“To this day, I care about nothing more than my members and my employees." - Paul Gentile

Thank you for tuning in to episode 141 of The CUInsight Experience podcast with your host, Randy Smith, co-founder of CUInsight.com. This episode is brought to you by Elan Credit Card. Elan partners with more than 250 credit unions to provide an outsourced credit card program, and offers merchant and mortgage services for credit union members and business owners.

My guest on today's show is Paul Gentile, President at Merck Employees Federal Credit Union (MEFCU). Paul became familiar with credit unions while working as a journalist at the Credit Union Times. His passion for growing consumer awareness of credit unions made him an ideal fit for many leadership roles in the industry. After years of engaging with credit unions and communities, his path led him back home to New Jersey, becoming the president of MEFCU. 

During our conversation, Paul discusses technology challenges credit unions face. He shares his outlook on the credit union IT landscape and the importance of evolving to avoid stagnation. Paul also talks about innovation, team interactions, and attracting new talent. He believes the credit union mission is our competitive advantage and with that we can continue to innovate and overcome technology challenges to exceed member expectations.

Paul and I chat about taking on new risks as it relates to the greatest investment he’s made in his career. He also shares three critical characteristics he looks for when building a leadership team. We discuss the value of embracing mistakes and accountability when it comes to communicating feedback. Paul gives insights on what it takes to be a good leader and how listening to your members can help you innovate and improve current systems. Later in this episode, Paul discusses the benefits of a hybrid work environment and highlights the significance of personal interactions and culture. Tune in to hear Paul talk about the increasing trend of consolidation between credit unions and leagues while emphasizing the importance of independent advocacy. 

As we wrap up the show, Paul shares the best piece of advice he received from a mentor of his, the importance of family, and how Michael Jordan changed the way athletes are viewed. Enjoy my conversation with Paul Gentile!

Find the full show notes on cuinsight.com.

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Books mentioned on The CUInsight Experience podcast: Book List 

How to find Paul:
Paul Gentile, President at Merck Credit Union
[email protected]
www.merckcu.com
Paul: LinkedIn