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee and a member of the Investment and Governance Committees.
Kelly Latzel
SVP Strategy, Marketing and Communications
Kelly joined Central 1 in May 2011 and brings 16 years of professional experience in financial institutions and regulation. She is responsible for Strategy Planning, Design and Execution coupled with Marketing and Communications.
Michael Kerdachi
Vice President of Treasury Solutions
Michael joined Central 1 as Head of Treasury Solutions and is responsible for the strategy, operations and delivery of Treasury products and services. He is an accomplished leader with over 20 years of experience in finance, treasury, and enterprise risk management. Prior to Central 1, he was the CFO at Prospera Credit Union.
In his spare time, Michael enjoys being outdoors spending time hiking, skiing and at the lake. He and his wife have 4 kids which keeps life busy!
Yuen Newbrook
Client Relationship Manager
Yuen is a Client Relationship Manager with over 14 years of experience at Central 1. She is a Strategic IT Professional with experience building relationships and implementing complex enterprise solutions. An active rock climber, she has scaled rock walls in 5 different countries
Sue Whitney
VP, Payment Strategy and Relationships
Sue Whitney is an expert in Payments. As Vice President, Payments Strategy and Relationships at Central 1 and Head of Product Strategy and Head of Industry Relations at Payments Canada she is focussed on developing better payment solutions for Canadians, as a regulator, innovator and a leader of market transformation initiatives. Outside of work, Sue can be found trying to keep up with her teenage twin boys.
JP Lowes
Director, Information Security
JP (John Paul) is responsible for ensuring Information Security is part of the fabric of Central 1. He brings over 20 years of technical experience from Hospitality, Retail, Manufacturing and Financial Services sectors. After initially joining in 2011 as a Team lead in the Systems area, when Central 1 decided to grow a formal Security team in 2015 he jumped into the role with both feet. When he’s not advising on best practices or helping squash vulnerabilities he can be found somewhere in the Fraser Valley by a lake or in a forest with his wife and kids.
Harry Birdi
New Program Sales Director
Harry has over 20 years of sales experience. In his role as the Sales Director, he is responsible for leading a team of consultants for proposals and projects to create business solutions based on client growth requirements and market-driven business enhancements and will take accountability for the winning of competitive proposals and the successful executions of assignments, projects and large delivery programs coordinating with local and global delivery centers.
Jonathan Kutner
Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer
Jonathan is the Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. He is licensed to practice in both Canada and the United States and has extensive experience in the software industry, fintech, payments, banking and general technology. When he’s not coaching his son’s soccer team you can find him in NYC visiting family.
Bryan Yu
Chief Economist
Through his engaging economics reports Bryan has become Central 1’s local celebrity, with his work featured by various media outlets including the Globe and Mail, BNN, Bloomberg and BC Business. When he’s not keeping busy as our Chief Economist, Bryan can be found spending time with his wife and kids or volunteering with various charitable and industry associations.
Dinesh Garbharran
Chief Risk Officer
Dinesh Garbharran, Chief Risk Officer, comes to Central 1 having worked within the financial and health sectors in Canada, US, UK, China and South Africa. He has held senior executive roles in operations, risk management, and compliance at Scotiabank, TD Bank, Standard Bank Group, and Discovery Holdings. Dinesh specializes in leading high-performing teams to deliver complex regulatory, technology, and business programs. Outside of work you can find him embarrassing his wife and kids with his musical performances on the piano.
Arash Taheri
Director of Quality Assurance/Quality Engineering
Arash is a workout-aholic who trains in the gym at least 6 days a week. He loves hiking, especially the “Grouse Grind” with an all-time personal best of 44’ 50’’. Arash has a small Pomeranian and absolutely loves the little guy. As the Director of Quality Engineering / Quality Assurance at Central 1, Arash is responsible for defining QA/QE processes and roadmaps, as well as implementing best practices with a high degree of focus on automation testing. With over 15 years of industry experience, Arash strives to deliver top quality products/services to clients.
Vik Gujarati
AVP, Commercial Real Estate Lending
Vik joined Central 1 in 2010, bringing 12 years of experience in real estate finance. In 2014, Vik started his current role as AVP, Commercial Real Estate Lending. He manages Central 1’s commercial real estate syndication portfolio partnering with financial institutions to help them meet their goals. In his free time, Vik can be found walking with his beloved, and big, St. Bernard.
Quy Nguyen
Director Architecture Digital and Payments
Quy has been at Central 1 for over ten years. As the Director of Architecture, he is a visionary helping to create products that allow credit unions to undergo a digital transformation. Like most Vancouverites, Quy loves the west coast and enjoys a weekend escape to Tofino or any other nearby dog-friendly destination with his 85-pound Husky-Shepherd, Caesar.
Shannon Crowley
Client Development Manager
When Shannon isn’t singing B-52’s Love Shack at the CCUA conference, you can catch him improving client satisfaction, working on client development and expanding usage of Central 1’s products and services as a Client Development Manager. He has over 15 years of asset management and account management experience in the financial services industry taking him to work in New Zealand, Australia, UK and Canada. On the weekends you can see him training his 2 year old to be one of the next All Blacks rugby players.
Steve Faust
AVP, Payments
Steve is an accomplished leader and is well known in the payments community as an innovative and creative thinker with deep experience in technology and payments. He currently represents Central 1 and the Credit Unions on a number of industry forums. As such, he’s always looking for input from members regarding their future needs in payments. In his spare time Steve enjoys team sports and running marathons. He has been a volunteer coach for youth hockey, lacrosse, rugby and soccer for the past 16 years.
Uche Chibututu
Program Director
Uche is our Forge Program Director. As a director he’s an expert in translating complex business needs into actionable strategies and plans. He speaks three languages and loves fast bikes and cool guitars. Catch Uche if you can!
Sheila Vokey
Chief Financial Officer
Sheila is the Chief Financial Officer at Central 1. She has over 25 years of business experience with proven talent providing business, risk and financial leadership. She is recognized for translating corporate strategy into action, providing insights on key investments, and leading change and effective operations. Her past experience includes Payments Canada and The Bank of Canada.
Sylvain Painchaud
AVP Client Development Program
Sylvain is the AVP, Client Development Program and has been with Central 1 for over 7 years. He is a skilled leader with over 30 years of banking experience. When he’s not working you can catch Syl travelling the world, one of his favourite places to explore is Iceland.
Karen Zygun
People Practice Leader
Karen is a proud dog mom and accomplished tap dancer. As the People Practice Leader she is helping to reimagine the People Solutions department and guide credit unions through digital transformations as they prepare for the future of work. Within Central 1, she leads an agile evolution of the organization. Karen brings over 20 years of experience in Technology and HR Strategies, aligning work to those strategies, Agile and waterfall project management, and building change management capabilities.
Quintin Paulson
Director, Platforms
Quintin has been with Central 1 for 16 years. He started as a Java developer and through his natural leadership abilities and foresight has grown his career to be the manager of the platform that supports Forge. When he’s not working at Central 1 he enjoys flying racing drones.
Shane Kerpan
AVP, Payment and Client Support Services
Shane is a lifelong learner and proud family man who has been with Central 1 for over a decade. He is responsible for the strategic direction of Central 1 payment operations for the credit union systems in BC, Ontario and Atlantic Canada. He also provides similar services to credit unions in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Umesh Manocha
VP, Application Management and Data
When Umesh isn’t showing off his voice as a classically trained singer, he works as Central 1’s Vice President, Application Management and Data. He has over 25 years of progressive IT experience in directing & delivering enterprise level / large technology. He is part of the Forge tribe and helps credit unions navigate their digital transformation.
Kathy Green
Client Development Director
Kathy Green spent 15 years travelling the world working on cruise ships. With her global experience, she brings an adventurous spirit to the Client Development team. She is known for her collaborative leadership and supportive guidance. When she’s not helping credit unions Kathy can be found exploring the outdoors with her husband and two children. She is also a proud billet Mom to a Hamilton Hockey player (OHL)- Go Bulldogs!
Nino Di Teodoro
Client Development Director
When Nino isn’t drumming in his punk band, he’s putting his 20 years of comprehensive international business experience to good use as a Client Development Director at Central 1. Nino is known for his strategic leadership and management of high-performing cross-functional teams.
Brent Clode
Chief Investment Officer
Brent joined Central 1 in July 2015, bringing 19 years of professional experience in banking and insurance. He is responsible for managing Central 1’s investment portfolio and liquidity functions, as well as overseeing Treasury and Funding, capital markets, commercial lending and system securitization.
Ian Colvin
Head of Communications
Ian has almost 20 years experience in the financial services and non-profit sectors, focusing on external and internal communication, employee engagement, corporate citizenship, issues management, social media, and Diversity & Inclusion. Ian enjoys going on adventures with his husband, two kids and Boston Terrier, as well as taking way too many pictures to document all their journeys.
Jerry Jim
VP, Enterprise IT
Jerry has over 30 years of experience in leadership roles around infrastructure, operations, transformation and IT. Jerry is known for his highly innovative work and brilliant problem-solving capabilities. His unique approach to work might come from the summer he spent following the carnival circuit when he was 18.
Julie Breuer
VP of Member Relations & Stakeholder Engagement
Julie is a masterful connector. She is responsible for all member/owner-related aspects of relationships with Class A members of Central 1. Julie joined Central 1 in February 2016, bringing more than a decade of experience in the credit union system. Her incredible talent to connect has taken her to over 65 countries to live, work and play. Nowadays Julie calls Canada home where she makes an impact as an elected member of the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada’s Board of Directors.
