Our leaders
Professional management and personal commitment
Joanne Battaglia
Senior Vice President, Marketing, Communications & Community Partnerships
Senior Vice President, Marketing, Communications & Community Partnerships
As Senior Vice President, Retail Banking, Rob Somma leads the overall strategy, performance, and evolution of the retail banking portfolio. In this role, Rob is responsible for branch banking, alternative delivery channels, and the day‑to‑day experiences of members and frontline colleagues across the retail network.
Rob has over 25 years of financial services experience, including various leadership roles across retail, wealth and business banking. This diverse background allows Rob to combine the scale, discipline, and performance focus of large financial institutions with the cooperative, people‑first values that define credit unions. He has held progressively senior positions in the credit union system and at FirstOntario, including Director, Retail Sales, Vice-President, Member Solutions, Vice President, Alternate Delivery Channels, and Vice President, Retail Banking, before being appointed Senior Vice President, Retail Banking here at FCU in July 2025. His career reflects a deep understanding of branch operations, sales effectiveness, direct and indirect channel delivery, and member-focused solutions.
Rob holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) from Brock University and has continued to invest in leadership development, reflecting his commitment to continuous learning and innovation.
Community involvement is a core part of Rob’s leadership approach. He supports a range of local and regional initiatives and believes visible, hands on leadership strengthens communities and reflects FirstOntario’s commitment to positive impact.
Azfar Karimuddin is our Chief Technology Officer and leads our Technology, Operations and Transformation teams. Azfar and his team drive strategic initiatives around operational efficiency, resiliency, stability and security of our technology and operations platforms as well as processes, with a key focus on employee and member experience.
Azfar has more than 25 years of experience leading initiatives around core, digital, payments and cloud transformation within the financial services industry. Before joining FirstOntario, he held executive and leadership roles at various scheduled banks and publicly listed financial technology product organizations. Azfar has a Bachelors in Business Administration in Management of Information Systems, an MBA in Management and an Executive MBA from Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto.
If you’re new to Creative Arts Financial, book a virtual appointment to get started on your membership application.
Already a member? Contact us to open a new account.
If you’re new to Creative Arts Financial, book a virtual appointment to get started on your membership application.
You can also apply online through our self‑serve platform, powered by FirstOntario Credit Union. Select Creative Arts in the Preferred branch drop‑down.
If you’re new to Creative Arts Financial, book a virtual appointment or complete your membership application online.
If you’re new to Creative Arts Financial, book a virtual appointment or complete your membership application online.
Already a member? Log in to online banking.
| Wednesday, July 1, 2026 | Canada Day |
| Monday, August 3, 2026 | Civic Holiday |
| Monday, September 7, 2026 | Labour Day |
| Wednesday, September 30, 2026 | National Day for Truth and Reconciliation* |
| Monday, October 12, 2026 | Thanksgiving Day |
| Wednesday, November 11, 2026 | Remembrance Day* |
| Thursday, December 24, 2026 | Christmas Eve** |
| Friday, December 25, 2026 | Christmas Day |
| Monday, December 28, 2026 | Observation of Boxing Day* |
| Thursday, December 31, 2026 | New Year's Eve** |
| Friday, January 1, 2027 | New Year's Day 2027 |
Nick has spent 20 years in the financial services industry, both in Canada and abroad. During his time at another Ontario-based credit union, his background in financial planning enabled him to help clients achieve both long- and short-term goals, including retirement planning, home purchases, tax minimization, and savings. Through this experience, he developed a strong appreciation for the cooperative approach that credit unions offer, making his role at Creative Arts Financial particularly meaningful.
Nick is passionate about guiding members to achieve their financial goals and making planning for the future more accessible. He is also dedicated to promoting financial literacy for the next generation, aiming to help build a better tomorrow.
Leading the Internal Audit team at FirstOntario, Judy is responsible for providing assurance and advisory services to enable the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors in their oversight role, and to support senior leadership in achieving organizational goals. She has 30 years of experience in Internal Audit, Risk Management, Process Improvement, Human Resources, Vision and Strategy. Judy has lived and worked across Canada and the US, including global leadership roles with AIG, American Express, Concentra Bank, MetLife, Oracle and PwC in Toronto, San Francisco, and New York City.
Judy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Accounting degree from the University of Waterloo. She has the designations of Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant and Certified Internal Auditor. She has also received certifications in Six Sigma Black Belt and the Kanban System Design and is a registered Scrum Master.
Mudasir Marfatia leads the Legal, Governance, and Government Relations functions at FirstOntario, steering the organization through a dynamic regulatory and business environment.
