connectFirst and Servus credit unions have each been recognized as recipients of the prestigious Canada's Best Managed Companies award and as members of the Platinum Club, which recognizes winners that have maintained their Best Managed status for seven years or more. The two financial institutions, which have each received the award for over 20 consecutive years, merged on May 1, 2024, creating Connect First and Servus Credit Union Ltd.

Canada's Best Managed Companies program awards excellence in private Canadian-owned companies. To attain the designation, companies are evaluated on their leadership in the areas of strategy, culture, commitment, capabilities, innovation, governance, and financial performance. The award is based on organizational achievements in the previous year.

"These awards are a testament to the fortitude, management and culture of both connectFirst and Servus in their own right, based on the individual performance of both credit unions in the past year," says Ian Burns, President and CEO of Connect First and Servus Credit Union. "The same things that earned this recognition inspired us to join forces through the recent merger. This is strong validation that, in our mission to build from the best of both, we are on the right path in building from a foundation of two best managed companies".

"We're honoured to receive these awards at this historic time, following the largest merger in Canadian credit union history," says Burns. "The merger marks the union of two industry leaders, each recognized by Canada's Best Managed Companies for their own unique strengths and capabilities. Together as one company, we will be an even more impactful credit union focused deeply on creating a brighter future for members, employees, and all of Alberta."

Together, the newly formed credit union has more than 3,000 employees and serves approximately 500,000 members across 140 branches in 80 Alberta communities.

For more information on the merger, please visit greatertogether.info.

Servus and connectFirst are trade names of Connect First and Servus Credit Union Ltd. All rights reserved.

About Canada’s Best Managed Companies Program

Canada’s Best Managed Companies program continues to be the mark of excellence for privately-owned Canadian companies. Every year since the launch of the program in 1993, hundreds of entrepreneurial companies have competed for this designation in a rigorous and independent process that evaluates their management skills and practices. The awards are granted on four levels: 1) Canada’s Best Managed Companies new winner, one of the new winners selected each year; 2) Canada’s Best Managed Companies winner, award recipients that have re-applied and successfully retained their Best Managed designation for two additional years, subject to annual operational and financial review; 3) Gold Standard winner, after three consecutive years of maintaining their Best Managed status, these winners have demonstrated their commitment to the program and successfully retained their award for 4-6 consecutive years; 4) Platinum Club member, winners that have maintained their Best Managed status for seven years or more. Program sponsors are Deloitte Private, CIBC, The Globe and Mail, and TMX Group. For more information, please click here.

About Servus Credit Union Ltd.
Servus Credit Union has served Albertans for over 80 years with a full line of secure financial services. The financial institution has more than 100 branches in 61 communities throughout the province as well as options for online, mobile and telephone banking. Servus's noble purpose is to help members reimagine their financial fitness so that they feel good about their money. For more information about Servus, call 1.877.378.8728 or visit servus.ca.

About connectFirst Credit Union
connectFirst Credit Union, one of the largest and most successful credit unions in Canada, is a full-service financial institution with over $7 billion in assets under administration. connectFirst employs 750 Albertans who provide a wide range of financial products and advice in more than 40 communities across central and southern Alberta. It serves over 125,000 members through a community-focused approach to banking.

Media Contacts:

Servus Credit Union
media@servus.ca
(825) 402-0740

connectFirst Credit Union
Beth Kerr
Manager, Brand and Communications
bkerr@connectfirstcu.com
(403) 736-4217