Jessica Morettie
Client Development Director
Jessica’s energy for powering progress among Canada’s credit unions comes from over 20 years’ experience of working closely with them to create and implement digital banking and payments services and features. Jessica is an expert in strategic client management and roadmap planning. A true collaborator in the space, Jessica also chairs Central 1’s Product Advisory Council. Jessica’s passion in life is for the outdoors. A lifelong skier, Jessica’s latest achievement is seeing her two girls ski for the first time.
Barbara Symons
Client Development Director
As the Client Development Director, Barbara is responsible for clients ranging from C-Suite to management. Her work ensures that clients have the tools and assistance they need to drive their businesses forward. Barbara has been with Central 1 for over 17 years, allowing her to foster deep relationships with Canadian Credit Unions. On the weekends, Barbara can be found skiing with her family or trying new culinary delights.
Brian Raine
VP, Treasury and Portfolio Management
Brian is responsible for the funding, cash management, balance sheet risk and liquidity management of Central 1. Within this role he oversees the capital markets trading business and the portfolio management of the Mandatory and Excess Liquidity Pools. He joined Central 1 in 2013, bringing over 10 years of capital markets trading experience. Brian is known for his excellent management, critical thinking skills and foresight. Brian is a proud father and outside of work you can find him spending time with his family.
Ian Robertson
Client Development Manager
Ian Robertson is responsible for leading the relationship with client accounts and providing proactive contact to maintain business, improving client satisfaction and expanding usage of Central 1’s Direct Banking and Payments products and services. He has extensive experience in all facets of Operations, Business Development, Retail Banking, Wealth Management, Small Business, Training and Development, Risk Management and Customer Acquisition and Retention Strategies.
Jen Gerald
Director, Marketing
Jen first cut her marketing teeth in the fast-paced agency world, specializing in brand strategy and experiential design. For the better part of the last 10 years she’s led Central 1’s marketing agency business, collaborating with credit unions across Canada to drive customer engagement. Known for her “let’s do this” attitude and infectious passion to always raise the bar, Jen loves proving how thoughtful design can influence transcendent customer and employee experiences.
Karen McDonald
Director of Government Relations and Acting Associate Corporate Secretary
Karen McDonald has over 20 years of communications and government relations experience. She leads government relations strategy and execution for Central 1 with a focus on growing and enhancing services to credit unions. An adventurous spirit has taken Karen all around the world; she even backpacked around New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific for a year. Nowadays, her adventures are closer to home, and usually involve her faithful dog Jasper.
Arvind Sharma
Chief Digital and Payments Officer
Arvind has over 20 years of experience across retail and institutional payments and technology. As our Chief Digital and Payments Officer, Arvind is considered an industry leader and often shares his expertise internationally at conferences or through his LinkedIn blog. When he’s not leading digital transformation, Arvind can be found spending time with his wife, son, and very spoiled dogs.
Alexa Creelman
Manager Member Relations and Co-operative Social Responsibility (CSR)
Alexa’s hidden talent is that she is a fluent Spanish speaker, which she tries to keep up by visiting a Spanish speaking country each year. As the point of contact for BC credit union leaders, she is responsible for the member-owner related aspects of Class A relationships on matters such as strategy, system resiliency, and governance. To further CSR at Central 1, Alexa aligns efforts across the organization to incorporate societal and environmental impact into our business model to drive our member value proposition in meaningful ways.
James Crickmore-Thompson
Product Director of Origination Solutions
If James could be any animal he would be a bear because they get to sleep half the year. However, at work, James is anything but restful as he is the Product Director of Origination Solutions. He works developing the vision for the product and positioning our member credit unions for growth and a favourable competitive stance in the market.
Warren Newton
AVP, Internal Audit
Warren Newton is our Associate Vice President of Internal Audit. He is a former Military Police Officer and brings over 20 years of Internal Audit experience to Central 1. When he’s not busy auditing Warren can be found rocking out to Purple Rain by Prince.
Mark Blucher
President and CEO
Mark Blucher joined as Central 1’s President and CEO in January 2018. Mark has had a successful career spanning more than 30 years in executive leadership roles, including extensive experience in financial services across three countries. Before joining Central 1, Mark spent five years as the President and CEO of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, the second largest Insurance company in Canada. Prior to that, he spent 12 years in several executive positions at the Suncorp Group; a diversified Top 20 ASX listed financial services conglomerate in Australia. When he’s not busy being the CEO, he’s making the world’s best scrambled eggs and taking in as much Rugby as possible. In addition to his professional roles, Mark holds volunteer positions with a number of community organizations, including Director of St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation, Director and Past Chair of the United Way of the Lower Mainland, and Governor of the Business Council of B.C.
Jim Walker
Manager, Research
With 33 years credit union experience, Jim understands the many challenges credit unions face as they compete against Canada’s banks and fintechs. When not providing research insights to Canadian credit unions he keeps busy biking, running and hiking the North Shore mountains. As a prolific up-cycler he has repurposed dozens of pieces of furniture for donation to a local North Vancouver non-profit.
Andre Lewis
Managing Director & Portfolio Manager
Andre Lewis joined Central 1 as Managing Director & Portfolio Manager in October 2019. He is responsible for formulating and executing fixed-income investment strategies for its liquidity portfolios of ~$15 billion. Prior to joining Central 1, Andre held a number of senior Treasury roles in the public and private sector at the Region of Peel, President’s Choice Financial, George Weston Limited and Manulife Financial. Andre is a CFA charterholder and completed a Master of Finance degree from Rotman School of Management in 2014. During his personal time, Andre relishes time with his family, enjoys watching and playing basketball, and has a passion for mentoring youth to reach their full potential. Andre sits on the Board of the Laidlaw Foundation, a youth-focused advocacy organization, as the Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee and a member of the Investment and Governance Committees.
Kelly Latzel
SVP Strategy, Marketing and Communications
Kelly joined Central 1 in May 2011 and brings 16 years of professional experience in financial institutions and regulation. She is responsible for Strategy Planning, Design and Execution coupled with Marketing and Communications.
Michael Kerdachi
Vice President of Treasury Solutions
Michael joined Central 1 as Head of Treasury Solutions and is responsible for the strategy, operations and delivery of Treasury products and services. He is an accomplished leader with over 20 years of experience in finance, treasury, and enterprise risk management. Prior to Central 1, he was the CFO at Prospera Credit Union.
In his spare time, Michael enjoys being outdoors spending time hiking, skiing and at the lake. He and his wife have 4 kids which keeps life busy!
Yuen Newbrook
Client Relationship Manager
Yuen is a Client Relationship Manager with over 14 years of experience at Central 1. She is a Strategic IT Professional with experience building relationships and implementing complex enterprise solutions. An active rock climber, she has scaled rock walls in 5 different countries
Sue Whitney
VP, Payment Strategy and Relationships
Sue Whitney is an expert in Payments. As Vice President, Payments Strategy and Relationships at Central 1 and Head of Product Strategy and Head of Industry Relations at Payments Canada she is focussed on developing better payment solutions for Canadians, as a regulator, innovator and a leader of market transformation initiatives. Outside of work, Sue can be found trying to keep up with her teenage twin boys.
JP Lowes
Director, Information Security
JP (John Paul) is responsible for ensuring Information Security is part of the fabric of Central 1. He brings over 20 years of technical experience from Hospitality, Retail, Manufacturing and Financial Services sectors. After initially joining in 2011 as a Team lead in the Systems area, when Central 1 decided to grow a formal Security team in 2015 he jumped into the role with both feet. When he’s not advising on best practices or helping squash vulnerabilities he can be found somewhere in the Fraser Valley by a lake or in a forest with his wife and kids.
Harry Birdi
New Program Sales Director
Harry has over 20 years of sales experience. In his role as the Sales Director, he is responsible for leading a team of consultants for proposals and projects to create business solutions based on client growth requirements and market-driven business enhancements and will take accountability for the winning of competitive proposals and the successful executions of assignments, projects and large delivery programs coordinating with local and global delivery centers.
Jonathan Kutner
Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer
Jonathan is the Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. He is licensed to practice in both Canada and the United States and has extensive experience in the software industry, fintech, payments, banking and general technology. When he’s not coaching his son’s soccer team you can find him in NYC visiting family.
Bryan Yu
Chief Economist
Through his engaging economics reports Bryan has become Central 1’s local celebrity, with his work featured by various media outlets including the Globe and Mail, BNN, Bloomberg and BC Business. When he’s not keeping busy as our Chief Economist, Bryan can be found spending time with his wife and kids or volunteering with various charitable and industry associations.
Dinesh Garbharran
Chief Risk Officer
Dinesh Garbharran, Chief Risk Officer, comes to Central 1 having worked within the financial and health sectors in Canada, US, UK, China and South Africa. He has held senior executive roles in operations, risk management, and compliance at Scotiabank, TD Bank, Standard Bank Group, and Discovery Holdings. Dinesh specializes in leading high-performing teams to deliver complex regulatory, technology, and business programs. Outside of work you can find him embarrassing his wife and kids with his musical performances on the piano.
Arash Taheri
Director of Quality Assurance/Quality Engineering
Arash is a workout-aholic who trains in the gym at least 6 days a week. He loves hiking, especially the “Grouse Grind” with an all-time personal best of 44’ 50’’. Arash has a small Pomeranian and absolutely loves the little guy. As the Director of Quality Engineering / Quality Assurance at Central 1, Arash is responsible for defining QA/QE processes and roadmaps, as well as implementing best practices with a high degree of focus on automation testing. With over 15 years of industry experience, Arash strives to deliver top quality products/services to clients.
Vik Gujarati
AVP, Commercial Real Estate Lending
Vik joined Central 1 in 2010, bringing 12 years of experience in real estate finance. In 2014, Vik started his current role as AVP, Commercial Real Estate Lending. He manages Central 1’s commercial real estate syndication portfolio partnering with financial institutions to help them meet their goals. In his free time, Vik can be found walking with his beloved, and big, St. Bernard.
