Top Quartile

Description: Chris Nichols, Director of Capital Markets at SouthState Bank discusses key strategies for growth in the current environment with Dan Marks. 

 Key points covered include:  

Chris’ background and role 

The interplay of balance sheet, income statement, and hedging strategies in the current environment 

How Chris’ team enables banks to implement the right balance sheet and customer tactics  

The importance of prioritizing customer relationship growth and picking the right areas to focus on in order to earn above the banks’ cost of capital

Best practices in driving relationship deposit growth 

How data, machine learning, and practical analytics can and should inform prioritized focus 

Chris’ perspective on what we will all wish we knew about 2024 ahead of time by the time we get to 2025 and look back on the year 

David Eldred, Chief Experience Officer of Solarity Credit Union, joins Dan Marks to discuss how he has used practical behavior-driven data to be a foundation for driving growth and improvement of the overall member experience. 

Key points covered include:  

David’s career progression and current role 

The growth trends that lead to a strategic imperative to put the member at the “center of the universe” 

Tools and techniques to discover member preferences and differences by persona 

How data drove the process and was used to tailor member communication 

Best practices for change management both inside of the credit union and with the members 

Key trends and emerging opportunities 

David’s hobby as a board game publisher. See this link to discover his game: RPG Battles Home - RPG Battles 

Description: Doug Peacock, EVP and Chief Digital Officer of Associated Bank, joins Dan Marks to discuss how he is leading a Digital First/Product First strategic initiative to use digital channels to enhance the overall customer experience and profitable revenue growth at the bank.  

Key points covered include:  

Background and current role 

Growth at Associated Bank

The key growth drivers digital channels enable at the bank 

How advanced data analytics informs strategy and the impact AI will have 

Prioritizing engagement, retention, and originations with digital channel capabilities

How the digital experience supports sales both in the digital channel and in other channels 

The changing role of the contact center to support the overall experience

The importance of developing curiosity as a key leadership trait 

Scott Brinker, Editor at chiefmartec.com and VP of Platform Ecosystem at HubSpot, joins Dan Marks to discuss what the current state of the art looks like in the world of Marketing Data, Marketing Automation, AI, and the interaction of the different market participants.   

Key points covered include:  

Scott’s background and experience in the space both as a founder of chiefmartec.com and in his

current role.

Key trends related to marketing data, AI, and no code/low code capabilities.

How the landscape has changed since first-generation platforms such as Unica, Eloqua, and Marketo.

The key benefit of a platform-based approach and how it is particularly relevant in periods of

rapid innovation.

Key considerations in highly regulated industries like financial services.

Does Scott have a crystal ball that reveals the key trends to watch over the next 3-5 years? Tune in to

find out. 

Tim Keith, CEO of Infusion, joins Dan Marks to discuss current trends, opportunities for raising deposits for banks and credit unions, interest rates, and best practices. 

Key points covered include:  

Trends we are seeing as we work with clients all over the country at the start of 2H 2023. 

What we are seeing today regarding raising deposits efficiently and effectively with the huge focus on deposits over the last 6-9 months. 

Opportunities banks who need deposits should be focusing on as high probability wins and any similarities or differences for credit unions. 

How loan growth has changed with the current interest rate environment. 

What we are seeing regarding channel mix and best practices for execution. 

David Hall, SVP, DX Director with Bank of Hawaii, joins Dan Marks to discuss key lessons learned during his history working across the front lines and back office at Zions, MX, and now at BOH, using data and personalization to make a difference in areas that really matter to customers. 

Key points covered include: 

David’s background and current role at Bank of Hawaii. 

What David learned mixing tunes in the 90s. 

What growth has been like at Bank of Hawaii recently. 

How David’s experience as both a banker and FinTech executive uniquely informs his perspective. 

How David sees consumer behavior changing fundamentally versus more cyclical changes driven by the economic/rate environment. 

What David thinks about the intersection of media channels and sales/service channels. 

How data informs the strategy being put in place at Bank of Hawaii. 

Overall observations and lessons learned that David believes would be helpful to other bankers. 

David’s advice to his younger self based on what he knows now, having served at multiple banks and in Fintech. 

Steve Mertz, EVP of Growth & Strategy with People First Federal Credit Union, joins Dan Marks to discuss how their team is leveraging data to boost member and revenue growth. Key points covered include:

Steve’s broad background with banking and credit unions and how that has prepared him to drive the overall growth agenda at People First

Steve’s passion for family and baseball 

The new executive team at People First being in place to accelerate growth after a period low to no growth

The challenge in brand perception and delivery that had to be addressed as a foundation

How to use data-driven insights to effectively coordinate marketing and sales activities 

Where Steve sees the puck going in applying data to generate tangible revenue outcomes 

Setting an array of proactive touchpoints to communicate to members in the way that they have signaled they prefer – including emerging channels like text and OTT video

Proactively generating sustainable low-cost funding to continue driving top quartile loan growth 

Steve’s mix of experience including brokerage licensure, branch service, and sales management 

D.G. Markwell with Credit Union Leaders joins Dan Marks to discuss leadership skills, best practices, and habits that will be essential to maintain strong growth into the future. Key points covered include:

How D.G.’s background growing a credit union from $100M to over $2B in assets set the stage for Credit Union Leaders 

How the mission of Credit Union Leaders helps the industry grow

Competing with the big banks and supporting communities 

How leadership looks in the digital age 

Best practices in data-driven digital growth and keeping a heart and passion for the community

How credit unions under $5B can tap into essential data-driven expertise without having to hire full time

Leadership essentials looking out 36 months, including: Empathy, mental health, digital transformation, the culture of data-driven decisions, financial education, marketing, and product development 

How to build teams effectively by relaxing and embracing the process – not to worry, but also recognize different talents and skills on the team 

 Forbes article that DG mentioned.

Drew Manning, CIO at KeyPoint Credit Union, joins Dan Marks to talk about how technology enables KeyPoint to deliver a great member experience today and into the future as the landscape changes. We specifically talk about:

Drew’s background and current role as CIO, along with his hobby as a Jazz musician (Drew’s Jazz Spotify channel)

Recent growth at KeyPoint 

Drew’s experience as a developer and how that informs his approach to leading as CIO 

Key growth drivers 

The role of data analytics – both historical trending and forward-looking predictive 

Managing risks to protect the member experience

Drew’s perspective on where the technology landscape is going 

How instinct and curiosity are key success factors 

Tim Keith, CEO at Infusion, joins Dan Marks to discuss what it means to deliver over $10 billion in balances for clients, how that connects to the Mission, and key lessons learned along the way, grounded in deep analysis of what actually drives tangible results. Key points covered include:

The $10B response balance milestone

What this means for clients and how it connects to our Mission

Lessons learned across four key performance optimization dimensions:

Audience selection and the capacity/propensity equation

Offer structure related to product mix

Creative/positioning

Channel mix including digital and OTT/CTV

How results are tracked and optimized