General Bank of Canada is a Schedule 1 Chartered bank headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta. Our mission is to help our customers achieve their goals by offering innovative and competitive priced loan and deposit products and the best service levels in the business. We have been in business since 2005.
OUR STORY
Our roots go back to Porcupine Plain, Saskatchewan, where our founder, Donald H. Wheaton Sr. worked at the local general store. Along with three partners, he became part owner of a small General Motors dealership in town. The partners soon realized the car business wasn’t for them, and Don Sr. became the sole owner. In 1961, a large dealership in Edmonton became available and General Motors offered him the opportunity to take it over. Along with his wife and family, Don moved to Edmonton and took over what was to become Don Wheaton Chevrolet Oldsmobile.
In the mid-1980s, our founder and his family saw an opportunity to offer finance and insurance products to car buyers through dealerships, starting with creditor life and disability insurance and later, extended warranties.
The next area of expansion was into banking. General Bank of Canada was launched in 2005. With only three employees at the time, we made our first auto loan in July 2005. Today, we employ almost 100 great people, including a sales force across the country, and we have helped over 325,000 Canadians with their auto loan and investment needs. Over recent years, we have diversified into new business lines, including commercial lending and aviation financing.
The success of General Bank of Canada is a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit of our founder and employees. We are proud to carry on the tradition of treating people well, doing business ethically, and mastering our craft.
OUR CORE BELIEFS
RELATIONSHIPS
We build mutually beneficial relationships with our customers and co-workers based on assumed trust, respect, and personable connection. Both customers and staff can expect a positive and helpful interaction that is solutions focused.
SUSTAINABILITY
GBC thrives as a profitable, growing, and trustworthy business. Our risk-aware culture allows us to balance our short-term results with our long term views. We have built long lasting relationships with our employees and customers through effective risk management and positive business performance.
LOOKING AHEAD
We work in an ever-changing environment that requires us to be open and alert to new ideas. We engage our staff and look outside the business and our industry for changes that will impact us.
FLEXIBILITY & ADAPTABILITY
We use our best judgement in making day to day decisions while considering future organizational impact, with an explanation of the why behind our policies and processes.
PEOPLE
At GBC, we empower, engage, and hire capable employees. We treat our staff with respect and in turn, treat our customers with respect and professionalism. We strive to effectively communicate and display our vision, core beliefs and business strategy on a daily basis. We empower our staff to make decisions using logic and reason, supported by policy and risk management.
MANAGEMENT TEAM
I joined GBC because of its ambitious vision to shape the future of financial services, and to build durable capabilities in technology, risk, and sustainability as part of the Bank’s core Superpower. Personally, it’s an opportunity for me to contribute to a historic transformation by leveraging what I do best.
I am committed to making the Bank a place where: Your values are the ultimate compass to lead, we develop and trust sensational leaders to make the best decisions, we convert exceptional ideas into exceptional value, whoever you are, and wherever you are from, you are recognized and celebrated for being your authentic self and we navigate uncertainty with responsibility, but never with fear.
Outside of work you can find me experiencing new cultures during my travels to off-the-beaten-path destinations. Continuously learning to enrich my perspectives and understand the World. And maybe too-passionately watching football.
Something people may not know I once had promising talent writing French poetry. I gained some early notice but had to set aside my literary ambitions as Life got busy. Now that generative AI can produce outstanding poetry, a comeback is pointless. Though I suppose I can now focus on creating poetic prompts!
I joined GBC because I was mid-career, and having worked in past in organizations that typically had an American parent, I had a strong desire to make a shift to working for a Canadian head officed company. By joining the Bank, not only did I satisfy my “Canadian parent” criteria, I now have the pleasure of saying I work for an Edmonton based company, with the Wheaton Family being an integral part of Edmonton and my own community.
