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Discover our Journey and Purpose

Our Story

Founding Ideals

At Collabria, our journey is one of innovation, collaboration, and unwavering commitment to empowering financial institutions and their customers. With no satisfactory provider in the Canadian market, a coalition of forward-thinking credit unions, in collaboration with Desjardins, came together to create Collabria.

Since our inception in 2015, we have been at the forefront of revolutionizing the credit card industry, delivering tailored solutions and exceptional experiences to mid-sized financial institutions and their customers.

From the start, when Collabria was just an idea, we recognized the strength of collaboration, and set out with a vision to transform the credit card landscape by providing credit unions with programs that meet the unique needs of their members.

Innovative Solutions

Our commitment to our partners and their members success is the cornerstone of our journey. Today, Collabria serves over 98% of all credit unions in Canada as well as providing service to Schedule I banks and other financial providers.

Our vision is clear: to continue redefining the credit card experience, fostering even deeper partnerships and empowering financial institutions to thrive in a digital world. We’re proud to make it possible, today and every day.

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Our Owners

Collabria’s unique ecosystem benefits from being under the ownership of Desjardins. By operating as a subsidiary of Desjardins, we benefit from the strength of one of Canada's oldest financial institutions. and ensure our partners have industry leading opportunities.

Desjardins Group is the largest cooperative financial group in North America and the fifth largest cooperative financial group in the world, with assets of $414.1 billion. It was named one of the World's Top Female-Friendly Companies by Forbes magazine. To meet the diverse needs of its members and clients, Desjardins offers a full range of products and services to individuals and businesses through its extensive distribution network, online platforms and subsidiaries across Canada. Ranked among the world's strongest banks according to The Banker magazine, Desjardins has some of the highest capital ratios and credit ratings in the industry.

Our Commitment To Social Responsibility

As a subsidiary of Desjardins, Collabria is backed by the strength of a collective group moving towards a more human economy and sustainable community development.

In order to meet the needs of our cardholders and clients, Collabria includes social, environmental, and governance issues in our strategic planning and is a key focus in the relationships with our partners.

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Our Leadership Team

Jean-Marc Handfield

Chief Executive Officer

Jean-Marc is a dynamic, seasoned strategist with over 20 years of results-driven leadership in the Canadian credit union financial sector. As Chief Executive Officer, he is accountable for delivering innovative payment solutions to credit unions and investing in the shared success and prosperity of their members.

Jean-Marc also serves as the Vice President of Business Development, Financial Cooperatives Outside of Quebec for Desjardins Financial Group, with the responsibility of developing and expanding credit union partnerships and operations. He is an active member of the community, having served on Visa Canada’s Advisory Committee and the Vancity Community Foundation, while currently sitting on the Board of Directors for Aviso Wealth. Jean-Marc holds a Bachelor of Law and a Master of Laws from Laval University.

Wanita Van Leeuwan

Chief Client Experience Officer

Wanita brings a strong passion for providing a positive client experience to the Collabria team. With over 30 years of experience in the credit union system, she is committed to working collaboratively with our partners to build out the best end-to-end service for our clients and their members.

Wanita has held various roles both within the credit union system and providing services to credit unions from coast to coast, which allows her to bring a unique and innovative perspective to her role at Collabria. Wanita leads the Client Experience Team, ensuring our partners and cardholders continue to be top priority of the work we do every day.

Greg Feniak

Chief Marketing Officer

Greg is a visionary leader in the financial and payments industry, with over 20 years of experience driving brand growth, change and market expansion for leading organizations. Greg’s deep knowledge in marketing, product management, communications, and strategy development help bridge the payments and credit union world, making him a dynamic and innovative leader in the industry.

Prior to Collabria, Greg worked with Prairie Payments Joint Venture as the Vice President of Strategy & Engagement, leading business development, and strategic partnership activities. His leadership and experience have supported the evolution of payment services within the credit union system and the delivery of new solutions for credit unions and financial organizations across Canada.

Chad Schultz

Chief Operating Officer

Chad is an energetic and effective leader, who believes that "good enough" is never good enough. Chad has a passion for people and their ability to achieve their potential through ensuring their well-being and integrity are supported by inspiration and curiosity.

Chad brings to Collabria 15+ years of broad experience in financial services, telecommunications, and the insurance industry. He excels in organizations that have a mandate to change and has the ability to bring structure and calm to chaotic situations, mobilizing people toward a common goal and facilitating success. He is passionate about the opportunities created through digital technologies, having expertise in launching credit card platforms, digital payments, and related technologies.

Sachenne Wagner

Chief Financial Officer

Sachenne is a dynamic leader with an astute ability to analyze data, developed over her 20 years of experience in the financial service sector.

During her career, she has implemented cost efficient evaluation systems from feasibility phase to implementation, managed multi-disciplinary teams for major projects that transformed financial systems including a data warehouse common to the finance-risk-treasury sectors. She was also in charge of the financial performance and regulatory capital teams at Desjardins Securities. Most recently, Sachenne lead teams that oversaw finance for mergers, acquisitions & development projects with Desjardins.

Serge Léger

Senior Strategic Advisor to the CEO

Serge is a seasoned leader in the financial services sector with over two decades experience in business operations, planning, corporate strategy, marketing, and analytics. His journey at Collabria began as Chief Marketing Officer where his spirit of collaboration, innovation, and belief in building a strong credit card program was critical in establishing a modern, data driven, operationalized marketing function.

Prior to joining Collabria, Serge held a series of senior leadership positions including Vice-President of Marketing & Member Innovation at Prospera Credit Union and Head of Business Planning & Strategy at HSBC Bank, Canada’s largest foreign bank.

Collabria Careers

Realize your full potential with our growing client-focused team, backed by the strength of Canada's largest cooperative financial institution.

Ready for your next challenge?

Collabria offers rewarding careers in the following functions:

Marketing & Product
Relationship Management
Operations
Finance
Risk & Compliance

Who are Collabrians?

At Collabria, our employees are the cornerstone of our success, and we take great pride in the fact they are the fabric of our organization. We believe in the power of exceptional talent and diverse perspectives, and we couldn’t be more excited for their experiences to enrich our workplace and contribute to our continued growth and success.

As Collabrians, we strive to deliver exceptional partner and member service, every day. Our pillars include:

Collaborative
Purposeful
Forward thinking
Enterprising
Trustworthy
Bold
Caring

Why Collabria?

Join an organization that gives you the support you need to achieve your professional goals through:

Hybrid work
Competitive salary
Annual bonus based on the organization’s performance
Professional development and mentoring
Reimbursement of physical and mental health expenses
Competitive compensation package, including participation in Desjardins’ exceptional support and benefits

Browse openings

Collabria is proud to offer rewarding careers from coast to coast. With business and operational centres in Burnaby, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto and Montreal, and mobile relationship management teams across the country, many of our positions can be performed from any location in Canada.

Let's Talk

Want to learn more about our services for financial institutions?

Get In Touch

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110 9th Ave S.W., Suite 450
Calgary Alberta T2P 0T1