None of what we do would be possible without our people. Real people, connected by our shared purpose, offering real advice to our members. Working together for a better today, and a better tomorrow. That’s why keeping our employees happy, motivated and fulfilled is of the utmost importance to us. We believe that work-life balance, building a career, and building a better life for our employees and their families shouldn’t be a dream.
In this employee stories blog series, we sit down with five team members and ask them about their experience working at Coast Capital and how it’s impacted their career and personal journeys. This is Tobi’s story.
Tell us about yourself.
I grew up in Lagos, Nigeria with my mom, dad and four siblings. Lagos is Nigeria’s largest city by population, and I had lots of fun growing up there. Nigeria is a totally different world compared to Canada. Most of my life, I went to boarding school where I met so many people from different backgrounds. My time there taught me to be independent, creative and find solutions to various problems.
Today, in my spare time, I like playing and watching sports, seeing movies, and visiting new places.
How have your past experiences prepared you for your role at Coast Capital?
Before coming to Coast Capital in 2021, I completed an MBA at Vancouver Island University. I learned about everything from emotional intelligence to finance. I also learned about proper time management. It was an accelerated program that we completed in 16 months and so I was quite focused. Learning time management, during my graduate studies, has helped me so much at Coast Capital where we’re always doing different things for members and need to prioritize our work accordingly.
Who are your mentors and/or role models?
My dad is a role model to me. As a kid, I would watch my dad wake up at 5am every day and work until 9pm and often later. He was the Manager in the IT Department of an oil and gas company. He’s retired now. He worked really hard, and I looked up to him. We had some great father/son discussions where I learned a lot.
Tell us about your career journey at Coast Capital.
I just finished my first year at Coast Capital and it has gone by so fast.
It’s been a year of learning. In this role and industry, things move fast and you have to keep up on the events and changes. I’ve learned a lot from my time at Coast Capital and I keep learning. I’ve also had amazing support within the branch and from colleagues in the back office regarding lending or investments.
Coast Capital is committed to building better futures. How is Coast Capital helping you build your better future?
Coast Capital supports the things that bring meaning to my life. For example, I love volunteering and giving back to my community. I now work for a company that allows me to volunteer during work hours. I think this says a lot about Coast Capital and its sense of purpose.
This past summer, I participated in a volunteer program set up by Coast Capital. We went to the Island Crisis Care Society in Nanaimo to share our expertise about financial planning. It was an incredible opportunity to help people in need learn about managing their money and making financial decisions that could improve their futures.
How does Coast Capital support your work/life harmony?
For me, I’m still early in my career with lots of free time outside of work to play sports, hang with friends or talk to my family back home. However, I love that Coast Capital cares about its employees’ mental health and work/life balance. I really believe that mental health is something that should be properly taken care of in a workplace. I haven’t needed this support, to date, but I love that it’s there for everyone.
What do you like most about working at Coast?
I like the opportunity to build amazing relationships with colleagues and members. My colleagues are like family to me, and I get to have amazing conversations with members every day. I learn things about our members’ lives so I can provide the best solutions for their better futures. It’s also a privilege to work for an organization that really supports my efforts to give back to community.
