Frank Chisholm Selected as Winner of the Gary Gillam Award

It is with great pleasure we announce that Frank Chisholm, Director, Brand and Marketing, has been selected as one of two recipients for the Gary Gillam Award for 2022!

The Gary Gillam Award, jointly sponsored by Alterna Savings and Central 1 Credit Union (Central 1), recognizes and honours individuals within the Ontario and British Columbia credit union system who have made meaningful accomplishments in social responsibility and sustainability in credit unions or promoted credit unions as a socially responsible investment alternative.

Two specific items that the Award Selection Committee found most compelling were Frank’s proactive leadership researching Socially Responsible Investments (SRI) and his leadership in developing Kindred’s Crisis Care GIC at the start of the pandemic.

Always eager to understand and promote member needs, Frank reached out to Kindred’s research partner, PMG Intelligence, to help conduct first-of-its-kind primary market research on member and market understanding, interest, and opinions about SRI. The intent of this research was to inform how Kindred engages with their members to help grow their awareness and understanding of SRI, as well as to inform how Kindred can build the best SRI solutions for their member needs.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Kindred wanted to put its purpose – Cooperative Banking that connects values and faith with finances, inspiring peaceful, just, and prosperous communities – into tangible action.

“We wanted to get something out quickly so we could meet the immediate needs,” said Ian Thomas, Kindred CEO. “Within 10 days, Frank had led a team to develop a variation of an existing product to support members in need: the Kindred Crisis Care GIC.”

By providing members an option to deposit money into an SRI-validated GIC at competitive interest rates, with Kindred allocating additional amounts to support local partners who were responding to the pandemic, the Kindred Crisis Care GIC allowed Kindred to extend financial support to more members seeking financial assistance due to the pandemic.

Frank’s focus on SRI throughout his 15 years with Kindred has helped Kindred engage with their members more meaningfully and helped them invest with their values and faith. A $2,500 donation will be made on Frank’s behalf to the charity he selected – House of Friendship. House of Friendship is a non-profit organization that provides food, housing, addiction treatment, and neighbourhood support to individuals and families.

About Kindred Credit Union

Kindred Credit Union is a member-owned financial cooperative based in southwestern Ontario. Kindred’s values-centred approach is woven into everything we do and makes us the one-of-a-kind choice for those who want to connect their values and faith with their finances. Kindred offers a complete range of banking, borrowing, and investing products and services through eight branches and online. Members benefit from access to over 43,000 surcharge-free ATMs through THE EXCHANGE® Network in Canada and the Allpoint Network in the US. To learn more about Kindred, visit kindredcu.com.

Media Contact

Frank Chisholm
Director, Brand and Marketing
Kindred Credit Union
519.746.1010, Ext. 5211
frank.chisholm@kindredcu.com