Quy Nguyen
Director Architecture Digital and Payments
Quy has been at Central 1 for over ten years. As the Director of Architecture, he is a visionary helping to create products that allow credit unions to undergo a digital transformation. Like most Vancouverites, Quy loves the west coast and enjoys a weekend escape to Tofino or any other nearby dog-friendly destination with his 85-pound Husky-Shepherd, Caesar.
Shannon Crowley
Client Development Manager
When Shannon isn’t singing B-52’s Love Shack at the CCUA conference, you can catch him improving client satisfaction, working on client development and expanding usage of Central 1’s products and services as a Client Development Manager. He has over 15 years of asset management and account management experience in the financial services industry taking him to work in New Zealand, Australia, UK and Canada. On the weekends you can see him training his 2 year old to be one of the next All Blacks rugby players.
Steve Faust
AVP, Payments
Steve is an accomplished leader and is well known in the payments community as an innovative and creative thinker with deep experience in technology and payments. He currently represents Central 1 and the Credit Unions on a number of industry forums. As such, he’s always looking for input from members regarding their future needs in payments. In his spare time Steve enjoys team sports and running marathons. He has been a volunteer coach for youth hockey, lacrosse, rugby and soccer for the past 16 years.
Uche Chibututu
Program Director
Uche is our Forge Program Director. As a director he’s an expert in translating complex business needs into actionable strategies and plans. He speaks three languages and loves fast bikes and cool guitars. Catch Uche if you can!
Sheila Vokey
Chief Financial Officer
Sheila is the Chief Financial Officer at Central 1. She has over 25 years of business experience with proven talent providing business, risk and financial leadership. She is recognized for translating corporate strategy into action, providing insights on key investments, and leading change and effective operations. Her past experience includes Payments Canada and The Bank of Canada.
Sylvain Painchaud
AVP Client Development Program
Sylvain is the AVP, Client Development Program and has been with Central 1 for over 7 years. He is a skilled leader with over 30 years of banking experience. When he’s not working you can catch Syl travelling the world, one of his favourite places to explore is Iceland.
Karen Zygun
People Practice Leader
Karen is a proud dog mom and accomplished tap dancer. As the People Practice Leader she is helping to reimagine the People Solutions department and guide credit unions through digital transformations as they prepare for the future of work. Within Central 1, she leads an agile evolution of the organization. Karen brings over 20 years of experience in Technology and HR Strategies, aligning work to those strategies, Agile and waterfall project management, and building change management capabilities.
Quintin Paulson
Director, Platforms
Quintin has been with Central 1 for 16 years. He started as a Java developer and through his natural leadership abilities and foresight has grown his career to be the manager of the platform that supports Forge. When he’s not working at Central 1 he enjoys flying racing drones.
Shane Kerpan
AVP, Payment and Client Support Services
Shane is a lifelong learner and proud family man who has been with Central 1 for over a decade. He is responsible for the strategic direction of Central 1 payment operations for the credit union systems in BC, Ontario and Atlantic Canada. He also provides similar services to credit unions in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Umesh Manocha
VP, Application Management and Data
When Umesh isn’t showing off his voice as a classically trained singer, he works as Central 1’s Vice President, Application Management and Data. He has over 25 years of progressive IT experience in directing & delivering enterprise level / large technology. He is part of the Forge tribe and helps credit unions navigate their digital transformation.
Kathy Green
Client Development Director
Kathy Green spent 15 years travelling the world working on cruise ships. With her global experience, she brings an adventurous spirit to the Client Development team. She is known for her collaborative leadership and supportive guidance. When she’s not helping credit unions Kathy can be found exploring the outdoors with her husband and two children. She is also a proud billet Mom to a Hamilton Hockey player (OHL)- Go Bulldogs!
Nino Di Teodoro
Client Development Director
When Nino isn’t drumming in his punk band, he’s putting his 20 years of comprehensive international business experience to good use as a Client Development Director at Central 1. Nino is known for his strategic leadership and management of high-performing cross-functional teams.
Brent Clode
Chief Investment Officer
Brent joined Central 1 in July 2015, bringing 19 years of professional experience in banking and insurance. He is responsible for managing Central 1’s investment portfolio and liquidity functions, as well as overseeing Treasury and Funding, capital markets, commercial lending and system securitization.
Ian Colvin
Head of Communications
Ian has almost 20 years experience in the financial services and non-profit sectors, focusing on external and internal communication, employee engagement, corporate citizenship, issues management, social media, and Diversity & Inclusion. Ian enjoys going on adventures with his husband, two kids and Boston Terrier, as well as taking way too many pictures to document all their journeys.
Jerry Jim
VP, Enterprise IT
Jerry has over 30 years of experience in leadership roles around infrastructure, operations, transformation and IT. Jerry is known for his highly innovative work and brilliant problem-solving capabilities. His unique approach to work might come from the summer he spent following the carnival circuit when he was 18.
Julie Breuer
VP of Member Relations & Stakeholder Engagement
Julie is a masterful connector. She is responsible for all member/owner-related aspects of relationships with Class A members of Central 1. Julie joined Central 1 in February 2016, bringing more than a decade of experience in the credit union system. Her incredible talent to connect has taken her to over 65 countries to live, work and play. Nowadays Julie calls Canada home where she makes an impact as an elected member of the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada’s Board of Directors.
Jessica Morettie
Client Development Director
Jessica’s energy for powering progress among Canada’s credit unions comes from over 20 years’ experience of working closely with them to create and implement digital banking and payments services and features. Jessica is an expert in strategic client management and roadmap planning. A true collaborator in the space, Jessica also chairs Central 1’s Product Advisory Council. Jessica’s passion in life is for the outdoors. A lifelong skier, Jessica’s latest achievement is seeing her two girls ski for the first time.
Barbara Symons
Client Development Director
As the Client Development Director, Barbara is responsible for clients ranging from C-Suite to management. Her work ensures that clients have the tools and assistance they need to drive their businesses forward. Barbara has been with Central 1 for over 17 years, allowing her to foster deep relationships with Canadian Credit Unions. On the weekends, Barbara can be found skiing with her family or trying new culinary delights.
Brian Raine
VP, Treasury and Portfolio Management
Brian is responsible for the funding, cash management, balance sheet risk and liquidity management of Central 1. Within this role he oversees the capital markets trading business and the portfolio management of the Mandatory and Excess Liquidity Pools. He joined Central 1 in 2013, bringing over 10 years of capital markets trading experience. Brian is known for his excellent management, critical thinking skills and foresight. Brian is a proud father and outside of work you can find him spending time with his family.
Ian Robertson
Client Development Manager
Ian Robertson is responsible for leading the relationship with client accounts and providing proactive contact to maintain business, improving client satisfaction and expanding usage of Central 1’s Direct Banking and Payments products and services. He has extensive experience in all facets of Operations, Business Development, Retail Banking, Wealth Management, Small Business, Training and Development, Risk Management and Customer Acquisition and Retention Strategies.
Jen Gerald
Director, Marketing
Jen first cut her marketing teeth in the fast-paced agency world, specializing in brand strategy and experiential design. For the better part of the last 10 years she’s led Central 1’s marketing agency business, collaborating with credit unions across Canada to drive customer engagement. Known for her “let’s do this” attitude and infectious passion to always raise the bar, Jen loves proving how thoughtful design can influence transcendent customer and employee experiences.
Karen McDonald
Director of Government Relations and Acting Associate Corporate Secretary
Karen McDonald has over 20 years of communications and government relations experience. She leads government relations strategy and execution for Central 1 with a focus on growing and enhancing services to credit unions. An adventurous spirit has taken Karen all around the world; she even backpacked around New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific for a year. Nowadays, her adventures are closer to home, and usually involve her faithful dog Jasper.
Arvind Sharma
Chief Digital and Payments Officer
Arvind has over 20 years of experience across retail and institutional payments and technology. As our Chief Digital and Payments Officer, Arvind is considered an industry leader and often shares his expertise internationally at conferences or through his LinkedIn blog. When he’s not leading digital transformation, Arvind can be found spending time with his wife, son, and very spoiled dogs.
Alexa Creelman
Manager Member Relations and Co-operative Social Responsibility (CSR)
Alexa’s hidden talent is that she is a fluent Spanish speaker, which she tries to keep up by visiting a Spanish speaking country each year. As the point of contact for BC credit union leaders, she is responsible for the member-owner related aspects of Class A relationships on matters such as strategy, system resiliency, and governance. To further CSR at Central 1, Alexa aligns efforts across the organization to incorporate societal and environmental impact into our business model to drive our member value proposition in meaningful ways.
James Crickmore-Thompson
Product Director of Origination Solutions
If James could be any animal he would be a bear because they get to sleep half the year. However, at work, James is anything but restful as he is the Product Director of Origination Solutions. He works developing the vision for the product and positioning our member credit unions for growth and a favourable competitive stance in the market.
Warren Newton
AVP, Internal Audit
Warren Newton is our Associate Vice President of Internal Audit. He is a former Military Police Officer and brings over 20 years of Internal Audit experience to Central 1. When he’s not busy auditing Warren can be found rocking out to Purple Rain by Prince.
Mark Blucher
President and CEO
Mark Blucher joined as Central 1’s President and CEO in January 2018. Mark has had a successful career spanning more than 30 years in executive leadership roles, including extensive experience in financial services across three countries. Before joining Central 1, Mark spent five years as the President and CEO of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, the second largest Insurance company in Canada. Prior to that, he spent 12 years in several executive positions at the Suncorp Group; a diversified Top 20 ASX listed financial services conglomerate in Australia. When he’s not busy being the CEO, he’s making the world’s best scrambled eggs and taking in as much Rugby as possible. In addition to his professional roles, Mark holds volunteer positions with a number of community organizations, including Director of St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation, Director and Past Chair of the United Way of the Lower Mainland, and Governor of the Business Council of B.C.
