If AI innovation scales faster than our guardrails, that’s a recipe for risk." In this edition of the 2Oaks CIO Spotlight Series, Dr. Marry Gunaratnam, SVP of IT at Northern Credit Union, challenges the industry's "rush to deploy." From conducting deep AI maturity assessments to fighting "shadow AI" through enterprise-wide literacy, Northern is proving that the secret to moving fast in the future is building a rock-solid governance foundation today. Discover how they are redefining competition—moving beyond the "Big Six" to compete with the seamless experiences of fintechs—while ensuring every AI initiative is built on a philosophy of security by default and privacy by design.

In an industry obsessed with speed, UNI Financial is doing something radical: they are slowing down. CIO Tyson Johnson has watched other institutions rush headlong into AI deployments, only to stumble. Instead of chasing immediate productivity gains, Johnson is leading UNI Financial through the unglamorous but essential work of "level-setting"—building a common language around AI, strengthening data foundations, and establishing robust governance frameworks. Discover why the path to sustainable AI success starts with a breath, a pause, and a commitment to getting the fundamentals right before leaping into the journey.

AI shouldn’t automate away our humanity; it should free us to be more human. In this installment of the 2Oaks CIO Spotlight Series, Barry Hensch, CTO of General Bank of Canada, explains why the bank’s AI strategy isn't about reducing headcount—it's about removing "drudgery." From auto credit adjudication to a revolutionary 128-language chatbot for collections, discover how one of Canada’s most efficient banks is leveraging AI to move faster than the "Big Six" while keeping human judgment and empathy at the center of the customer experience.