Launi Skinner
Launi is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of First West Credit Union, one of Canada’s largest credit unions with more than $6.6 billion in assets under administration, nearly 169,000 members and close to 1,300 employees. Launi leads visioning and strategic direction for First West. She ensures its locally-led brand family, comprised of Envision Financial, Valley First and Enderby & District Financial, is able to make a real difference in the financial lives of its members.
Raised in Summerland, B.C., Launi brings more than 20 years of business-building experience in both the U.S. and Canada as a result of her time at Starbucks U.S. and 1-800-GOT-JUNK?. As president of Starbucks U.S., Launi oversaw 7,000 company owned stores and 3,400 licensed stores, and managed an extensive management team with operational responsibility for 130,000 employees.
Launi has been recognized for her leadership and business acumen including being named one of “Four Women to Watch” in Fortune Magazine's 50 Most Powerful Women feature. Since joining First West, she has been named as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women for 2011 as well as 2010 by the Women’s Executive Network and also received the 2011 Stevie Award for Best Canadian Executive. Launi was also recently named one of Business in Vancouver’s Most Influential Women in Business for 2012.
Educated in business administration, Launi has also recently completed the Institute of Corporate Directors Education Program as well as the certified general accountant program. She has a rich history of community involvement, including her service as a community leader for the Minerva Foundation for BC Women, a committee member of Science World’s Champions Circle as well as past event chair for the Vancouver YWCA Women of Distinction Awards. Launi was also appointed by the provincial government to sit on Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Board of Governors for a term ending on July 31, 2014 and is also currently a board member for Qtrade Financial Group.
Featured Posts
Launi Skinner's top three predictions for the credit union industry in 2013
When it comes to predicting the long-term future of the credit union system, there is no magic crystal ball to consult. But having travelled across the country and met with dozens of leaders of both big and small credit unions, I’ve gotten a feel for the major themes influencing the plans for these organizations in 2013.
Many will continue to focus on tried-and-true elements...
It was far from a picture perfect moment for Eastman Kodak when it filed for bankruptcy in January of this year. A company widely respected for its innovation and quality, it dominated the film and photography industry for much of its 123-year history. It was a company which as early as 1975 had developed one of the first digital cameras and as recently as 2005 led digital camera sales in the U.S. But there it stood 10 months ago, filing for Chapter 11 protection so that it could restructure...
On this International Credit Union Day, it’s my hope we celebrate not just what the cooperative banking movement has accomplished in B.C. and across Canada, but more importantly the promise we have as a movement for the future.
The impact of credit unions is tangible. In B.C., for instance, our movement has made us the banking choice of 1 in 3 British Columbians, employer of more than 8,200 full-time equivalent employees, contributor of some 25,000 hours in volunteerism, and...
Whenever I’m talking with team members or outside business leaders about great Canadian businesses and brands, WestJet is almost always held up as a shining example of a well run operation in an intensely competitive market by an enthusiastic—almost evangelistic—team of WestJet employees.
Since its founding in 1996, the airline has grown from three aircrafts and a few dozen flights to become the...
With a career that has until recently been completely outside the financial services industry, I’m often asked by others for my observations on co-operative banking in Canada. Unquestionably, there is a lot to love about credit unions: their community engagement, their relational connections with their members, their business values and practices, and their democratic, grass-roots accountability to their member-owners.
With so much to offer, it should be puzzling as to why...
A number of observers have pointed out that Apple’s resurgence under Steve Jobs is due in part to core beliefs that he infused into the company culture. In a recent blog post, Fast Company’s Bill Taylor stressed the importance of what an organization believes—corporate credos, if you will—over and above its products. Taylor sees a strong correlation between high...
