an opportunity to share their experi-
ences. We have people from our call
center from our branch network, from
our accounting team, and several
other departments. The combination
of diverse experience helps us look
at the different solutions holistically.
“We’re also looking to gather and
nurture employee ideas as well. We
have an internal program within The
Lab called CU Innovate where we
solicit ideas from our employees,”
said Maxim.
Not only are employees brought
into The Lab to contribute ideas and
encourage innovation, they also vote
on which projects should make it to
the pilot stage.
The desire to innovate, Maxim
admits, has been driven by a change in
member behavior. Where once people
came to the university and felt it made
sense to “check out the branch near
campus”, the rise of fintech super-
stars, such as Chime or PayPal, has
introduced competition, and the largeEXECUTIVE PROFILE:
Ben MaximTitle: Assistant Vice President of Digital Strategy and Innovation
Company: Michigan State University Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU)Benjamin Maxim joined MSU Federal Credit Union in 2007 and currently
serves as Assistant Vice President of Digital Strategy and Innovation.
He is responsible for assessing emerging business trends and
technologies, facilitating innovation throughout the Credit Union,
and providing strategic direction for existing and future digital
channels. Maxim began work initially as a Web Developer and in
2014, he became E-Commerce Manager before moving into roles
including Assistant Vice President of Programming
and Development and Assistant Vice President of Software
Development. He earned a bachelor’s degree from
Michigan State University.149technologymagazine.com