LANGLEY, B.C. – First West Credit Union’s Chief Treasury and Investment Officer, Tom Webster, has recently been honoured with the Transformation Agent Award at this year’s BC CEO/CFO Awards through Business in Vancouver (BIV). Webster has worked with First West and its predecessor credit unions for nearly 30 years, spending more than 15 years as Chief Financial Officer before moving to his new role earlier in 2021.
Webster has financially guided nearly eight-fold growth and been instrumental in First West becoming one of B.C.’s largest businesses and the fifth-largest credit union in Canada, with nearly $15.5 billion in total assets and assets under management.
“One of the things I’ve always enjoyed about my role is embracing change and continually learning and growing as an individual and an organization,” says Tom Webster, Chief Treasury and Investment Officer, First West Credit Union. “I’m so proud of the things we’ve been able to achieve at First West during my tenure and I owe a great debt of gratitude to the many people I’ve crossed paths with along the way, including our current team of more than 1,200 employees— all of whom I believe are transformation agents themselves.”
Under his stewardship, First West has evolved its portfolio of assets under administration including a focus on ESG funds and obtaining an ESG rating with First West investing more than $1.5 million into community giving each year.
“I’m honoured to have played a role in helping First West grow in a way that remains true to our members, employees and communities,” says Webster. “This growth has better enabled our ability to support our communities in their time of need— we’ve seen this first-hand over the past couple of years with the pandemic, wildfires and recent flooding.”
Webster resides in South Surrey with his wife Joanie and currently sits on the board of Canuck Place Children’s Hospice and the Credit Union Pension and Benefits Trust.