Kelly Latzel
SVP Strategy, Marketing and Communications
Kelly joined Central 1 in May 2011 and brings 16 years of professional experience in financial institutions and regulation. She is responsible for Strategy Planning, Design and Execution coupled with Marketing and Communications.
Dinesh Garbharran
Chief Risk Officer
Dinesh Garbharran, Chief Risk Officer, comes to Central 1 having worked within the financial and health sectors in Canada, US, UK, China and South Africa. He has held senior executive roles in operations, risk management, and compliance at Scotiabank, TD Bank, Standard Bank Group, and Discovery Holdings. Dinesh specializes in leading high-performing teams to deliver complex regulatory, technology, and business programs. Outside of work you can find him embarrassing his wife and kids with his musical performances on the piano.
Sheila Vokey
Chief Financial Officer
Sheila is the Chief Financial Officer at Central 1. She has over 25 years of business experience with proven talent providing business, risk and financial leadership. She is recognized for translating corporate strategy into action, providing insights on key investments, and leading change and effective operations. Her past experience includes Payments Canada and The Bank of Canada.
Brent Clode
Chief Investment Officer
Brent joined Central 1 in July 2015, bringing 19 years of professional experience in banking and insurance. He is responsible for managing Central 1’s investment portfolio and liquidity functions, as well as overseeing Treasury and Funding, capital markets, commercial lending and system securitization.
Arvind Sharma
Chief Digital and Payments Officer
Arvind has over 20 years of experience across retail and institutional payments and technology. As our Chief Digital and Payments Officer, Arvind is considered an industry leader and often shares his expertise internationally at conferences or through his LinkedIn blog. When he’s not leading digital transformation, Arvind can be found spending time with his wife, son, and very spoiled dogs.
Mark Blucher
President and CEO
Mark Blucher joined as Central 1’s President and CEO in January 2018. Mark has had a successful career spanning more than 30 years in executive leadership roles, including extensive experience in financial services across three countries. Before joining Central 1, Mark spent five years as the President and CEO of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, the second largest Insurance company in Canada. Prior to that, he spent 12 years in several executive positions at the Suncorp Group; a diversified Top 20 ASX listed financial services conglomerate in Australia. When he’s not busy being the CEO, he’s making the world’s best scrambled eggs and taking in as much Rugby as possible. In addition to his professional roles, Mark holds volunteer positions with a number of community organizations, including Director of St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation, Director and Past Chair of the United Way of the Lower Mainland, and Governor of the Business Council of B.C.
Kelly Latzel
SVP Strategy, Marketing and Communications
Kelly joined Central 1 in May 2011 and brings 16 years of professional experience in financial institutions and regulation. She is responsible for Strategy Planning, Design and Execution coupled with Marketing and Communications.
Dinesh Garbharran
Chief Risk Officer
Dinesh Garbharran, Chief Risk Officer, comes to Central 1 having worked within the financial and health sectors in Canada, US, UK, China and South Africa. He has held senior executive roles in operations, risk management, and compliance at Scotiabank, TD Bank, Standard Bank Group, and Discovery Holdings. Dinesh specializes in leading high-performing teams to deliver complex regulatory, technology, and business programs. Outside of work you can find him embarrassing his wife and kids with his musical performances on the piano.
Sheila Vokey
Chief Financial Officer
Sheila is the Chief Financial Officer at Central 1. She has over 25 years of business experience with proven talent providing business, risk and financial leadership. She is recognized for translating corporate strategy into action, providing insights on key investments, and leading change and effective operations. Her past experience includes Payments Canada and The Bank of Canada.
Brent Clode
Chief Investment Officer
Brent joined Central 1 in July 2015, bringing 19 years of professional experience in banking and insurance. He is responsible for managing Central 1’s investment portfolio and liquidity functions, as well as overseeing Treasury and Funding, capital markets, commercial lending and system securitization.
Arvind Sharma
Chief Digital and Payments Officer
Arvind has over 20 years of experience across retail and institutional payments and technology. As our Chief Digital and Payments Officer, Arvind is considered an industry leader and often shares his expertise internationally at conferences or through his LinkedIn blog. When he’s not leading digital transformation, Arvind can be found spending time with his wife, son, and very spoiled dogs.
Mark Blucher
President and CEO
Mark Blucher joined as Central 1’s President and CEO in January 2018. Mark has had a successful career spanning more than 30 years in executive leadership roles, including extensive experience in financial services across three countries. Before joining Central 1, Mark spent five years as the President and CEO of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, the second largest Insurance company in Canada. Prior to that, he spent 12 years in several executive positions at the Suncorp Group; a diversified Top 20 ASX listed financial services conglomerate in Australia. When he’s not busy being the CEO, he’s making the world’s best scrambled eggs and taking in as much Rugby as possible. In addition to his professional roles, Mark holds volunteer positions with a number of community organizations, including Director of St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation, Director and Past Chair of the United Way of the Lower Mainland, and Governor of the Business Council of B.C.
Kelly Latzel
SVP Strategy, Marketing and Communications
Kelly joined Central 1 in May 2011 and brings 16 years of professional experience in financial institutions and regulation. She is responsible for Strategy Planning, Design and Execution coupled with Marketing and Communications.
Dinesh Garbharran
Chief Risk Officer
Dinesh Garbharran, Chief Risk Officer, comes to Central 1 having worked within the financial and health sectors in Canada, US, UK, China and South Africa. He has held senior executive roles in operations, risk management, and compliance at Scotiabank, TD Bank, Standard Bank Group, and Discovery Holdings. Dinesh specializes in leading high-performing teams to deliver complex regulatory, technology, and business programs. Outside of work you can find him embarrassing his wife and kids with his musical performances on the piano.
Sheila Vokey
Chief Financial Officer
Sheila is the Chief Financial Officer at Central 1. She has over 25 years of business experience with proven talent providing business, risk and financial leadership. She is recognized for translating corporate strategy into action, providing insights on key investments, and leading change and effective operations. Her past experience includes Payments Canada and The Bank of Canada.
Brent Clode
Chief Investment Officer
Brent joined Central 1 in July 2015, bringing 19 years of professional experience in banking and insurance. He is responsible for managing Central 1’s investment portfolio and liquidity functions, as well as overseeing Treasury and Funding, capital markets, commercial lending and system securitization.
Arvind Sharma
Chief Digital and Payments Officer
Arvind has over 20 years of experience across retail and institutional payments and technology. As our Chief Digital and Payments Officer, Arvind is considered an industry leader and often shares his expertise internationally at conferences or through his LinkedIn blog. When he’s not leading digital transformation, Arvind can be found spending time with his wife, son, and very spoiled dogs.
Yuen Newbrook
Client Relationship Manager
Yuen is a Client Relationship Manager with over 14 years of experience at Central 1. She is a Strategic IT Professional with experience building relationships and implementing complex enterprise solutions. An active rock climber, she has scaled rock walls in 5 different countries
Harry Birdi
New Program Sales Director
Harry has over 20 years of sales experience. In his role as the Sales Director, he is responsible for leading a team of consultants for proposals and projects to create business solutions based on client growth requirements and market-driven business enhancements and will take accountability for the winning of competitive proposals and the successful executions of assignments, projects and large delivery programs coordinating with local and global delivery centers.
Nino Di Teodoro
Client Development Director
When Nino isn’t drumming in his punk band, he’s putting his 20 years of comprehensive international business experience to good use as a Client Development Director at Central 1. Nino is known for his strategic leadership and management of high-performing cross-functional teams.
Kathy Green
Client Development Director
Kathy Green spent 15 years travelling the world working on cruise ships. With her global experience, she brings an adventurous spirit to the Client Development team. She is known for her collaborative leadership and supportive guidance. When she’s not helping credit unions Kathy can be found exploring the outdoors with her husband and two children. She is also a proud billet Mom to a Hamilton Hockey player (OHL)- Go Bulldogs!
Sylvain Painchaud
AVP Client Development Program
Sylvain is the AVP, Client Development Program and has been with Central 1 for over 7 years. He is a skilled leader with over 30 years of banking experience. When he’s not working you can catch Syl travelling the world, one of his favourite places to explore is Iceland.
Shannon Crowley
Client Development Manager
When Shannon isn’t singing B-52’s Love Shack at the CCUA conference, you can catch him improving client satisfaction, working on client development and expanding usage of Central 1’s products and services as a Client Development Manager. He has over 15 years of asset management and account management experience in the financial services industry taking him to work in New Zealand, Australia, UK and Canada. On the weekends you can see him training his 2 year old to be one of the next All Blacks rugby players.
Ian Robertson
Client Development Manager
Ian Robertson is responsible for leading the relationship with client accounts and providing proactive contact to maintain business, improving client satisfaction and expanding usage of Central 1’s Direct Banking and Payments products and services. He has extensive experience in all facets of Operations, Business Development, Retail Banking, Wealth Management, Small Business, Training and Development, Risk Management and Customer Acquisition and Retention Strategies.
Barbara Symons
Client Development Director
As the Client Development Director, Barbara is responsible for clients ranging from C-Suite to management. Her work ensures that clients have the tools and assistance they need to drive their businesses forward. Barbara has been with Central 1 for over 17 years, allowing her to foster deep relationships with Canadian Credit Unions. On the weekends, Barbara can be found skiing with her family or trying new culinary delights.
