Sept 9, 2025 | Territories of Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations/Vancouver B.C. – Vancity has announced the appointment of three new Executive members, a combination of faces both familiar and fresh to the credit union. Liz Stretch – currently Vancity’s interim Chief People Officer – will become the new Chief Member Experience Officer. Supriya James will join Vancity as the permanent Chief People Officer, and Newsha Siouffi – currently VP of Strategy and Innovation – takes on the role of Chief Strategy Officer.
“We are extremely lucky to have Liz and Newsha taking on these new roles, and to have Supriya joining our executive team at a transformational time for Vancity,” said Wellington Holbrook, President and CEO of Vancity. “They each bring the recognized leadership, experience and expertise that I know will help propel us forward into a new and improved era for the Vancity we know and love.”
In the role of Chief Member Experience Officer, Liz will lead Vancity’s work to centre its 570,000 members and grow its business to drive impact, overseeing the credit union’s member experience, product development, marketing and strategic communications. Liz holds an MBA (Financial Services) from Dalhousie University and the Certified Financial Planner designation and brings extensive experience in the banking sector having served as an executive leader at Connect First Credit Union, ATB Financial and CIBC. She brings a wealth of senior leadership experience in customer experience, product, and organizational strategy to this role.
As Chief People Officer, Supriya will head the People and Culture division and continue Vancity’s work to build a best-in-class workplace and organizational culture. A sought-after HR leader, she has built her career strengthening organizations for the future. Supriya brings a focus on first class employee experiences, DEIR strategies, and talent and leadership coaching programs, along with her commitment to re-invigorating organizational cultures to propel business growth. Previously with National Bank of Canada as their Senior Vice President of Employee Experience, Supriya holds a Masters in Human Resources Management, and has developed her expertise over more than 25 years working in the banking and other sectors in four countries. She will take up her new position starting on November 1st, 2025.
Newsha Siouffi will take on the role of Chief Strategy officer, a position new to Vancity’s executive team. Newsha will lead the medium to long-term strategies of the organization, while taking on responsibility for Vancity’s critical Impact Strategy – work central to the organization’s mission and vision – and Government Relations and Stakeholder Engagement. With nearly 20 years of experience at Vancity in various roles of increasing responsibility and scope, Newsha has a reputation for delivering results and making an impact. Newsha holds an MBA from UBC’s Sauder School of Business, as well as a Masters Certificate in Project Management from the Schulich School of Business and a Psychology Degree from SFU.