Profile: Rhonda Oakden, Westoba Credit Union

Rhonda Oakden QAFP, CHS, RIS

Director, Financial Planning, Westoba Credit Union

Career:

Start in credit union system: 2011
Start in the financial services industry: 1997

Rhonda started out as an Administrator to a Financial Planner in 1997.  She obtained her CSC (Canadian Securities Course) as well as her Life Insurance License to become a Licensed Assistant. After several years in a supporting role, she took her BCM (Branch Compliance Manager) certification and obtained her Financial Planning designation (QAFP™). 

For 8 years, Rhonda lead a team of Administrators and managed a book of business as a Financial Planner. She was seeking female mentorship in 2020 and reached out to Chief Transformation & Strategy Officer with Westoba Credit Union. The timing of that call was perfect, as Westoba was looking to fill the leadership role within the Financial Solutions team. In September of 2020, Rhonda onboarded as Manager, Financial Planning, which evolved to Director, Financial Planning in January 2022.

A typical day:

Rhonda loves how each and every day is different! The consistency is that she gets the privilege of leading the Financial Solutions team to provide direction, guidance, coaching and motivation, all while encouraging them to be the best version of themselves every day. She meets regularly with the Directors of Business Banking and Member Experience, with a common goal of driving positive results for their respective teams and Westoba members. She encourages building trust and inclusion to establish effective relationships both inside and outside of her organization.  Her days include frequent engagement with strategic partners, and conversations with other credit union Wealth Leaders and Managers to gather market and member insights to foster positive outcomes. On an ongoing basis, Rhonda manages continual learning, strategy and service delivery.

Keys to Success:

Rhonda finds it hard to pick just one, and they have evolved throughout her career. She says the consistent factors that contributed to her success were building strong relationships and being authentic. She says she feels lucky to have developed positive long-lasting relationships within the financial industry, many of which she still relies on as her professional sounding board. Secondly, be yourself.  We all come from different backgrounds and our stories may differ, but be who you are always.