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Celero and Connect First Credit Union nominated for Project of the Year for significant core banking merger-conversion

Celero is proud to announce that, along with Connect First Credit Union, it has been nominated for Project of the Year Award by PMI Manitoba, a leading non-profit professional association for project management.  The nomination, which recognizes excellence in project management, is based on the joint effort of both organizations in completing a complex merger-conversion along with the integration of several ancillary services.

Connect First Credit Union, one of the largest credit unions in Canada with more than 125,000 members, undertook this two-year project as part of its amalgamation of four Alberta credit unions – Chinook Financial, First Calgary Financial, Legacy Financial and Mountain View Financial.

Connect First selected Celero to lead the process of merging the credit unions’ core banking systems to Fiserv DNA® core banking platform, which they chose for its modern banking capabilities and operational efficiencies.

Innovative merger-conversion process driving operational success
Celero’s process included a conversion of a disparate core banking system to the DNA platform and a merger of four databases into one unified core banking system. In addition, it completed integrations of several ancillary services, including account opening capabilities and business analytics. The completion of the project marks Celero’s 50th successful merger.

“I am thrilled that PMI Manitoba has chosen to recognize the incredible effort and commitment by both Connect First and Celero employees in achieving this success,” says Tracy Morin, General Manager, Core Banking, Celero.

“To date, we have completed 129 conversions in our 17-year history as an organization, but this was our most complex conversion-merge yet. Our project managers and conversion team have a reputation for meticulous preparation, and that, combined with our trusted partnership with Connect First, resulted in a seamless merger-conversion process that delivered the outcome Connect First was seeking,” she adds.

Connect First Credit Union joins 80 other Canadian credit unions using DNA for core banking services.

“This merger-conversion was a critical milestone in our amalgamation process, and because of the significant work and expertise from Celero along with leadership from our own technology team, we now have an innovative and integrated core banking system along with new integrated capabilities that will enhance our members’ experience,” says Catherine Boynton, Chief Technology Officer, Connect First Credit Union.

“This merger-conversion sets the foundation that will improve operations for our four credit union brands and enable us to better standardize our business processes, manage governance and compliance and introduce new products and services to our members,” adds Sandi Kaye, Chief Financial Officer, Connect First Credit Union.

The Project of the Year Award winner will be announced on April 28. For more information, visit https://pmimanitoba.org/project-of-the-year-poy.

For more information about Celero’s core banking expertise, visit our product page or contact us here.

About PMI Manitoba

PMI is the leading non-profit professional association in the area of Project Management. Since its founding in 1969, the Project Management Institute (PMI) has grown to be the organization of choice for the project management professional. With over 500,000 members worldwide, PMI is the leading non-profit professional association in the area of Project Management.

PMI establishes project management standards, provides seminars, educational programs and professional certification that more and more organizations desire for their project leaders.

About Connect First Credit Union

Connect First Credit Union, one of the largest and most successful credit unions in Canada, is a full-service financial institution with over $6 billion in assets under administration. Connect First employs over 750 Albertans who provide a range of financial products and advice in more than 40 communities across central and southern Alberta.

It serves over 125,000 members through its trusted local brands of First Calgary Financial, Chinook Financial, Mountain View Financial and Legacy Financial and a community-focused approach to banking. For more information, visit connectfirstcu.com.

About Celero

Celero is a leading provider of digital technology and integration solutions to credit unions and financial institutions across Canada. Clients trust Celero’s proven track record delivering innovative banking technologies, digital and payment solutions, cloud computing, outsourcing, IT, and advisory services.

Celero offers reliability and security through its world-class hosted banking system and data centre operations.  With key partnerships across the globe, Celero also brings the scale and extensive capabilities of multinational technology companies and the focused expertise of fintech start-ups.  For more information, visit celero.ca.