Jessica Morettie
Client Development Director
Jessica’s energy for powering progress among Canada’s credit unions comes from over 20 years’ experience of working closely with them to create and implement digital banking and payments services and features. Jessica is an expert in strategic client management and roadmap planning. A true collaborator in the space, Jessica also chairs Central 1’s Product Advisory Council. Jessica’s passion in life is for the outdoors. A lifelong skier, Jessica’s latest achievement is seeing her two girls ski for the first time.
Julie Breuer
VP of Member Relations & Stakeholder Engagement
Julie is a masterful connector. She is responsible for all member/owner-related aspects of relationships with Class A members of Central 1. Julie joined Central 1 in February 2016, bringing more than a decade of experience in the credit union system. Her incredible talent to connect has taken her to over 65 countries to live, work and play. Nowadays Julie calls Canada home where she makes an impact as an elected member of the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada’s Board of Directors.
Alexa Creelman
Manager Member Relations and Co-operative Social Responsibility (CSR)
Alexa’s hidden talent is that she is a fluent Spanish speaker, which she tries to keep up by visiting a Spanish speaking country each year. As the point of contact for BC credit union leaders, she is responsible for the member-owner related aspects of Class A relationships on matters such as strategy, system resiliency, and governance. To further CSR at Central 1, Alexa aligns efforts across the organization to incorporate societal and environmental impact into our business model to drive our member value proposition in meaningful ways.
Yuen Newbrook
Client Relationship Manager
Yuen is a Client Relationship Manager with over 14 years of experience at Central 1. She is a Strategic IT Professional with experience building relationships and implementing complex enterprise solutions. An active rock climber, she has scaled rock walls in 5 different countries
Harry Birdi
New Program Sales Director
Harry has over 20 years of sales experience. In his role as the Sales Director, he is responsible for leading a team of consultants for proposals and projects to create business solutions based on client growth requirements and market-driven business enhancements and will take accountability for the winning of competitive proposals and the successful executions of assignments, projects and large delivery programs coordinating with local and global delivery centers.
Nino Di Teodoro
Client Development Director
When Nino isn’t drumming in his punk band, he’s putting his 20 years of comprehensive international business experience to good use as a Client Development Director at Central 1. Nino is known for his strategic leadership and management of high-performing cross-functional teams.
Kathy Green
Client Development Director
Kathy Green spent 15 years travelling the world working on cruise ships. With her global experience, she brings an adventurous spirit to the Client Development team. She is known for her collaborative leadership and supportive guidance. When she’s not helping credit unions Kathy can be found exploring the outdoors with her husband and two children. She is also a proud billet Mom to a Hamilton Hockey player (OHL)- Go Bulldogs!
Sylvain Painchaud
AVP Client Development Program
Sylvain is the AVP, Client Development Program and has been with Central 1 for over 7 years. He is a skilled leader with over 30 years of banking experience. When he’s not working you can catch Syl travelling the world, one of his favourite places to explore is Iceland.
Shannon Crowley
Client Development Manager
When Shannon isn’t singing B-52’s Love Shack at the CCUA conference, you can catch him improving client satisfaction, working on client development and expanding usage of Central 1’s products and services as a Client Development Manager. He has over 15 years of asset management and account management experience in the financial services industry taking him to work in New Zealand, Australia, UK and Canada. On the weekends you can see him training his 2 year old to be one of the next All Blacks rugby players.
Ian Robertson
Client Development Manager
Ian Robertson is responsible for leading the relationship with client accounts and providing proactive contact to maintain business, improving client satisfaction and expanding usage of Central 1’s Direct Banking and Payments products and services. He has extensive experience in all facets of Operations, Business Development, Retail Banking, Wealth Management, Small Business, Training and Development, Risk Management and Customer Acquisition and Retention Strategies.
Barbara Symons
Client Development Director
As the Client Development Director, Barbara is responsible for clients ranging from C-Suite to management. Her work ensures that clients have the tools and assistance they need to drive their businesses forward. Barbara has been with Central 1 for over 17 years, allowing her to foster deep relationships with Canadian Credit Unions. On the weekends, Barbara can be found skiing with her family or trying new culinary delights.
Jessica Morettie
Client Development Director
Jessica’s energy for powering progress among Canada’s credit unions comes from over 20 years’ experience of working closely with them to create and implement digital banking and payments services and features. Jessica is an expert in strategic client management and roadmap planning. A true collaborator in the space, Jessica also chairs Central 1’s Product Advisory Council. Jessica’s passion in life is for the outdoors. A lifelong skier, Jessica’s latest achievement is seeing her two girls ski for the first time.
Julie Breuer
VP of Member Relations & Stakeholder Engagement
Julie is a masterful connector. She is responsible for all member/owner-related aspects of relationships with Class A members of Central 1. Julie joined Central 1 in February 2016, bringing more than a decade of experience in the credit union system. Her incredible talent to connect has taken her to over 65 countries to live, work and play. Nowadays Julie calls Canada home where she makes an impact as an elected member of the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada’s Board of Directors.
Alexa Creelman
Manager Member Relations and Co-operative Social Responsibility (CSR)
Alexa’s hidden talent is that she is a fluent Spanish speaker, which she tries to keep up by visiting a Spanish speaking country each year. As the point of contact for BC credit union leaders, she is responsible for the member-owner related aspects of Class A relationships on matters such as strategy, system resiliency, and governance. To further CSR at Central 1, Alexa aligns efforts across the organization to incorporate societal and environmental impact into our business model to drive our member value proposition in meaningful ways.
Yuen Newbrook
Client Relationship Manager
Yuen is a Client Relationship Manager with over 14 years of experience at Central 1. She is a Strategic IT Professional with experience building relationships and implementing complex enterprise solutions. An active rock climber, she has scaled rock walls in 5 different countries
Harry Birdi
New Program Sales Director
Harry has over 20 years of sales experience. In his role as the Sales Director, he is responsible for leading a team of consultants for proposals and projects to create business solutions based on client growth requirements and market-driven business enhancements and will take accountability for the winning of competitive proposals and the successful executions of assignments, projects and large delivery programs coordinating with local and global delivery centers.
Nino Di Teodoro
Client Development Director
When Nino isn’t drumming in his punk band, he’s putting his 20 years of comprehensive international business experience to good use as a Client Development Director at Central 1. Nino is known for his strategic leadership and management of high-performing cross-functional teams.
Kathy Green
Client Development Director
Kathy Green spent 15 years travelling the world working on cruise ships. With her global experience, she brings an adventurous spirit to the Client Development team. She is known for her collaborative leadership and supportive guidance. When she’s not helping credit unions Kathy can be found exploring the outdoors with her husband and two children. She is also a proud billet Mom to a Hamilton Hockey player (OHL)- Go Bulldogs!
Sylvain Painchaud
AVP Client Development Program
Sylvain is the AVP, Client Development Program and has been with Central 1 for over 7 years. He is a skilled leader with over 30 years of banking experience. When he’s not working you can catch Syl travelling the world, one of his favourite places to explore is Iceland.
Shannon Crowley
Client Development Manager
When Shannon isn’t singing B-52’s Love Shack at the CCUA conference, you can catch him improving client satisfaction, working on client development and expanding usage of Central 1’s products and services as a Client Development Manager. He has over 15 years of asset management and account management experience in the financial services industry taking him to work in New Zealand, Australia, UK and Canada. On the weekends you can see him training his 2 year old to be one of the next All Blacks rugby players.
Ian Robertson
Client Development Manager
Ian Robertson is responsible for leading the relationship with client accounts and providing proactive contact to maintain business, improving client satisfaction and expanding usage of Central 1’s Direct Banking and Payments products and services. He has extensive experience in all facets of Operations, Business Development, Retail Banking, Wealth Management, Small Business, Training and Development, Risk Management and Customer Acquisition and Retention Strategies.
Barbara Symons
Client Development Director
As the Client Development Director, Barbara is responsible for clients ranging from C-Suite to management. Her work ensures that clients have the tools and assistance they need to drive their businesses forward. Barbara has been with Central 1 for over 17 years, allowing her to foster deep relationships with Canadian Credit Unions. On the weekends, Barbara can be found skiing with her family or trying new culinary delights.
Jessica Morettie
Client Development Director
Jessica’s energy for powering progress among Canada’s credit unions comes from over 20 years’ experience of working closely with them to create and implement digital banking and payments services and features. Jessica is an expert in strategic client management and roadmap planning. A true collaborator in the space, Jessica also chairs Central 1’s Product Advisory Council. Jessica’s passion in life is for the outdoors. A lifelong skier, Jessica’s latest achievement is seeing her two girls ski for the first time.
Julie Breuer
VP of Member Relations & Stakeholder Engagement
Julie is a masterful connector. She is responsible for all member/owner-related aspects of relationships with Class A members of Central 1. Julie joined Central 1 in February 2016, bringing more than a decade of experience in the credit union system. Her incredible talent to connect has taken her to over 65 countries to live, work and play. Nowadays Julie calls Canada home where she makes an impact as an elected member of the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada’s Board of Directors.
Alexa Creelman
Manager Member Relations and Co-operative Social Responsibility (CSR)
Alexa’s hidden talent is that she is a fluent Spanish speaker, which she tries to keep up by visiting a Spanish speaking country each year. As the point of contact for BC credit union leaders, she is responsible for the member-owner related aspects of Class A relationships on matters such as strategy, system resiliency, and governance. To further CSR at Central 1, Alexa aligns efforts across the organization to incorporate societal and environmental impact into our business model to drive our member value proposition in meaningful ways.
Jim Walker
Manager, Research
With 33 years credit union experience, Jim understands the many challenges credit unions face as they compete against Canada’s banks and fintechs. When not providing research insights to Canadian credit unions he keeps busy biking, running and hiking the North Shore mountains. As a prolific up-cycler he has repurposed dozens of pieces of furniture for donation to a local North Vancouver non-profit.
