Future Branches Boston 2025
June 23 - 24, 2025
The Westin Copley Place, Boston, MA
Day Two: July 24th 2020 Focus on What Matters Most: Your Customers & Their Needs in Branch
7:10 am - 8:10 am
Registration & Continental Breakfast In The Innovation Hub
7:10 am - 8:10 am
Women in Branches Breakfast
Stephanie McClendon -
EVP, Director of Retail Banking,
First Federal Bank
8:10 am - 8:15 am
Welcome Remarks
Elizabeth Robillard -
Event Director,
Future Branches
8:15 am - 8:30 am
Chairperson’s Opening Address
If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Vince Esposito@wbresearch.com
8:30 am - 8:55 am
Keynote: Thinking Like Tech Company Instead of Thinking Like Bank: Is it Actually Possible?
Renee Newman -
Chief Strategy Officer,
First Interstate Bank
The financial services industry isn’t well known as being incredibly open to innovation. While the desire to innovate and keep up with customer demand is certainly there, it is harder to make the case for new technology or more streamlined experiences given the regulatory hoops that finance executives have to jump through to get things accomplished. Unfortunately, today’s customer doesn’t care whether or not something will be approved by your compliance team. In fact, they assume that all experiences they have should mirror the experience they have with Amazon- things should be easy & seamless but also leave them alone when they aren’t needed. During this keynote, Renee Newman from First Interstate Bank will talk us through how they’ve been trying to think more like a tech company to overcome resistance to innovation across the enterprise and create opportunities for improved customer experiences in their branches.
• Creating a cultural shift in your organization towards acceptance of faster moving technology creation & implementation
• Putting together agile teams to test and pilot this technology that know they have the ability to ‘fail fast’ if need be
• Building adaptable, scalable tech that can easily change with changing consumer demand
• Bringing this holistic technological acceptance and agility to the branch when it comes to things like new software upgrades for employee technology, streamlined account opening with image capture or easier loan origination with AI and machine learning
8:55 am - 9:20 am
Keynote: Using Financial Literacy & Education Outreach to Establish Trust and Deepen Customer Relationships in Branch
Lori Hall -
SVP, Marketing & Operations,
American Airlines Credit Union
Michael Parks -
VP Member Services,
American Airlines Credit Union
Today’s consumer is…. STRESSED. Constantly. And you know what stresses them out more than thinking about their job, their relationships or their living situation? MONEY. According to research done by Varo Money, more than one third (35%) of Millennials say they lose an hour or more of sleep a night because of regular financial pressure. Just over half (52%) say the stress is damaging their health, and nearly as many (47%) say the stress makes them want to give up on their dreams. Considering your institution was designed to help consumers deal with their money and make smarter financial decisions, don’t you think you’d be wise to step in and help educate and inform? While many banks and credit unions have established financial literacy and education programs, is there anything more your institution can be doing? Keeping in mind that helping customers make financial decisions that better their position can establish trust and deepen long term customer relationships. Join this keynote presented by Lori Hall and Michael Parks from American Airlines Credit Union to hear about the following points:
• Content surrounding financial education can be great for getting you new leads
• The key to providing this content is knowing what people need and how your information can help them
• Your branches can be a great place to start this by providing workshops, or making financial literacy signage and making sure your employees are equipped to provide good advice
• If you can provide digestible bits of information on topics that are super top of mind or anxiety inducing for potential customers, you can start to nurture a relationship
9:20 am - 9:55 am
Panel REMIX: I’ll Be There For You: Merging the Physical and Digital to Become an On-Demand Institution for Your Customer
Andrea Pruna -
Chief Retail Officer,
NECU
Chris Brahney -
SVP, Member Experience,
Nuvision Credit Union
Jim Petkewich -
Senior Vice President , Retail Services,
St. Mary’s Credit Union
The future of your branch lies in the hands of your customer. And their expectations have never been higher. They expect everything from booking a flight, to taking a cab, to getting surgery or having a mattress delivered to fit in with the lives they lead and want to do little work in order to get the things they want. Unfortunately, that rule also applies to their banking. They want a bank or credit union to seamlessly meld with the rest of their life and be there when they need them but leave them alone when they don’t. This is difficult territory to navigate. Thus, understanding what your customer will need from your branches and how you can make those physical spaces fit as easily as possible into your customer’s journey to complete financial tasks should fuel how you strategize for this gigantic piece of infrastructure, otherwise your branches will remain irrelevant. Join this panel to hear more about how financial institutions are starting with the customer and thinking about their branches as another channel that needs to fit right into their customer’s lives.
