As Chief Executive Officer of Canada’s largest credit union, Tamara Vrooman harnesses the strength of Vancity to fulfill its vision of redefining wealth for members and communities. This vision challenges us to think differently about wealth, to return to a meaning that says you can only truly prosper as an individual if you are connected to a vibrant, healthy community that is sustainable for the long term.
Tamara considers her role a continuation of her career in public service, putting Vancity’s $16 billion balance sheet in service of members to create growth with community impact. Through Vancity’s involvement with the Social Finance Task Force and the Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV), she sees this can be done on a national and global scale, recognizing that we play a key role in improving the quality of life for current and future generations through values-based banking.
Under Tamara’s leadership, Vancity became the first carbon neutral credit union in North America, the first Canadian financial institution invited to join GABV, and the largest organization in Canada with a living wage policy (a living wage is higher than minimum wage; it is a wage that meets the needs of daily living and provides some discretionary income). In 2011, Tamara guided Vancity to its best earnings performance in its 65-year history