Surrey, B.C.: Coast Capital’s Chief Operating Officer, Kathy McGarrigle has been named a winner of the Women's Executive Network (WXN) 2016 Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award for her visionary and transformative business leadership style that has resulted in exceptional results for the credit union, the development of up and coming business leaders, and positive contributions to the greater community.

Recognized in the Corporate Executives category at WXN’s event in Toronto last night, McGarrigle is one of four women currently sitting on Coast Capital’s nine-member Executive Team. The credit union’s Board of Directors also boasts a ratio of women to men that is more than double the Canadian average of 15.9 percent, with 4 of its 10 members being women.

The makeup of both of these leadership groups reaffirms Coast Capital’s commitment to fostering a culture that gives women the opportunity to thrive and succeed in the traditionally male-dominated financial services industry.

“Kathy is one of the most motivated, hard-working, and creative leaders that I have met in my 20 plus years of working in the financial services industry,” says Don Coulter, Coast Capital Savings President and CEO. “Kathy’s work ethic is matched by her dedication to give back to our communities, and the ongoing success that Coast Capital has enjoyed in improving the financial well-being of Canadians is the direct result of her leadership of our retail and investment teams.”

The Top 100 Awards serve to recognize talented leaders in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors and to inspire the current and next generation to push the boundaries of what’s possible.

“With each year that passes, women are pushing forward and upward, closing the gender gap in education and at the highest levels of business and industry. These awards are a celebration of this important achievement,” says Kathy McGarrigle. “I’m truly honoured to be counted among this group of remarkable women, and I extend my congratulations to those who I share this distinction with.”

Kathy McGarrigle joins a prestigious community of past Award Winners, including some of Canada’s most iconic women trailblazers, such as Margaret Atwood, best-selling author, and Michaëlle Jean, former Governor General of Canada.

The full list of WXN’s 2016 Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winners can be found at https://www.wxnetwork.com/top-100/top-100-winners/.

About Kathy McGarrigle

As Chief Operating Officer at Coast Capital Savings, Kathy McGarrigle is a visionary and transformative business leader, delivering exceptional results in retail banking and wealth management. Kathy is responsible for developing strategy, direction and leadership for these key business areas: Retail and Investment Distribution, Wealth Management, Alternate Channels, Business Improvement, Operations and Life Insurance. She is responsible for more than 1,200 staff, which is approximately 75 percent of Coast Capital’s workforce. Prior to joining Coast Capital, Kathy held senior executive positions with CIBC and HSBC. Kathy’s business excellence has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Surrey Board of Trade Women in Business Award in 2014. She is a respected member of the wider business arena and has consistently served her community as a leader, from being a member of the BC Children’s Hospital Financial Division to serving on the board of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. She chaired the Capital Campaign for Kate Booth House Women’s Shelter and assisted in the development of the Vancouver Crisis Centre’s three-year strategic plan. She is an active member of the Canadian Board Diversity Council Diversity 50 Initiative, and has been vice-chair of the Salvation Army Advisory Board since 2006 where she was responsible for creating the highly successful Hope in the City fundraising campaign which has since been replicated in cities across Canada. 

About Coast Capital Savings

Coast Capital Savings is Canada’s largest credit union by membership. A recipient of the 2015 “Outstanding Corporation” Giving Hearts Award, the credit union invested $5 million into local communities in 2015, focusing on empowering and engaging youth. Coast Capital is one of Canada's 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures™, a member of Canada's Best Managed Companies Platinum Club, and an Imagine Canada Caring Company. It has 52 branches serving its 532,000 members in the Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island and Okanagan regions of British Columbia. Product innovations include Canada's first free chequing account from a full-service financial institution. To learn more, visit coastcapitalsavings.com.

About the Women's Executive Network (WXN)

At WXN, we inspire smart women to lead. WXN delivers innovative networking, mentoring, professional and personal development to inform, inspire, connect and recognize our global community of more than 22,000 women, men and their organizations. WXN enables our partners and corporate members to become and to be recognized as employers of choice and leaders in the advancement of women. Founded in 1997, WXN is Canada’s leading organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of women in management, executive, professional and board roles. WXN is led by CEO Sherri Stevens, owner of the award-winning, multi-million dollar Workforce Management Company Stevens Resource Group Inc., which she established in 1990. In 2008, WXN launched in Ireland, followed by London, UK in 2015, creating an international community of female leaders. More information and details are available at www.wxnetwork.com or www.top100women.ca.

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