Andre Lewis
Managing Director & Portfolio Manager
Andre Lewis joined Central 1 as Managing Director & Portfolio Manager in October 2019. He is responsible for formulating and executing fixed-income investment strategies for its liquidity portfolios of ~$15 billion. Prior to joining Central 1, Andre held a number of senior Treasury roles in the public and private sector at the Region of Peel, President’s Choice Financial, George Weston Limited and Manulife Financial. Andre is a CFA charterholder and completed a Master of Finance degree from Rotman School of Management in 2014. During his personal time, Andre relishes time with his family, enjoys watching and playing basketball, and has a passion for mentoring youth to reach their full potential. Andre sits on the Board of the Laidlaw Foundation, a youth-focused advocacy organization, as the Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee and a member of the Investment and Governance Committees.
Michael Kerdachi
Vice President of Treasury Solutions
Michael joined Central 1 as Head of Treasury Solutions and is responsible for the strategy, operations and delivery of Treasury products and services. He is an accomplished leader with over 20 years of experience in finance, treasury, and enterprise risk management. Prior to Central 1, he was the CFO at Prospera Credit Union.
In his spare time, Michael enjoys being outdoors spending time hiking, skiing and at the lake. He and his wife have 4 kids which keeps life busy!
Sue Whitney
VP, Payment Strategy and Relationships
Sue Whitney is an expert in Payments. As Vice President, Payments Strategy and Relationships at Central 1 and Head of Product Strategy and Head of Industry Relations at Payments Canada she is focussed on developing better payment solutions for Canadians, as a regulator, innovator and a leader of market transformation initiatives. Outside of work, Sue can be found trying to keep up with her teenage twin boys.
JP Lowes
Director, Information Security
JP (John Paul) is responsible for ensuring Information Security is part of the fabric of Central 1. He brings over 20 years of technical experience from Hospitality, Retail, Manufacturing and Financial Services sectors. After initially joining in 2011 as a Team lead in the Systems area, when Central 1 decided to grow a formal Security team in 2015 he jumped into the role with both feet. When he’s not advising on best practices or helping squash vulnerabilities he can be found somewhere in the Fraser Valley by a lake or in a forest with his wife and kids.
Jonathan Kutner
Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer
Jonathan is the Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. He is licensed to practice in both Canada and the United States and has extensive experience in the software industry, fintech, payments, banking and general technology. When he’s not coaching his son’s soccer team you can find him in NYC visiting family.
Bryan Yu
Chief Economist
Through his engaging economics reports Bryan has become Central 1’s local celebrity, with his work featured by various media outlets including the Globe and Mail, BNN, Bloomberg and BC Business. When he’s not keeping busy as our Chief Economist, Bryan can be found spending time with his wife and kids or volunteering with various charitable and industry associations.
Arash Taheri
Director of Quality Assurance/Quality Engineering
Arash is a workout-aholic who trains in the gym at least 6 days a week. He loves hiking, especially the “Grouse Grind” with an all-time personal best of 44’ 50’’. Arash has a small Pomeranian and absolutely loves the little guy. As the Director of Quality Engineering / Quality Assurance at Central 1, Arash is responsible for defining QA/QE processes and roadmaps, as well as implementing best practices with a high degree of focus on automation testing. With over 15 years of industry experience, Arash strives to deliver top quality products/services to clients.
Vik Gujarati
AVP, Commercial Real Estate Lending
Vik joined Central 1 in 2010, bringing 12 years of experience in real estate finance. In 2014, Vik started his current role as AVP, Commercial Real Estate Lending. He manages Central 1’s commercial real estate syndication portfolio partnering with financial institutions to help them meet their goals. In his free time, Vik can be found walking with his beloved, and big, St. Bernard.
Umesh Manocha
VP, Application Management and Data
When Umesh isn’t showing off his voice as a classically trained singer, he works as Central 1’s Vice President, Application Management and Data. He has over 25 years of progressive IT experience in directing & delivering enterprise level / large technology. He is part of the Forge tribe and helps credit unions navigate their digital transformation.
Shane Kerpan
AVP, Payment and Client Support Services
Shane is a lifelong learner and proud family man who has been with Central 1 for over a decade. He is responsible for the strategic direction of Central 1 payment operations for the credit union systems in BC, Ontario and Atlantic Canada. He also provides similar services to credit unions in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Quintin Paulson
Director, Platforms
Quintin has been with Central 1 for 16 years. He started as a Java developer and through his natural leadership abilities and foresight has grown his career to be the manager of the platform that supports Forge. When he’s not working at Central 1 he enjoys flying racing drones.
Karen Zygun
People Practice Leader
Karen is a proud dog mom and accomplished tap dancer. As the People Practice Leader she is helping to reimagine the People Solutions department and guide credit unions through digital transformations as they prepare for the future of work. Within Central 1, she leads an agile evolution of the organization. Karen brings over 20 years of experience in Technology and HR Strategies, aligning work to those strategies, Agile and waterfall project management, and building change management capabilities.
Uche Chibututu
Program Director
Uche is our Forge Program Director. As a director he’s an expert in translating complex business needs into actionable strategies and plans. He speaks three languages and loves fast bikes and cool guitars. Catch Uche if you can!
Steve Faust
AVP, Payments
Steve is an accomplished leader and is well known in the payments community as an innovative and creative thinker with deep experience in technology and payments. He currently represents Central 1 and the Credit Unions on a number of industry forums. As such, he’s always looking for input from members regarding their future needs in payments. In his spare time Steve enjoys team sports and running marathons. He has been a volunteer coach for youth hockey, lacrosse, rugby and soccer for the past 16 years.
Quy Nguyen
Director Architecture Digital and Payments
Quy has been at Central 1 for over ten years. As the Director of Architecture, he is a visionary helping to create products that allow credit unions to undergo a digital transformation. Like most Vancouverites, Quy loves the west coast and enjoys a weekend escape to Tofino or any other nearby dog-friendly destination with his 85-pound Husky-Shepherd, Caesar.
Jerry Jim
VP, Enterprise IT
Jerry has over 30 years of experience in leadership roles around infrastructure, operations, transformation and IT. Jerry is known for his highly innovative work and brilliant problem-solving capabilities. His unique approach to work might come from the summer he spent following the carnival circuit when he was 18.
Ian Colvin
Head of Communications
Ian has almost 20 years experience in the financial services and non-profit sectors, focusing on external and internal communication, employee engagement, corporate citizenship, issues management, social media, and Diversity & Inclusion. Ian enjoys going on adventures with his husband, two kids and Boston Terrier, as well as taking way too many pictures to document all their journeys.
Brent Clode
Chief Investment Officer
Brent joined Central 1 in July 2015, bringing 19 years of professional experience in banking and insurance. He is responsible for managing Central 1’s investment portfolio and liquidity functions, as well as overseeing Treasury and Funding, capital markets, commercial lending and system securitization.
Karen McDonald
Director of Government Relations and Acting Associate Corporate Secretary
Karen McDonald has over 20 years of communications and government relations experience. She leads government relations strategy and execution for Central 1 with a focus on growing and enhancing services to credit unions. An adventurous spirit has taken Karen all around the world; she even backpacked around New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific for a year. Nowadays, her adventures are closer to home, and usually involve her faithful dog Jasper.
Jen Gerald
Director, Marketing
Jen first cut her marketing teeth in the fast-paced agency world, specializing in brand strategy and experiential design. For the better part of the last 10 years she’s led Central 1’s marketing agency business, collaborating with credit unions across Canada to drive customer engagement. Known for her “let’s do this” attitude and infectious passion to always raise the bar, Jen loves proving how thoughtful design can influence transcendent customer and employee experiences.
Brian Raine
VP, Treasury and Portfolio Management
Brian is responsible for the funding, cash management, balance sheet risk and liquidity management of Central 1. Within this role he oversees the capital markets trading business and the portfolio management of the Mandatory and Excess Liquidity Pools. He joined Central 1 in 2013, bringing over 10 years of capital markets trading experience. Brian is known for his excellent management, critical thinking skills and foresight. Brian is a proud father and outside of work you can find him spending time with his family.
Julie Breuer
VP of Member Relations & Stakeholder Engagement
Julie is a masterful connector. She is responsible for all member/owner-related aspects of relationships with Class A members of Central 1. Julie joined Central 1 in February 2016, bringing more than a decade of experience in the credit union system. Her incredible talent to connect has taken her to over 65 countries to live, work and play. Nowadays Julie calls Canada home where she makes an impact as an elected member of the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada’s Board of Directors.
Arvind Sharma
Chief Digital and Payments Officer
Arvind has over 20 years of experience across retail and institutional payments and technology. As our Chief Digital and Payments Officer, Arvind is considered an industry leader and often shares his expertise internationally at conferences or through his LinkedIn blog. When he’s not leading digital transformation, Arvind can be found spending time with his wife, son, and very spoiled dogs.
James Crickmore-Thompson
Product Director of Origination Solutions
If James could be any animal he would be a bear because they get to sleep half the year. However, at work, James is anything but restful as he is the Product Director of Origination Solutions. He works developing the vision for the product and positioning our member credit unions for growth and a favourable competitive stance in the market.
Warren Newton
AVP, Internal Audit
Warren Newton is our Associate Vice President of Internal Audit. He is a former Military Police Officer and brings over 20 years of Internal Audit experience to Central 1. When he’s not busy auditing Warren can be found rocking out to Purple Rain by Prince.