• Are your online and offline channels siloed internally?
• If so, it’s more than likely that those channels will feel ‘siloed’ to your customer
• How can you blend the digital with the physical and make it feel completely seamless?
• Does it take more than just internal communication?
• What technology must be implemented to integrate all of these activities together?
9:55 am - 10:30 am
Morning Refreshment & Opening Networking Break In The Innovation Hub
10:30 am - 10:50 am
Keynote: The Challenges of Branch Transformation in a Cash Heavy Economy
Norbert Kovats -
Head of Retail Operations Service Center,
K&H Bank
With a growing amount of cash cirulating in the hungarian economy, K&H Bank wanted to transform its branch network. With a record amount of cash and given the fast pace of change when it came to customer need, the leading banking in this central European country needed to reconsider their way of operation to order to deal with those two concerns.This case study will examine how K&H Bank became the leader of the Hungarian tellerless market and how K&H branches will serve customers in the near future. Expect to hear about how K+H Bank:
• Started their transformation journey with their very particular customer & market in mind
• Found the right technology partners to help with their growing influx of cash
• Views possibiliies for the future of their network when cash across the world starts to diminish
10:50 am - 11:10 am
Keynote: Unlocking the Value of the Branch
Joe Salesky -
CEO,
CRMNext
The financial services sector has the opportunity to unlock up to $140 billion of industry value in the next five years through automation and augmentation. Growth, cost savings and productivity gains will come, in large part, from the utilization of automation technology to augment employee creativity and expertise. By combining human ingenuity and that personal touch with technology-driven efficiency and accuracy, financial institutions can earn more of their customers’ share-of-wallet and share-of-heart. This keynote will address how to leverage the new paradigm of human-machine collaboration to deliver greater customer value, create new sources of growth and provide more personalized human experiences at scale. Expect to hear:
· How to harness data, transform work design and expand offerings to deliver frictionless experiences for customers and employees alike
· Silver State Schools Credit Union’s transformational approach to member experience and share-of-heart
· Examples of where automation can help front- and back-office branch staff to improve service and relationship value
11:10 am - 11:45 am
Tonight Show Panel: Navigating the Startup/Financial Institution Partnership
Aleda Amistadi -
Senior Vice President | Retail and Operations,
PeoplesBank
Dan Clarke -
SVP of Member Experience,
Service Credit Union
David Nohe -
CEO,
FinGoal
Is there a piece of the retail banking puzzle that you can’t figure out? A particular technology or platform you can’t build or don’t want to build? It could be the right time for you to consider partnering with or even buying a FinTech startup! Does the thought of partnering with a risky new disruptor give you pause? Well then join this panel to hear from three different sized institutions who decided to take the plunge into working with nimble and innovative startups to achieve their goals. These three institutions will be bringing their FinTech partners along to explain how things went from beginning to end. This will also give you a chance to learn about a few new cutting edge pieces of tech! Make sure to bring your questions along, as I know our three partnered pairs will have some great answers for you.
11:45 am - 12:05 pm
Keynote Presentation by Hyosung
12:05 pm - 1:05 pm
Branch Transformation Roundtables
Be sure to join these interactive roundtable sessions and take a deep dive into the specific areas you came to discuss. Opportunities to sit and learn from executives like these do not exist elsewhere. Take control of your own event experience.
