“It’s been a three-peat and each year is a surprise. Pretty humbled by it,” Kuhn said, after recently being named one of the top 50 CEOs in Atlantic Canada by Atlantic Business Magazine.
“It’s a pretty prestigious award,” he said. “I am not a recognition seeker but nobody gets an award like this unless you have a strong team, because there is so much work that goes into what you do every day.”
The magazine recognized Kuhn as “a seeker of financial solutions in a perilous world, a people pleaser who has created an inspired workplace, and a visionary leader who focuses clearly on the betterment of credit union members and local communities.”
Kuhn said the selection process for the award begins with a nomination by someone who also received the same recognition five times. The criteria deals with community involvement, leadership, innovation and growth and candidates who match those qualifications then have to fill out a detailed application with information that supports their nomination.
The top 50 CEOs are chosen by a panel of seven individuals who weed them out from between 200 and 300 nominations.
One example of Kuhn's leadership is Community Credit Union's role in the Rath Eastlink Community Centre. With a $750,000 commitment to the Community Credit Union Arena, the credit union is the project's second largest sponsor. It is also recognized as the largest local community sponsor with more than $100,000 committed annually to local volunteer organizations.
“You are humbled and you’re proud at the same time,” he said. “To me, it’s an award for everybody that’s been involved with me.”
Dianne Kelderman, herself a five-time winner of the award, said Kuhn leads one of the “most progressive” credit unions in the province.
“He is committed to local innovation and aligning products to community values,” she said.
