Business Chief USA June 2019

“WE DON’T WANT YOU
TO TAKE OUT THE
BIGGEST MORTGAGE
YOU QUALIFY FOR IF
THAT MEANS YOU CAN’T
TAKE THE FAMILY ON
VACATION, CARE FOR
A LOVED ONE OR
BUY YOUR KIDS THEIR
NEW BIKES”
—
Rob Paterson,
CEO, Alterna Savings
and Alterna Bank
companies. “We were able to have
conversations with those peers about
their digital journeys,” says Paterson.
The relationship with Salesforce serves
to highlight how businesses look for
more than just a piece of software from
their partners. “Technology in and of
itself isn’t the end state. The ability to
get access to thought leaders, an
ecosystem that will be co-developed
by hundreds if not thousands of
individuals across the globe, and to be
able to see where they’re going in the
future – you can’t put a price on that.”
A DIGITAL CULTURE
“When we started talking about going
digital and building out the bank
globally, you naturally worry that
people will be concerned about leaving
the legacy business behind. Within our
organization, there was actually
extreme excitement,” Paterson reflects.
“Our employees saw this as a great way
to stay relevant.” Alterna has gone to
great lengths to develop a positive and
forward-thinking culture among its
staff, celebrating such wins in 2019 as
being named one of National Capital
Region’s Top Employers (in Ottawa),
and scooping the Platinum level status
on the Aon Best Employer list.
Paterson is also keen to highlight the
impact of technology in the office.
“We’ve moved to digital training and
education for all our staff – now, they
can learn on a mobile device anywhere
at any time. We’ve changed the
physical aspects, moving people into
open, tribe-like settings of working
with their fellow team members,
building in electronic desks so they can
elevate work surfaces at different
times of the day.” The CEO is also keen
to highlight the positive impact social
media has had on his staff, making
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