Overcoming Imposter Syndrome & Scaling to C-Suite | Megan Snyder, Unitus Credit Union

How do you fast-track your career from a 30-day temporary contract to Chief Impact Officer (CIO) at a leading credit union? In this episode of the Women of Banking Podcast, host Anurag Mukherjee sits down with Megan Snyder, Chief Impact Officer at Unitus Credit Union, to discuss leadership, career velocity, fintech partnerships, and AI innovation in financial services.Megan shares her inspiring "accidental" path into banking, moving from large financial institutions like Wells Fargo and Bank of America to tech giant IBM, before finding her true calling in the mission-driven credit union sector. Over her nine-year tenure at Unitus, Megan secured 6 to 7 promotions, navigating her way directly into the C-suite.👇 In this episode, we break down:- The corporate transition from big banks (Wells Fargo, B of A) to community financial institutions.- How curiosity, volunteering for projects, and vocalizing ideas drives rapid career advancement.- Defining the role of a Chief Impact Officer: Merging community mission with financial ROI.- Fintech vendor management: What differentiates a great fintech partner from an average vendor.- Proactive AI adoption in credit unions: Automating small business lending underwriting from hours to 30 minutes.- Real-world AI fraud prevention using behavioral monitoring.- Conquering imposter syndrome and managing the unique workloads faced by women in leadership.💡 Key Takeaway:"We built the impact division where we're able to look at how can we take community mission and innovation and move things forward... those are 'and' statements, they're not 'or' statements, and we were able to demonstrate that." — Megan Snyder---CHAPTERS:00:00 - Introduction & Megan Snyder’s Background01:20 - The Accidental Journey into Banking & Financial Services03:10 - Scaling the Corporate Ladder: 7 Promotions in 9 Years05:08 - What Does a Chief Impact Officer Actually Do?07:45 - Fintech Partnerships: Great Partners vs. Average Vendors10:32 - How Unitus Credit Union is Proactively Leveraging AI12:55 - Establishing an AI Center of Excellence (COE)14:20 - Mentoring Women in Banking: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome16:40 - Balancing Leadership, Family, and the "Secondary Workload"---CONNECT WITH US:Host: Anurag Mukherjee Guest: Megan Snyder (Chief Impact Officer, Unitus Credit Union)Unitus Credit Union: https://www.unitusccu.comSubscribe to Women of Community Banking for more executive insights!#WomenInBanking #CreditUnions #CommunityBanking #Fintech #WomenInLeadership #ArtificialIntelligence #ImposterSyndrome #BankingPodcast #UnitusCreditUnion #CareerGrowth