·· Take a deep dive into a niche topic in an informal setting moderated by one of our cutting edge vendor partners
·· Don’t miss out on the discussions you want to participate in—you’ll get to select a new topic after 30 minutes
1. Epson Roundtable
2. Level5 Roundtable
3. Cummins Allison Roundtable
If you are interested leading one of these discussions, please contact Vince Esposito@wbresearch.com
1:05 pm - 2:05 pm
Luncheon For All Attendees
Track A: Retail Banking Experience
Track A
2:05 pm - 2:15 pm Chairperson’s Opening RemarksIf you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Vince Esposito@wbresearch.com
Track B: Business Banking Experience
Track B
2:05 pm - 2:15 pm Chairperson’s Opening RemarksIf you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Vince Esposito@wbresearch.com
Meant to facilitate networking amongst peers coming from similarly sized institutions, the sessions in this track will feature topics that are top of mind for each network group.
Know Your Network Roundtable
2:05 pm - 3:05 pm Medium Network Forum (25-150 Branches) Adelsa Figueroa - Assistant Vice President, Apple BankTopic: How Are You Approaching Competition From Mega Banks Moving into Your Markets
Meant to facilitate networking amongst peers coming from similarly sized institutions, the sessions in this track will feature topics that are top of mind for each network group
Gather around the proverbial fire at one of our campfire chats to hear a short case study or anecdote from a brand host, then participate in a group conversation and networking. This track will be for C-Level finance executives only!
C-Level Campfire Chats
2:05 pm - 2:45 pm Topic #1 Recession Proofing Your Institution and Easing the Concerns of Your Customers Vito Giannola - Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Banking Officer, SB One Bank
2:15 pm - 2:45 pm
Case Study REMIX: Establishing Your Value Prop in Different Communities to Offset Yourself from the Competition
Daniel Keleher -
CEO,
Niagara’s Choice Federal Credit Union
Do you feel increasing pressure from larger banks moving into some of your markets? They have the budgets to be digitally savvy and build an enticing looking branch. While this may stress your medium or small institution out, know that there are many niche opportunities in banking that pass under the radar of the largest banks — hundreds of them. Smaller banks and credit unions should understand the niche markets; understand where you have advantage and go after it. Join this session to hear about:
• How can you start to understand what some of the opportunities are?
• Products that aren’t being offered?
• Services that aren’t being provided?
After 20 minutes of presenting, our presenter will ask the audience to discuss a follow up question together in small groups for 10 minutes.
2:15 pm - 2:45 pm
Case Study REMIX: The Best Approaches to Competing with Online Lenders in Your Branches
Skip Bates -
SVP, Main Street Banking,
Bangor Savings Bank
• Highlighting your lower rates and greater flexibility
• Touting greater security and especially the expertise that comes with being able to talk with people in branch
• Being able to provide large loan amounts
• Truly understanding your small business customers and your community so you can create a more long lasting relationship
After 20 minutes of presenting, our presenter will ask the audience to discuss a follow up question together in small groups for 10 minutes.
