TheOutlier Podcast

The retail banking infrastructure landscape is undergoing a massive shift. In this episode of The Outlier Podcast , host Anurag Mukherjee sits down with Adam K , Chief Strategy Officer at Dort Financial Credit Union , to unpack the winning strategy for mid-sized credit unions over the next three to five years. With more than 30 years of deep marketing and senior corporate strategy experience, Adam...

How do regional and community financial institutions compete when mega-banks boast $15 billion technology budgets and fintech apps offer instant account openings? The secret isn't matching their capital—it's mastering the emotional currency of trust, speed, and purpose-driven engagement. In this episode of The Outlier Podcast, host Anurag Mukherjee sits down with John D. Metcalf, Senior Vice Presi...

The consumer lending ecosystem is undergoing a massive paradigm shift. In this episode of The Outlier Podcast, host Anurag Mukherjee sits down with Adam Boyd, the newly appointed President of Consumer Lending at Rate (formerly Guaranteed Rate).With a distinguished 25-year career spanning major institutions like Bank of America, TD Bank, and Citizens, Adam breaks down what it takes to scale a lendi...

This conversation is a practical, no-fluff look at how a community-based credit union competes against digital-first banks and fintechs, how AI is being deployed in real banking operations, and what genuine, service-driven leadership looks like. Who is Simon Powley? A U.S. Navy veteran turned financial services executive, Simon serves military families and the wider Kitsap Peninsula community in W...

The banking infrastructure landscape is in the middle of a massive renaissance. In this in-person episode of The Outlier Podcast, host Anurag Mukherjee engages in a candid, technical conversation with Jason, Chief Information Officer of First Advantage Federal Credit Union. Drawing from his 30 years of IT infrastructure and security management, Jason pulls back the curtain on how First Advantage h...

In this episode of the Outlier Podcast, host Anurag Mukherjee sits down with Duncan J. Taylor, CEO of the Washington Bankers Association (WBA) in Seattle, to unpack what's actually holding community banks back—and what it will take to compete in 2025 and beyond. Duncan argues that the single biggest threat to community banking isn't regulation or interest rates—it's mindset. Banks have...

How does a values-led credit union grow sticky deposits, become the second-largest solar lender in the U.S., and roll out AI in its call center — all without losing the human connection? In this episode of the Outlier Podcast, host Anurag Mukherjee talks with Michael Brouillet, a senior executive at Credit Human in San Antonio, Texas, who oversees business operations and deposits. Michael shares h...

In this episode of The Outlier Podcast, host Anurag Mukherjee sits down with Josh Houde, VP of Marketing at Blue Federal Credit Union, to explore how modern credit unions can win in a hyper-competitive financial services landscape. With nearly 20 years of experience across major banks (Wells Fargo) and three credit unions (Canvas Credit Union, Credit Union of Colorado, and now Blue Federal Credit...

In this episode of the Outlier Podcast, host Anurag Mukherjee sits down with Dave Valentine, Chief Lending & Experience Officer at Consumers Credit Union (Illinois), recorded live from Las Vegas. With 20+ years in financial services — including roles at BCU, Motorola Employees Credit Union (Andigo), and Wells Fargo — Dave shares hard-won lessons on running lending, marketing, and member experi...

In this episode of the Outlier Podcast, host Anurag Mukherjee sits down with Anubhav — Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of ShiftMate AI — to unpack a journey that took him from a small town near the Odisha-Jharkhand border to building one of the most exciting FinTech platforms in the credit union space. Anubhav shares how his pivot from JP Morgan Payments to a U.S. master's program became...

How should community banks compete with fintechs, grow deposits, and rethink the branch in 2026? Brian McEvoy, Chief Retail Officer at Webster Five Bank, joins The Outlier Podcast to share a candid playbook for the future of retail and community banking. In this episode, host Anurag Mukherjee sits down with Brian — a retail banking leader with deep experience at TD Bank and Cynoverse before steppi...

How does a CIO lead a credit union from $5 billion to $10 billion in assets? In this episode of The Outlier Podcast, host Anurag Mukherjee sits down with Anil Choudary, Chief Information Officer at Keesler Federal Credit Union, to unpack the real playbook behind large-scale technology transformation in financial services. With a career that spans GE (where he helped build a digital bank), Goldman...