Jim Walker
Manager, Research
With 33 years credit union experience, Jim understands the many challenges credit unions face as they compete against Canada’s banks and fintechs. When not providing research insights to Canadian credit unions he keeps busy biking, running and hiking the North Shore mountains. As a prolific up-cycler he has repurposed dozens of pieces of furniture for donation to a local North Vancouver non-profit.
Andre Lewis
Managing Director & Portfolio Manager
Andre Lewis joined Central 1 as Managing Director & Portfolio Manager in October 2019. He is responsible for formulating and executing fixed-income investment strategies for its liquidity portfolios of ~$15 billion. Prior to joining Central 1, Andre held a number of senior Treasury roles in the public and private sector at the Region of Peel, President’s Choice Financial, George Weston Limited and Manulife Financial. Andre is a CFA charterholder and completed a Master of Finance degree from Rotman School of Management in 2014. During his personal time, Andre relishes time with his family, enjoys watching and playing basketball, and has a passion for mentoring youth to reach their full potential. Andre sits on the Board of the Laidlaw Foundation, a youth-focused advocacy organization, as the Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee and a member of the Investment and Governance Committees.
Michael Kerdachi
Vice President of Treasury Solutions
Michael joined Central 1 as Head of Treasury Solutions and is responsible for the strategy, operations and delivery of Treasury products and services. He is an accomplished leader with over 20 years of experience in finance, treasury, and enterprise risk management. Prior to Central 1, he was the CFO at Prospera Credit Union.
In his spare time, Michael enjoys being outdoors spending time hiking, skiing and at the lake. He and his wife have 4 kids which keeps life busy!
Sue Whitney
VP, Payment Strategy and Relationships
Sue Whitney is an expert in Payments. As Vice President, Payments Strategy and Relationships at Central 1 and Head of Product Strategy and Head of Industry Relations at Payments Canada she is focussed on developing better payment solutions for Canadians, as a regulator, innovator and a leader of market transformation initiatives. Outside of work, Sue can be found trying to keep up with her teenage twin boys.
JP Lowes
Director, Information Security
JP (John Paul) is responsible for ensuring Information Security is part of the fabric of Central 1. He brings over 20 years of technical experience from Hospitality, Retail, Manufacturing and Financial Services sectors. After initially joining in 2011 as a Team lead in the Systems area, when Central 1 decided to grow a formal Security team in 2015 he jumped into the role with both feet. When he’s not advising on best practices or helping squash vulnerabilities he can be found somewhere in the Fraser Valley by a lake or in a forest with his wife and kids.
Jonathan Kutner
Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer
Jonathan is the Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. He is licensed to practice in both Canada and the United States and has extensive experience in the software industry, fintech, payments, banking and general technology. When he’s not coaching his son’s soccer team you can find him in NYC visiting family.
Bryan Yu
Chief Economist
Through his engaging economics reports Bryan has become Central 1’s local celebrity, with his work featured by various media outlets including the Globe and Mail, BNN, Bloomberg and BC Business. When he’s not keeping busy as our Chief Economist, Bryan can be found spending time with his wife and kids or volunteering with various charitable and industry associations.
Arash Taheri
Director of Quality Assurance/Quality Engineering
Arash is a workout-aholic who trains in the gym at least 6 days a week. He loves hiking, especially the “Grouse Grind” with an all-time personal best of 44’ 50’’. Arash has a small Pomeranian and absolutely loves the little guy. As the Director of Quality Engineering / Quality Assurance at Central 1, Arash is responsible for defining QA/QE processes and roadmaps, as well as implementing best practices with a high degree of focus on automation testing. With over 15 years of industry experience, Arash strives to deliver top quality products/services to clients.
Vik Gujarati
AVP, Commercial Real Estate Lending
Vik joined Central 1 in 2010, bringing 12 years of experience in real estate finance. In 2014, Vik started his current role as AVP, Commercial Real Estate Lending. He manages Central 1’s commercial real estate syndication portfolio partnering with financial institutions to help them meet their goals. In his free time, Vik can be found walking with his beloved, and big, St. Bernard.
Umesh Manocha
VP, Application Management and Data
When Umesh isn’t showing off his voice as a classically trained singer, he works as Central 1’s Vice President, Application Management and Data. He has over 25 years of progressive IT experience in directing & delivering enterprise level / large technology. He is part of the Forge tribe and helps credit unions navigate their digital transformation.
Shane Kerpan
AVP, Payment and Client Support Services
Shane is a lifelong learner and proud family man who has been with Central 1 for over a decade. He is responsible for the strategic direction of Central 1 payment operations for the credit union systems in BC, Ontario and Atlantic Canada. He also provides similar services to credit unions in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Quintin Paulson
Director, Platforms
Quintin has been with Central 1 for 16 years. He started as a Java developer and through his natural leadership abilities and foresight has grown his career to be the manager of the platform that supports Forge. When he’s not working at Central 1 he enjoys flying racing drones.
Karen Zygun
People Practice Leader
Karen is a proud dog mom and accomplished tap dancer. As the People Practice Leader she is helping to reimagine the People Solutions department and guide credit unions through digital transformations as they prepare for the future of work. Within Central 1, she leads an agile evolution of the organization. Karen brings over 20 years of experience in Technology and HR Strategies, aligning work to those strategies, Agile and waterfall project management, and building change management capabilities.
Uche Chibututu
Program Director
Uche is our Forge Program Director. As a director he’s an expert in translating complex business needs into actionable strategies and plans. He speaks three languages and loves fast bikes and cool guitars. Catch Uche if you can!
Steve Faust
AVP, Payments
Steve is an accomplished leader and is well known in the payments community as an innovative and creative thinker with deep experience in technology and payments. He currently represents Central 1 and the Credit Unions on a number of industry forums. As such, he’s always looking for input from members regarding their future needs in payments. In his spare time Steve enjoys team sports and running marathons. He has been a volunteer coach for youth hockey, lacrosse, rugby and soccer for the past 16 years.
Quy Nguyen
Director Architecture Digital and Payments
Quy has been at Central 1 for over ten years. As the Director of Architecture, he is a visionary helping to create products that allow credit unions to undergo a digital transformation. Like most Vancouverites, Quy loves the west coast and enjoys a weekend escape to Tofino or any other nearby dog-friendly destination with his 85-pound Husky-Shepherd, Caesar.
Jerry Jim
VP, Enterprise IT
Jerry has over 30 years of experience in leadership roles around infrastructure, operations, transformation and IT. Jerry is known for his highly innovative work and brilliant problem-solving capabilities. His unique approach to work might come from the summer he spent following the carnival circuit when he was 18.
Ian Colvin
Head of Communications
Ian has almost 20 years experience in the financial services and non-profit sectors, focusing on external and internal communication, employee engagement, corporate citizenship, issues management, social media, and Diversity & Inclusion. Ian enjoys going on adventures with his husband, two kids and Boston Terrier, as well as taking way too many pictures to document all their journeys.
Brent Clode
Chief Investment Officer
Brent joined Central 1 in July 2015, bringing 19 years of professional experience in banking and insurance. He is responsible for managing Central 1’s investment portfolio and liquidity functions, as well as overseeing Treasury and Funding, capital markets, commercial lending and system securitization.
Karen McDonald
Director of Government Relations and Acting Associate Corporate Secretary
Karen McDonald has over 20 years of communications and government relations experience. She leads government relations strategy and execution for Central 1 with a focus on growing and enhancing services to credit unions. An adventurous spirit has taken Karen all around the world; she even backpacked around New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific for a year. Nowadays, her adventures are closer to home, and usually involve her faithful dog Jasper.
Jen Gerald
Director, Marketing
Jen first cut her marketing teeth in the fast-paced agency world, specializing in brand strategy and experiential design. For the better part of the last 10 years she’s led Central 1’s marketing agency business, collaborating with credit unions across Canada to drive customer engagement. Known for her “let’s do this” attitude and infectious passion to always raise the bar, Jen loves proving how thoughtful design can influence transcendent customer and employee experiences.
Brian Raine
VP, Treasury and Portfolio Management
Brian is responsible for the funding, cash management, balance sheet risk and liquidity management of Central 1. Within this role he oversees the capital markets trading business and the portfolio management of the Mandatory and Excess Liquidity Pools. He joined Central 1 in 2013, bringing over 10 years of capital markets trading experience. Brian is known for his excellent management, critical thinking skills and foresight. Brian is a proud father and outside of work you can find him spending time with his family.
Julie Breuer
VP of Member Relations & Stakeholder Engagement
Julie is a masterful connector. She is responsible for all member/owner-related aspects of relationships with Class A members of Central 1. Julie joined Central 1 in February 2016, bringing more than a decade of experience in the credit union system. Her incredible talent to connect has taken her to over 65 countries to live, work and play. Nowadays Julie calls Canada home where she makes an impact as an elected member of the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada’s Board of Directors.
Arvind Sharma
Chief Digital and Payments Officer
Arvind has over 20 years of experience across retail and institutional payments and technology. As our Chief Digital and Payments Officer, Arvind is considered an industry leader and often shares his expertise internationally at conferences or through his LinkedIn blog. When he’s not leading digital transformation, Arvind can be found spending time with his wife, son, and very spoiled dogs.
James Crickmore-Thompson
Product Director of Origination Solutions
If James could be any animal he would be a bear because they get to sleep half the year. However, at work, James is anything but restful as he is the Product Director of Origination Solutions. He works developing the vision for the product and positioning our member credit unions for growth and a favourable competitive stance in the market.
Warren Newton
AVP, Internal Audit
Warren Newton is our Associate Vice President of Internal Audit. He is a former Military Police Officer and brings over 20 years of Internal Audit experience to Central 1. When he’s not busy auditing Warren can be found rocking out to Purple Rain by Prince.