I am committed to Professional & ethical environments. It is said that integrity means doing the right thing when no one is watching. General Bank of Canada consistently exhibits all of these qualities …. a professional and ethical environment, combined with a high sense of integrity in support of General Bank of Canada’s “schedule I” bank status. Having worked for the Bank for more than a decade, I can confidently state that GBC is a business case for a successful, small business, and it is the Bank’s excellent culture that underpins its success.
Outside of work I am committed to my family, where I enjoy, from the background, watching my children become today’s leaders. I’m also committed to my wife of 35+ years as we plan our next amazing adventures together.
Something people may not know about me The North has always called my name! It is this calling that prompted me to move to Edmonton from Ottawa in 1986. Also, it is this calling that has driven me to become an experienced backpacker, having gone “off grid” extensively in the Yukon, combined with enjoying challenging backpacking experiences in East Greenland and the Auyuittuq traverse on Baffin Island.
I joined GBC because the opportunity to be challenged in new ways, to build on a unique banking story in Canada energized me.
I am committed to developing teams, leaders through a coaching culture, that includes sharpening my own skills along the way.
Outside of work you can find me outside, capturing gorgeous sunsets, sunrises, and landscapes photos.
Something people may not know about me one of the most common characters in those photos, are my 2 donkeys.
I joined GBC because I am passionate about building a new kind of bank that works for Canadians.
I am committed to leading with authenticity, gender diversity in finance and working every day to become a better version of myself as a leader.
Outside of work I love being with my family doing things outside in the fresh air – skiing, golfing, hiking, biking, playing.
Something people may not know about me I grew up on the West Coast and used to teach sailing growing up.
I joined GBC because of the excitement and challenge involved with joining a ground-floor opportunity. Being employee #2 at inception of the Bank in 2005 seems like yesterday but the reason I joined remains all about passion for the business and building something new and incredible. It’s important to make the most of oneself by fanning the tiny inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.
I am committed to the business of people! I love to build the relationship, build the trust, and hopefully earn the loyalty in the end.
Outside of work my favorite thing to do is to socialize with the ones I love. There’s nothing better than great food, great conversation, and wine. She who laughs, lasts!
Something people may not know about me I grew up on a farm outside of Edmonton, riding 14 horses to keep them exercised for the racetrack. My love for my horses has and will endure my lifetime and my favorite place to go with them is to the mountain tops of the Ya Ha Tinda in the Rockies. It’s a magical place…nature and peace at its best!
I joined GBC because of the opportunity to establish and build out a commercial division from scratch. To be able to do this for one of the most entrepreneurial and respected business families in Western Canada was icing on the cake.
I love the commercial banking business because of the thrill of the deal. That, and the long term relationships that I have established over the years because of what I do day-to- day.
The key to success in business is a passion for what you do, managing customer expectations, and remembering that there are only so many hours in a day so they should be spent wisely.
Outside of work my favorite thing to do is spend time with family and friends. If I get to do that while riding my bike or hiking, all the better.
I’m passionate about cycling, which has resulted in needing a bigger garage as I now sit at 8 bikes and counting. As the saying goes, the right number of bikes is N+1 where N is the current number of bikes you own.
I grew up in small town Alberta (Ponoka) with a love for sports. I have always tried to maintain those small town values no matter where my life’s journey has taken me.
I joined GBC because I want to contribute to a growing bank and be a part of the transformation. It’s been my professional dream to build out the HR function at an organization and I’m so excited to be doing this at General Bank of Canada over the coming years.
I am committed to optimizing the employee experience and having as much fun as I can along the way. I’m passionate about Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and am committed to ensuring we are representative of our customers and employees and provide a safe and welcoming environment for all.
Outside of work I love to stay active and enjoy hiking, running, cycling and anything outdoors. Exploring the mountains is my favourite way to spend a weekend. Travelling is another passion of mine and I look forward to seeing new corners of the world as much as I do returning to the Rocky Mountains.
Something people may not know about me I was actually born in Edmonton and returned to my home city in 2022 when I relocated to become the new HR Director at General Bank of Canada.