How does a modern financial institution move from legacy "bottlenecks" to an Agentic AI future? In this episode, host Anurag Mukherjee sits down with Amit Nandy , Chief Information Officer at Educational Systems Federal Credit Union (ESFCU) . With over two decades of experience spanning credit unions and community banks, Amit provides a masterclass on balancing technical innovation with...

What does it take to rise from a frontline teller to the President and CEO of one of Nevada's most forward-thinking credit unions? In this episode of the Outlier Podcast, host Anurag Mukherjee sits down with Steve O'Donnell, the newly appointed President and CEO of One Nevada Credit Union, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Steve's story is rare in financial services. He has spent nearly thre...

What makes human banking irreplaceable in an age of AI? Chris Boler, CXO of ORNL Federal Credit Union, shares lessons on member experience, branch strategy, culture, and leading with purpose. Full Description: What does it take to build a $4.5 billion credit union rooted in genuine human connection — in an era where technology can do almost everything? In this episode of the Outlier Podcast, Anura...

What does it actually take to modernize a $4.1 billion credit union without breaking everything in the process? In this episode of the Outlier Podcast, host Anurag Mukherjee sits down with Sean VanHandel, Chief Information Officer of CoVantage Credit Union based in Antigo, Wisconsin. Sean brings nearly three decades of technology experience spanning healthcare, manufacturing, and financial service...

What does it actually take to modernize a bank — and why are the best-performing institutions the ones moving fastest? Jody Bhagat, President of North America at Engine by Starling, joins The Outlier Podcast to answer that and much more. About This Episode The banking industry is at a genuine tipping point. Neobanks like Chime are capturing over 40% of new checking account openings nationally — ou...

Can a credit union really compete with Chase and Chime? Sunward Federal Credit Union's EVP Alex De La Cruz says yes — and he's got the numbers to prove it. Alex brings nearly two decades of financial services experience across Bank of America, First Tech Federal Credit Union, TDECU, and Teachers Federal Credit Union before joining Sunward in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Today he leads retail,...

John Fede, CIO of Hudson Valley Credit Union, has spent over 30 years in technology across government, publishing, consulting, and financial services. In this conversation, he gets honest about the unglamorous work that has to happen before innovation is even possible — fixing data infrastructure, building AI governance, scaling automation, and maturing cybersecurity — and why skipping those steps...

What does intentional leadership look like at GAC 2025 — and what does it mean to redefine membership growth in the credit union industry? In this live episode of The Outlier Podcast, recorded at GAC in Washington D.C., Anurag Mukherjee sits down with Brian Waldron, CEO of Dort Financial Credit Union, for a candid conversation on employee engagement, strategic growth, and why credit unions need to...

What does a history major who taught himself to code have to teach CIOs about innovation? Quite a lot, it turns out. In this episode of The Outlier Podcast, Anurag Mukherjee sits down with Jonathan Cilley, CIO of Mid Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union, for a wide-ranging conversation on technology leadership, calculated risk-taking, and what the next five years could look like for credit union tec...

What does it take to grow a credit union without indirect lending — and still win? In this live episode recorded at the 2026 Government Affairs Conference (GAC) in Washington D.C., Anurag Mukherjee sits down with two senior executives from Indiana Members Credit Union (IMCU) to break down the strategies driving one of Indiana's most respected credit unions forward. In this episode, you'll learn:Wh...

In this live episode of The Outlier Podcast recorded at GAC 2026 in Washington D.C., host Anurag Mukherjee sits down with Cathy Graham and Jeremy Nelson from Desert Financial Credit Union — one of the most forward-thinking credit unions in the country — for a candid conversation on growth, relevance, AI, and what credit unions must get right in the next 24 months. What is Desert Financial Credit U...

In this episode, Anurag sits down with Cydni Tetro, CIO of Swire Coca-Cola and a legendary "technology mogul" of the CPG and retail space. They explore Cydni’s "Blue Sky" philosophy of innovation, the rapid evolution of AI in manufacturing and consumer experience, and her mission to fix the "broken rung" for women in STEM.Key Takeaways & Timestamps1. The "Blu...

In this episode of The Outlier Podcast, host Anurag Mukherjee sits down with Jim Lawrence, the Chief Revenue and Experience Officer at Partners Federal Credit Union. With over 26 years of experience at major institutions like Wachovia and Wells Fargo, Jim shares why he transitioned to the credit union movement and how he is redefining the intersection of financial growth and member-centric service...