Atlantic Canada's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 40
40
ATLANTIC CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2026)
UNI Financial Cooperation builds careers and community
A
chille Kouevi-Koko
sensed from the
very beginning
that UNI Financial
Cooperation
was the kind of place where
he would truly thrive. The job
description for the integrated
risk management advisor role
he’s now in was a perfect match
with his skills and passions. And
he was immediately touched by
the financial cooperative’s deep
commitment to employee wellbeing, diversity and inclusion —
values that immediately made him
feel at home.
Every idea that I share
is genuinely heard. I
feel valued, and I find
myself learning more
and faster than I ever
expected.
— Achille Kouevi-Koko
Integrated Risk Management
Advisor
But what sealed the deal for him
was the recruitment process. “I
felt supported throughout every
step of recruitment by the human
resources business partner and my
managers,” says Kouevi-Koko. He
had come to Canada from France
on a closed work permit with
another employer and appreciated
how understanding his contacts at
UNI were of his situation. “They
recognized my background, and
they also helped me renew my
closed work permit,” he explains.
Now, after 15 months working
Employees at UNI Financial Cooperation are encouraged to give back to the local community through paid
time off to volunteer.
with the Caraquet, N.B.-based
credit union, he says UNI has far
exceeded his initial expectations.
“Every idea that I share is
genuinely heard. I feel valued,
and I find myself learning more
and faster than I ever expected,”
he says. He also highlights how
accessible the credit union’s senior
leadership is. “You can talk to the
CEO anytime — when we cross
paths, he will ask how we’re doing.
That kind of leadership presence
is truly exceptional; it creates a
sense of belonging and shows that
this is a workplace where people
truly matter.”
UNI is one of the largest
employers in the province and
the biggest credit union in
Atlantic Canada. It was also the
first credit union in Canada to
become federally regulated. CEO
Eric St-Pierre says one of the key
reasons employees choose UNI
and stay for the long haul is the
opportunity for career mobility
and professional development.
The credit union even has an
internal training service dedicated
to supporting employee growth.
“I’m the best example — I’ve
held five or six different roles
within UNI,” says St-Pierre. “We
give our people the opportunity
to do that. Many of my executives
have worked most of their career
within the organization.”
Kouevi-Koko has progressed
quickly within the credit union.
In his current role, he assesses the
capital UNI needs to withstand
various financial risks, analyzing
business risks such as floods and
wildfires and validating existing
risk models. When he told his
manager he was interested in
eventually joining the finance
team, he was given the chance
to work on finance models — an
experience that helped pave the
way for his recent promotion to
senior finance advisor.
He was also given the
opportunity to work remotely
from Halifax while taking a course
to improve his English as part of
