Profile: Sara Rusak, Assiniboine Credit Union
Sara Rusak
Chief Digital & Operations Officer, Assiniboine Credit Union
Career:
Start in the credit union system: 2012
Start in the financial services industry: 2002
Sara began her career in the financial services industry working in a call center for one of the major banks. She took on additional responsibility as she moved through different roles including mutual fund sales, lending, and compliance. She gained experience working in a branch, as well as at an investment and life insurance advisory firm.
Eventually Sara moved into software product management as a business analyst for a company that designed financial planning software. She joined the credit union system in 2012 as a business analyst with Assiniboine Credit Union. Since then, she has progressed through roles in project management, IT, digital, and now her current position as Chief Digital & Operations Officer.
A typical day:
Sara says each day is different, keeping her engaged and on her toes! However, most of her time is spent in these key areas:
With the leaders and teams in her division.
With project teams, discussing the vision for projects on the go, how the work is progressing, and how she can help remove any roadblocks to achieve success.
With her colleagues on the executive team, discussing ways to support goals across divisions.
With her peers at other credit unions, sharing insights and collaborating on the big initiatives that require cooperation across the system to move forward.
Continuously learning while reading articles, blogs, and listening to podcasts on her commute.
Keys to success:
Sara says the biggest contributing factor to her success has been her curiosity, focus on continuous learning, and resilience to keep moving forward. She has always been interested in learning about the roles of her peers and colleagues to better understand what's important to them, their constraints, and how she can deliver solutions to help them achieve their goals.
Sara completed her MBA while working full time, which prepared her for her role at the time, as well as her future career path. She took advantage of many opportunities that came her way, and actively sought out ways to grow, learn, and add value. She is passionate about creating ease, joy, and awe in the solutions and initiatives that she is a part of, and trusts that comes through in her work.