The Leadership Team at Rapport Credit Union is a group of highly dedicated professionals with a wealth of experience from every facet of the financial industry. Committed to our members and the community, they are the driving force behind our mission to empower our members to live their life on their own terms. Get to know our inspiring leaders who make Rapport Credit Union a powerful and innovative financial institution:

Michael Parzei

Chief Executive Officer

Michael is an engaging senior executive with extensive experience and high capacity in leading program growth in the public, not-for-profit and private sectors. He works with a sense of urgency, focused on service excellence, and being solution oriented for delivering results. He focuses on building system capacity, applying best practices, change management and transformation approaches within the organization. He prioritizes and establishes a strong accountability culture to develop, coach, and mentor staff. As a credit union member for 35 years, he brings values-driven leadership, alongside academic achievements from Western University's Ivey Business School and Queen's University Executive Program to the team. Michael's focus is empowering our members through financial advocacy, supported by staff with the right expertise and economic knowledge. Beyond his current role, he contributes globally through his volunteer and philanthropist humanitarian work, reflecting his commitment to positive impact.

Stéphane Gagné, CFA, FRM, MSc, BA,

Chief Financial Officer & Risk Management Officer

Stéphane is fully bilingual and responsible for the financial aspects of the credit union including planning, reporting, treasury, and risk management. His experience as an industry group chair led to impactful regulatory changes for major Canadian banks. He excelled in enterprise risk management and capital assessments at a leading bank, and contributed towards the development of an Enterprise Risk Management policy for Ontario's financial regulators. With an academic background in Economics-Mathematics and a specialized Master's from HEC Montréal, Stéphane is certified as a Charter Financial Analyst and Financial Risk Manager. Joining us in 2023, he is focused on balancing between competitive rates, member support, and credit union stability for our membership. His commitment is evident in volunteer roles, previously serving as Vice-President at Theatre français de Toronto and a mentor in immigrant programs, reflecting his influence as a financial leader.

Lennie Hampton

EVP of Credit & Member Relations

Lennie plays a crucial role in optimizing lending and member relations with us. With 31 years of experience in the credit union system, she enhances lending experiences in both commercial and retail domains, strategizing collaboration between member relations and operations. Lennie's achievements include implementing Borrow Anywhere, refining lending procedures, and boosting the Member Relationship team's performance. Her career spans across Manitoba and Ontario, with roles at three credit unions. Lennie's extensive education, including certifications from the Investment Funds Institute of Canada, Confederation College courses, and a Leadership Thunder Bay graduate, underscores her commitment to professional development. Lennie’s volunteering history demonstrates her commitment to cooperative values and global community enrichment. She has served as a Management Coach on behalf of the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada in Ghana and Malawi, and actively participates in the Women's Mentorship program.

Kumar Sukumar CPA, CMA

Financial Controller

Kumar is a senior level leader who oversees our business’s day to day financial operations, reporting, audit, and compliance requirements of the credit union. Kumar has a robust background in domestic and international banking, implementing both financial and non-financial controls to manage credit, market, operational, liquidity and interest rate risks. His 30+ years of expertise extends to managing high-profile Regulatory Affairs of large financial institutions and includes the Basel Accord, Capital Management, Sarbanes-Oxley, and Dodd-Frank regulatory requirements. He actively liaises with all levels of stakeholders to ensure effective communication with a focus on reducing obstacles to enable organizational success. A member of CMA and CPA in Ontario, Kumar is committed to supporting sound financial controllership functions applying best practices in supporting sound financial performance of the credit union to enable optimal financial benefits to our members. In his philanthropic endeavours, Kumar has served as a Board Member and Volunteer Treasurer at the Touchstone Youth Centre and is a Certified Iyengar teacher, reflecting his desire to give back to the community through teaching.

Virginia Rivest

Director of Member Relations

Virginia is responsible for supporting the sales team to provide excellent service while upholding our core values. With 20 years in financial services, she excels in building lasting member relationships and has a broad understanding of the member experience. Starting at Superior Credit Union in 2012, Virginia joined us in 2016 as a branch manager before stepping into her current role in 2022. Virginia's educational background includes Human Resources Management from Confederation College. Virginia is dedicated to guiding our members on their financial journeys, prioritizing their needs and education.

Brian Zhou

Director, Information Systems and Technology

Brian holds a pivotal role in managing IT operations including being ahead of the ever-changing sophisticated cybersecurity risks. His responsibilities encompass ensuring smooth member banking services, overseeing ATM, online banking, and point-of-sale systems. Brian's leadership has resulted in exceptional uptime of over 99.999% in member banking services, and the successful execution of a critical banking system upgrade in 2022. His educational background includes a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in computer science. With over two decades of credit union IT experience, Brian has grown with us from IT support to Director IT, focusing on enhancing our members’ experiences through simplified banking services and heightened security measures, including 2-factor authentication and comprehensive training initiatives.

David Chapman, MBA

Director, Marketing and Membership Growth

David leads member-centered initiatives and marketing strategies. He works cross functionally with our teams in support of aligning products with member needs, enhances brand visibility, while fostering membership growth. He excels in promotional strategies, product adoption, and financial literacy initiatives that boost brand awareness and revenue generation. Beginning his credit union journey in 2009, David held many marketing leadership roles in PEI's credit union system, including Chief Marketing Officer, before joining us in 2023. He holds an MBA from Dalhousie University and spent 4 years volunteering with the Ronald McDonald House Atlantic Charity in his spare time. David is dedicated to understanding our membership needs and wants, providing the best experience for our members, discovering new ways to connect our members to the best financial solutions and maintains his focus on streamlining processes to make our members’ lives easier.

Melissa Jones

Senior Manager, Human Resources and Training

Melissa oversees the employee life cycle, including recruitment, onboarding, training, payroll, and benefits administration. Her role is key for employee well-being and organizational growth. Melissa's experience in the implementation of operational efficiencies has resulted in time savings and improved experiences for both managers and employees. Since joining us in 2019, Melissa has focused on enhancing the workplace environment through continuous growth. With a Human Resources Management degree from Humber College and specialized training in Human Resources Management Essentials, Melissa focuses on providing advancement and skill development opportunities for employees. She prioritizes employee well-being through offerings like Employee Assistance Programs, extended health benefits, and fair wages, fostering a supportive and thriving work environment.

Mackenzie Dunn, BA

Senior Manager, Strategic Initiatives

Mackenzie is instrumental in crafting and executing growth strategies. His collaboration with leadership develops high-performing environments and innovates tools for enhanced employee and member experiences. Notably, he led the transition to a cloud-based contact center during the pandemic, expanding services and ensuring safety. He joined us in 2015 and showcases his dedication to the organization and our members. Academic achievements, including an Honours BA from York University and strategy management certification, validate his expertise. Mackenzie's dedication to our members’ well-being is visible through envisioned financial empowerment workshops, underbanked community advocacy, and personalized resource development. He volunteers for mental health and wellness in the LGBTQ2+ community, embodying a leader driving strategic change and member-focused innovation.