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 Aman’s story.
Tell us about yourself.
My parents came to Canada from India. I was born on Vancouver Island and raised in a small town in Northern British Columbia called Houston. My father worked at the local mill and my mom worked for the school board.
Houston was so small. It had no hospitals or airport, and we had to drive three hours to find the nearest fast-food restaurant.
My parents believed strongly in the power of education and always wanted my brother and I to do better than them.
How did your past experience prepare you for your role at Coast Capital?
I began my post-secondary studies on a pre-med scholarship. While attending school, I started working part-time as a greeter at Surrey Metro Savings, which would later merge with Coast Capital. I loved working in the credit union so much that I completely reorganized my studies. I lost my pre-med scholarship. I remember it was very hard to tell my dad that I’d lost my scholarship, but I’ve never regretted moving into business and finance.
In 2005, I left Coast Capital for the first time to complete my degree and pursue an accounting designation, and I eventually came back.
Who are your role models and/or mentors?
I’ve had two amazing mentors at Coast Capital. Wayne Thompson, Coast Capital’s Vice President of Internal Audit, is a mentor of mine. He really took the time to introduce me to people at Coast Capital and facilitate connections. He’s always respected me and made me feel like an equal. I’ve really appreciated his proactive approach to helping me grow my career.
At the same time, my current manager is a role model for me, too. Roxanne Meilleur, VP, Enterprise and Operational Risk, supports me in my career journey in the most incredible ways. In fact, the opportunity to learn from Roxanne was key in my decision to return to Coast Capital.
Tell us about your career journey at Coast Capital.
I started as a greeter in a branch in 1999. I loved working with members and building relationships. I moved away from Coast Capital a couple times to pursue other opportunities and build my accounting career, but I found myself drawn back here.
I’m so happy to be back at Coast Capital now as the Resilience and Recovery Manager. It’s a brand-new role. I’m spending a lot of time examining how we enhance our operational resiliency and build a roadmap to stay resilient in these challenging and complex times. We’re creating policies and procedures every day and I’m learning about best practices in today’s ever-changing world.
Coast Capital is committed to building better futures. How is Coast Capital helping you build your better future?
For me, a better future is about inspiring my kids to go after their best futures. By working at Coast Capital, I model for my children what it’s like to love your job and work for a supportive organization that really cares about me. I hope my kids will one day bank with Coast Capital and get inspired by how the organization gives back to community and prioritizes their employees. My better future includes my children working for an organization that values, supports, and accepts them like Coast Capital does me.
How does Coast Capital support your work/life harmony?
When I came back to Coast Capital for my current role, one of the things we talked about was the possibility of working from home. It wasn’t even an issue. HR was surprised that I even asked the question and they said of course you can work from home. This allows for flexibility and a sense of personal well-being. It also allows me to drop off and pick up my kids from school. And in this organization, anytime that I have to be away for an appointment or other matter, I gladly make up the time because I love working here so much. The culture here is amazingly supportive of me – I plan on being with Coast Capital for the rest of my career.
What do you like most about working at Coast Capital?
Being accepted and having a real sense of well-being at work. I am so thankful for my Coast Capital colleagues and the trust they place in me with this new role.
