Manitoba's Top Employers (2025) - Flipbook - Page 26
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MANITOBA’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2025)
Fusion Credit Union invests in the next generation of leaders
L
ast spring, Fusion Credit
Union employees from
all 18 branches across
the province took to the
streets for a friendly garbage pickup competition. While
a team that called themselves the
Garbage Gophers were technically
named the champions, the real
winners were the communities the
credit union operates in.
The event, called Operation
Tidy Together, was the brainchild
of the Fusion Young Leaders
Committee.
“The beautiful part was that
people on our young leaders committee were the leaders of their
teams, so they were organizing
and cheerleading people and
connecting staff across Fusion
while impacting our community
at the same time,” says Megan
Nimegeers, a consumer lender at
Fusion’s Dauphin branch and the
outgoing chair of the committee.
Employees can sit on the committee for two- or three-year terms.
The Fusion Young Leaders
Committee, now in its fifth year, is
open to staff members aged 40 and
under who are interested in developing leadership skills and who
meet the necessary criteria in their
roles. The 15-person committee is
meant to give young employees of
the financial institution, located
in southwestern Manitoba, opportunities to develop themselves as
leaders and build relationships
across Fusion and the broader
credit union system.
“The young leaders program
really helps employees contribute
to the organization and engage in
their own professional development,” says Fusion CEO Darwin
Johns. “It provides staff the
opportunity to develop new skills
and gain the confidence to lead.”
In addition, Johns sees the work
of the young leaders as aiding to
“shape the future of the credit
union,” and views their initiatives
as a key piece of the culture at
Fusion.
The members organize
initiatives that align with the
credit union’s mission, vision and
values, as well as strategic goals,
including community involvement
and employee engagement. In the
past few years, they have arranged
monthly “virtual coffee breaks” for
employees, which have included
virtual pumpkin carving around
Halloween and Christmas baking
sessions. As of 2025, the committee
will launch a new recognition
program to acknowledge employees celebrating their one-, two-,
three- and four-year anniversaries
with Fusion.
The young leaders program
really helps employees
contribute to the
organization and engage
in their own professional
development. It provides
staff the opportunity to
develop new skills and gain
the confidence to lead.
— Darwin Johns
CEO
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Employees at Fusion Credit Union attend the Credit Union Young Leaders of Manitoba conference.
“At Fusion, staff are recognized on their five- and 10-year
anniversaries but it’s important
to recognize staff earlier — that’s
a valuable part of retention,”
Nimegeers says. “We’re sending
out a card and a coffee card on
those anniversaries.”
“This is just one example of
the innovative ideas our Young
Leaders bring to the table,”
explains Johns. “We value the
benefit they bring to our employees, our organization and our
members.”
Nimegeers joined Fusion three
and a half years ago when she
moved to Manitoba, after working
in the credit union system in
