Launi Skinner

Launi Skinner
Born1964 (age 61–62)
CitizenshipCanadian
EducationOkanagan College
OccupationBusiness executive
TitleCEO of Tru Cooperative Bank (since 2010)
PredecessorGord Huston

Launi Skinner is a Canadian business executive who is chief executive officer at Tru Cooperative Bank, formerly First West Credit Union. She previously was president of Starbucks Coffee U.S., and president and chief operating officer at 1-800-GOT-JUNK?.

Early life and education

Skinner grew up in the municipality of Summerland, located in British Columbia's Okanagan region, and as a teenager worked at a pharmacy where she has said she experienced her first examples of great leadership in business.

Skinner studied business administration at Okanagan College, and after earning her diploma, completed her accreditation as a Certified General Accountant (CGA).

Career

While studying for her accounting designation, Skinner worked as an account supervisor, district manager and merchandise manager for Mohawk Oil and Convenience Stores. Later, she became a regional manager with McGavin Foods.

Starbucks Coffee

In 1993, Skinner joined Starbucks as district manager for Vancouver and held positions including senior vice president of store development until being appointed president of Starbucks U.S. in 2007. In 2008 she resigned after 14.5 years with Starbucks and returned to Vancouver where she joined Canadian waste removal company 1-800-GOT-JUNK? as its president and chief operating officer.

Tru Cooperative Bank

In 2010, Skinner was appointed chief executive officer of First West Credit Union, four months after the January 1, 2010, merger of Valley First Credit Union and Envision Credit Union. During Skinner's tenure, First West Credit Union acquired Enderby & District Credit Union in 2013, and merged with Vancouver Island-based Island Savings Credit Union in 2015. In 2026, under Skinner's leadership, First West Credit Union became a federally regulated credit union and changed its name to Tru Cooperative Bank.

In a sponsored interview with The Canadian Press in May 2026, Skinner claimed that the term credit union was not well-understood in Canada, and that First West Credit Union's name change to Tru Cooperative Bank was intended to clarify the organization's nature as a member-owned financial institution.

Boards and community involvements

Skinner's present roles include:

In the past, Skinner's involvements have also included:

Awards and recognition

Skinner is a four-time recipient of the Women's Executive Network's (WXN) Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award, having received the accolade in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014, earning her entrance into WXN's Hall of Fame. She was also recognized by Business in Vancouver as one of the Most Influential Women in Business in 2011. In 2007, Skinner was included as one of the "Four Women to Watch" in Fortune Magazine's 50 Most Power Women feature. Internationally, Skinner received the 2011 Stevie Award for Best Canadian Executive.

In 2014, Skinner received an honorary doctorate from the British Columbia Institute of Technology.

Notes

  1. ↑ "Tru Cooperative Bank: Our Leadership". Tru Cooperative Bank. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  2. ↑ Severinson, Peter (3 September 2008). "Launi Skinner, Got Junk?". BC Business. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  3. ↑ St. Denis, Jen (29 July 2015). "Life Lessons: Launi Skinner, First West Credit Union". Business in Vancouver. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  4. ↑ Gembarsky, Bo (20 February 2012). "Launi Skinner". Business in Vancouver. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  5. ↑ Gembarsky, Bo (20 February 2012). "Launi Skinner". Business in Vancouver. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  6. ↑ Gembarsky, Bo (20 February 2012). "Launi Skinner". Business in Vancouver. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  7. ↑ Severinson, Peter (3 September 2008). "Launi Skinner, Got Junk?". BC Business. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  8. ↑ "Starbucks shakes up management, adds COO post". Reuters. 9 August 2007. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  9. ↑ "U.S. President of Starbucks Resigns". The New York Times. 4 March 2008. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  10. ↑ Severinson, Peter (3 September 2008). "Launi Skinner, Got Junk?". BC Business. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  11. ↑ Severinson, Peter (4 August 2010). "Launi Skinner". BC Business. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  12. ↑ "Credit Union Amalgamation". The British Columbia Gazette. 14 January 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  13. ↑ Strozniak, Peter (7 March 2013). "Canadian Consolidation: B.C.'s First West Credit Union Takes in Enderby & District". Credit Union Times. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  14. ↑ Duffy, Andrew. "Island Savings merger with Langley credit union approved". Times Colonist. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
  15. ↑ Colpitts, Heather (2 April 2026). "It's Tru - Langley-based credit union changes name and goes federal". Langley Advance Times. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  16. ↑ Hadfield, Mike (9 April 2026). "New branding for BC credit union as it moves to federal regulation". Coop News. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  17. ↑ Harris, Rebecca (7 May 2026). "A move for more choice in Canada's banking sector". The Canadian Press. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  18. ↑ "Welcoming Launi Skinner as Chair of the BC Cancer Foundation Board". BC Cancer Foundation. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  19. ↑ "The BCBC Board of Directors". Business Council of British Columbia. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  20. ↑ "Board Members of Armstrong Hospitality Group". Armstrong Collective. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  21. ↑ "How to be a Disrupter". MacKay CEO Forums. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  22. ↑ "Board of Directors, Friends and Patrons". www.scienceworld.ca.
  23. ↑ "Kwantlen Board of Governors announces newly appointed board members". 9 December 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-05-21. Retrieved 2011-05-21.
  24. ↑ "How to be a Disrupter". MacKay CEO Forums. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  25. ↑ "Qtrade Financial Group adds Launi Skinner to Board of Directors". PR Newswire. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  26. ↑ "Home | Financial Post Home Page | Financial Post". www.financialpost.com.
  27. ↑ "Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100". Financial Post. 6 December 2011.
  28. ↑ "Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada: Scotiabank Corporate Executives Award". Financial Post. 4 December 2012.
  29. ↑ Mckenzie, Kevin Hinton & Ryan (27 November 2014). "BCBusiness". www.bcbusiness.ca.
  30. ↑ "Previous Influential Women in Business Award Winners". Business in Vancouver. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  31. ↑ "4 women to watch - Launi Skinner (4) - FORTUNE". money.cnn.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2007.
  32. ↑ "2011 Honorees | Stevie Awards". stevieawards.com. 26 March 2012.
  33. ↑ "BCIT Vision Awards: Past Award Recipients". The British Columbia Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2 September 2026.