Jim Walker
Manager, Research
With 33 years credit union experience, Jim understands the many challenges credit unions face as they compete against Canada’s banks and fintechs. When not providing research insights to Canadian credit unions he keeps busy biking, running and hiking the North Shore mountains. As a prolific up-cycler he has repurposed dozens of pieces of furniture for donation to a local North Vancouver non-profit.
Andre Lewis
Managing Director & Portfolio Manager
Andre Lewis joined Central 1 as Managing Director & Portfolio Manager in October 2019. He is responsible for formulating and executing fixed-income investment strategies for its liquidity portfolios of ~$15 billion. Prior to joining Central 1, Andre held a number of senior Treasury roles in the public and private sector at the Region of Peel, President’s Choice Financial, George Weston Limited and Manulife Financial. Andre is a CFA charterholder and completed a Master of Finance degree from Rotman School of Management in 2014. During his personal time, Andre relishes time with his family, enjoys watching and playing basketball, and has a passion for mentoring youth to reach their full potential. Andre sits on the Board of the Laidlaw Foundation, a youth-focused advocacy organization, as the Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee and a member of the Investment and Governance Committees.
Michael Kerdachi
Vice President of Treasury Solutions
Michael joined Central 1 as Head of Treasury Solutions and is responsible for the strategy, operations and delivery of Treasury products and services. He is an accomplished leader with over 20 years of experience in finance, treasury, and enterprise risk management. Prior to Central 1, he was the CFO at Prospera Credit Union.
In his spare time, Michael enjoys being outdoors spending time hiking, skiing and at the lake. He and his wife have 4 kids which keeps life busy!
Sue Whitney
VP, Payment Strategy and Relationships
Sue Whitney is an expert in Payments. As Vice President, Payments Strategy and Relationships at Central 1 and Head of Product Strategy and Head of Industry Relations at Payments Canada she is focussed on developing better payment solutions for Canadians, as a regulator, innovator and a leader of market transformation initiatives. Outside of work, Sue can be found trying to keep up with her teenage twin boys.
JP Lowes
Director, Information Security
JP (John Paul) is responsible for ensuring Information Security is part of the fabric of Central 1. He brings over 20 years of technical experience from Hospitality, Retail, Manufacturing and Financial Services sectors. After initially joining in 2011 as a Team lead in the Systems area, when Central 1 decided to grow a formal Security team in 2015 he jumped into the role with both feet. When he’s not advising on best practices or helping squash vulnerabilities he can be found somewhere in the Fraser Valley by a lake or in a forest with his wife and kids.
Jonathan Kutner
Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer
Jonathan is the Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. He is licensed to practice in both Canada and the United States and has extensive experience in the software industry, fintech, payments, banking and general technology. When he’s not coaching his son’s soccer team you can find him in NYC visiting family.
Bryan Yu
Chief Economist
Through his engaging economics reports Bryan has become Central 1’s local celebrity, with his work featured by various media outlets including the Globe and Mail, BNN, Bloomberg and BC Business. When he’s not keeping busy as our Chief Economist, Bryan can be found spending time with his wife and kids or volunteering with various charitable and industry associations.
Arash Taheri
Director of Quality Assurance/Quality Engineering
Arash is a workout-aholic who trains in the gym at least 6 days a week. He loves hiking, especially the “Grouse Grind” with an all-time personal best of 44’ 50’’. Arash has a small Pomeranian and absolutely loves the little guy. As the Director of Quality Engineering / Quality Assurance at Central 1, Arash is responsible for defining QA/QE processes and roadmaps, as well as implementing best practices with a high degree of focus on automation testing. With over 15 years of industry experience, Arash strives to deliver top quality products/services to clients.
Vik Gujarati
AVP, Commercial Real Estate Lending
Vik joined Central 1 in 2010, bringing 12 years of experience in real estate finance. In 2014, Vik started his current role as AVP, Commercial Real Estate Lending. He manages Central 1’s commercial real estate syndication portfolio partnering with financial institutions to help them meet their goals. In his free time, Vik can be found walking with his beloved, and big, St. Bernard.
Umesh Manocha
VP, Application Management and Data
When Umesh isn’t showing off his voice as a classically trained singer, he works as Central 1’s Vice President, Application Management and Data. He has over 25 years of progressive IT experience in directing & delivering enterprise level / large technology. He is part of the Forge tribe and helps credit unions navigate their digital transformation.
Shane Kerpan
AVP, Payment and Client Support Services
Shane is a lifelong learner and proud family man who has been with Central 1 for over a decade. He is responsible for the strategic direction of Central 1 payment operations for the credit union systems in BC, Ontario and Atlantic Canada. He also provides similar services to credit unions in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Quintin Paulson
Director, Platforms
Quintin has been with Central 1 for 16 years. He started as a Java developer and through his natural leadership abilities and foresight has grown his career to be the manager of the platform that supports Forge. When he’s not working at Central 1 he enjoys flying racing drones.
Karen Zygun
People Practice Leader
Karen is a proud dog mom and accomplished tap dancer. As the People Practice Leader she is helping to reimagine the People Solutions department and guide credit unions through digital transformations as they prepare for the future of work. Within Central 1, she leads an agile evolution of the organization. Karen brings over 20 years of experience in Technology and HR Strategies, aligning work to those strategies, Agile and waterfall project management, and building change management capabilities.
Uche Chibututu
Program Director
Uche is our Forge Program Director. As a director he’s an expert in translating complex business needs into actionable strategies and plans. He speaks three languages and loves fast bikes and cool guitars. Catch Uche if you can!
Steve Faust
AVP, Payments
Steve is an accomplished leader and is well known in the payments community as an innovative and creative thinker with deep experience in technology and payments. He currently represents Central 1 and the Credit Unions on a number of industry forums. As such, he’s always looking for input from members regarding their future needs in payments. In his spare time Steve enjoys team sports and running marathons. He has been a volunteer coach for youth hockey, lacrosse, rugby and soccer for the past 16 years.
Quy Nguyen
Director Architecture Digital and Payments
Quy has been at Central 1 for over ten years. As the Director of Architecture, he is a visionary helping to create products that allow credit unions to undergo a digital transformation. Like most Vancouverites, Quy loves the west coast and enjoys a weekend escape to Tofino or any other nearby dog-friendly destination with his 85-pound Husky-Shepherd, Caesar.
Jerry Jim
VP, Enterprise IT
Jerry has over 30 years of experience in leadership roles around infrastructure, operations, transformation and IT. Jerry is known for his highly innovative work and brilliant problem-solving capabilities. His unique approach to work might come from the summer he spent following the carnival circuit when he was 18.
Ian Colvin
Head of Communications
Ian has almost 20 years experience in the financial services and non-profit sectors, focusing on external and internal communication, employee engagement, corporate citizenship, issues management, social media, and Diversity & Inclusion. Ian enjoys going on adventures with his husband, two kids and Boston Terrier, as well as taking way too many pictures to document all their journeys.
Brent Clode
Chief Investment Officer
Brent joined Central 1 in July 2015, bringing 19 years of professional experience in banking and insurance. He is responsible for managing Central 1’s investment portfolio and liquidity functions, as well as overseeing Treasury and Funding, capital markets, commercial lending and system securitization.
Karen McDonald
Director of Government Relations and Acting Associate Corporate Secretary
Karen McDonald has over 20 years of communications and government relations experience. She leads government relations strategy and execution for Central 1 with a focus on growing and enhancing services to credit unions. An adventurous spirit has taken Karen all around the world; she even backpacked around New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific for a year. Nowadays, her adventures are closer to home, and usually involve her faithful dog Jasper.
Jen Gerald
Director, Marketing
Jen first cut her marketing teeth in the fast-paced agency world, specializing in brand strategy and experiential design. For the better part of the last 10 years she’s led Central 1’s marketing agency business, collaborating with credit unions across Canada to drive customer engagement. Known for her “let’s do this” attitude and infectious passion to always raise the bar, Jen loves proving how thoughtful design can influence transcendent customer and employee experiences.
Brian Raine
VP, Treasury and Portfolio Management
Brian is responsible for the funding, cash management, balance sheet risk and liquidity management of Central 1. Within this role he oversees the capital markets trading business and the portfolio management of the Mandatory and Excess Liquidity Pools. He joined Central 1 in 2013, bringing over 10 years of capital markets trading experience. Brian is known for his excellent management, critical thinking skills and foresight. Brian is a proud father and outside of work you can find him spending time with his family.
Julie Breuer
VP of Member Relations & Stakeholder Engagement
Julie is a masterful connector. She is responsible for all member/owner-related aspects of relationships with Class A members of Central 1. Julie joined Central 1 in February 2016, bringing more than a decade of experience in the credit union system. Her incredible talent to connect has taken her to over 65 countries to live, work and play. Nowadays Julie calls Canada home where she makes an impact as an elected member of the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada’s Board of Directors.
Arvind Sharma
Chief Digital and Payments Officer
Arvind has over 20 years of experience across retail and institutional payments and technology. As our Chief Digital and Payments Officer, Arvind is considered an industry leader and often shares his expertise internationally at conferences or through his LinkedIn blog. When he’s not leading digital transformation, Arvind can be found spending time with his wife, son, and very spoiled dogs.
James Crickmore-Thompson
Product Director of Origination Solutions
If James could be any animal he would be a bear because they get to sleep half the year. However, at work, James is anything but restful as he is the Product Director of Origination Solutions. He works developing the vision for the product and positioning our member credit unions for growth and a favourable competitive stance in the market.
Warren Newton
AVP, Internal Audit
Warren Newton is our Associate Vice President of Internal Audit. He is a former Military Police Officer and brings over 20 years of Internal Audit experience to Central 1. When he’s not busy auditing Warren can be found rocking out to Purple Rain by Prince.