2:05 pm - 3:05 pm
Medium Network Forum (25-150 Branches)
Adelsa Figueroa -
Assistant Vice President,
Apple Bank
Topic: How Are You Approaching Competition From Mega Banks Moving into Your Markets
Meant to facilitate networking amongst peers coming from similarly sized institutions, the sessions in this track will feature topics that are top of mind for each network group
2:05 pm - 2:45 pm
Topic #1 Recession Proofing Your Institution and Easing the Concerns of Your Customers
Vito Giannola -
Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Banking Officer,
SB One Bank
2:45 pm - 3:05 pm
Vendor Case Study: Make it Personal: Using the Data You Have to Create Deeply Personalized Customer Experiences in Branch
• Your customer only has so many readily available options when it comes to what they can do with their money
• You need to take this into consideration when planning the experiences they can have with you and make those experiences more personal and efficient
• First step involves understanding what customer data you need to accomplish this ‘personal’ experience and why
• Using the more in depth data you can collect from them to really give them what they want and need
If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Vince Esposito@wbresearch.com
2:45 pm - 3:05 pm
Vendor Case Study: Online Origination, AI Driven Credit Decisions and Payments, Oh My! The Technology That Could Revolutionize Your Approach to Lending
If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Vince Esposito@wbresearch.com
2:05 pm - 3:05 pm
Medium Network Forum (25-150 Branches)
Adelsa Figueroa -
Assistant Vice President,
Apple Bank
Topic: How Are You Approaching Competition From Mega Banks Moving into Your Markets
Meant to facilitate networking amongst peers coming from similarly sized institutions, the sessions in this track will feature topics that are top of mind for each network group
2:45 pm - 3:05 pm
Topic #2 Encouraging Innovation Across Your Business
Carlos P. Naudon -
CEO,
Ponce Bank
3:05 pm - 3:40 pm
Checklist Panel: Establishing an Internal Culture of Customer Centricity
Ronald Belle -
Chief Experience Officer,
AmeriCU
Jessica Kendall Hornof -
EVP / Chief Retail Banking Officer,
First Citrus Bank
Amanda Craig -
Chief eXperience Officer,
Honor Credit Union
A panel of experts who will talk through the need to haves for a certain initiative they underwent. In this case, how they have created a culture of customer centricity within their organization. At the end of the panel, each panelist will share their biggest need to have and a checklist of them will show up on the screen so you have it to implement when you hit the ground running with your team. Discussion topics will include:
• Deciding the level of advocacy you need from the c-suite to hit your goals
• Do you need their buy-in to influence other departments or do you need their money to buy new technology?
• Preparing specific metrics and market research to prove your case
• Understanding what the goals of your business leaders are so you can target the issues that matter most to them
3:05 pm - 3:40 pm
Checklist Panel: Effectively Reaching and Providing Best in Class Service for Small Business Clients in Branch
Justin Kurth -
Director of Consumer & Small Business Lending,
Investors Bank
Cecile M. Chase -
SVP Retail Sales & Development,
Bank of New Hampshire
A panel of experts who will talk through the need to haves for a certain initiative they underwent. In this case, how they are attracting and providing stellar experiences for small business clients. At the end of the panel, each panelist will share their biggest need to have and a checklist of them will show up on the screen so you have it to implement when you hit the ground running with your team.
• What are the things your small business clients need from your branch?
• What are the overall design and flow elements you can incorporate for them?
• Is it worth it to explore creating a separate small business hub?
3:05 pm - 3:40 pm
Small Network Forum (Less than 25 branches)-
Ron Sutphin -
Real Estate Development Consultant,
Allegacy Federal Credit Union
Topic: Approaching Growth As a Smaller Institution
Meant to facilitate networking amongst peers coming from similarly sized institutions, the sessions in this track will feature topics that are top of mind for each network group.
3:05 pm - 3:40 pm
Topic 3: The Branch of 2025: Where Will We Be in Five Years
3:40 pm - 4:20 pm
Afternoon Refreshment and Networking Break In The Innovation Hub
4:20 pm - 4:40 pm
Keynote: You Can Take the Operations Out of the Branch Employee Role, But Can You Make the Branch Employee Forget About Operations?
While you’ve attempted to take operational tasks away from your branch employees so they can further focus on their role as relationship managers with banking clients, is the technology you’ve implemented to help with this REALLY working? Have you talked with your branch staff to see how much time they might still be taking to help someone open a new account or helping someone deposit cash at an ITM or taking a large deposit from a small business client that needs multiple approvals before it can be processed? Has the technology you’ve implemented truly helped them? Or has it made it more cumbersome for certain tasks?
4:40 pm - 5:10 pm
Closing Panel: The Five W’s of Outsourcing: Who, What, Why, When, Where?
If you are a smaller institution, you might not have access to the funds or employees to build new digital products or oversee a vast ATM network or rebrand all of your branches. But you might have the budget to outsource these things to companies that can help, like an app company to create a customer mobile app for you or an ATM management company. Join this panel to hear about several successful partnerships banks and credit unions just like yours underwent in order to minimize the work needed internally while still providing world class experiences to their customers.