A results-driven legal professional, Mudasir possesses deep expertise in corporate, financial services, and technology law. Before joining FirstOntario, he honed his skills at leading law firms, including McMillan LLP and Thornton Grout Finnigan LLP, where he advised clients on complex regulatory matters, distressed M&A, lending arrangements and enforcement actions within the financial services sector.
Following a successful career in private practice, Mudasir served as Assistant General Counsel at Ernst & Young LLP, where he provided strategic legal counsel supporting the technology and consulting practices. In addition, Mudasir led internal acquisitions and structured novel arrangements for new service offerings.
Mudasir has been consistently recognized by his peers and was awarded General Counsel of the Year in the Banking and Financial Services category at the prestigious 2024 Lexology Awards Gala for North America.
He holds both Undergraduate and Master’s degrees from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University and earned his Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall Law School.
With over 20 years of extensive experience acquired through progressive roles in the credit union sector, Sheila is a seasoned professional specializing in risk management. Holding a Business Diploma from Niagara College, a Canadian Risk Manager (CRM) designation from the Global Risk Institute and a Risk Management Diploma from the University of Toronto, Sheila brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table.
Sheila is responsible for leading the risk management and compliance team, ensuring that enterprise risks are identified, managed and effectively optimized. Her role includes oversight of privacy, compliance, anti-money laundering, enterprise risk management and fraud, as well as corporate insurance and corporate security. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a strong ability to provide strategic risk management solutions across various industries.
With a commitment to excellence and continuous learning, Sheila has positioned herself as a trusted advisor and leader. Her comprehensive understanding of risk management principles and practices ensures that she can effectively mitigate risks and enhance organizational resilience.
Senior Vice President, Information Technology, Michael Walsh, oversees the FirstOntario IT Division, which includes IT Governance, Project Management Office, Infrastructure, Security, IT Operations, Service Support Desk, Intelligence and Analytics, Application Development, Quality Assurance and Application Support as well as Digital Innovation.
A senior IT management professional with over 30 years’ experience in Information Technology, Michael’s vast experience includes more than 20 years of managing and directing IT teams, while developing and aligning strategic and tactical plans with corporate objectives.
Michael joined the credit union system in 2005 at FirstOntario, managing the IT Infrastructure team and graduating to the position of Director, Enterprise Technology. It was during this time that Michael implemented best practices for Data Centre management and network design. He then went on to assist with a banking migration to Temenos Transact.
Certified on IBM AS/400 systems and with his PMP certification, Michael is a lifelong learner and respected leader in the IT space.
As Senior Vice President, Alternative Investments, Rob Cefaratti is responsible for the strategic direction and operations of the Alternative Investment Department. Rob boasts more than 35 years of experience in the financial services industry, holding progressive roles within both the banking and credit union systems. Proudly, he has spent the last 25 years with FirstOntario, holding positions such as Executive Vice President, Credit, Vice President, Business Banking Group and Director, Retail Banking.
Rob holds a Bachelor of Arts from Western University, an Honour’s Bachelor of Business Administration from Brock University and a Master’s in Business Administration from Dalhousie University. Presently, Rob is completing the Chartered Director certification from McMaster University.
Invested in the community, Rob has held numerous positions with chambers of commerce, Rotary Clubs and United Way agencies throughout the Niagara Region.
A strategic marketing professional with over 25 years of experience in retail, B2B and the financial services industry, Joanne Battaglia has held senior Marketing positions with such companies and Dylex, Diversey, Kodak, CUMIS and Canadian Tire Financial Services.
Joanne joined FirstOntario in 2011 as Director of Marketing & Product Strategy, before being promoted to Senior Vice President Marketing, Communications & Community Partnerships in 2022. In this role, she leverages her marketing expertise, passion for community social responsibility and innovative approach to business to create impact in the communities that FirstOntario serves.
An active and dedicated member of the community, Joanne is currently Director on the Hamilton Bulldogs Foundation, Director with Ontario Credit Union Charitable Foundation board, Director with Cancer Assistance Program – Hamilton (CAP), and an active member of Hamilton’s Tiger-Town Council. She has previously served as Vice-President on the Stoney Creek Chamber of Commerce board and as Director on St. Joseph’s Villa Foundation board.
She holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree from McMaster University and an Executive Management Diploma from the DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University.
Chief Retail Banking Officer, David Moore, is responsible for leading and executing strategies across the Retail Banking Group; Alternative Delivery Channels; Marketing, Communications and Community Partnerships; Human Resources and Learning and Development. David plays a pivotal role in driving operational excellence, enhancing member experience and fostering a positive organizational culture. Additionally, he has oversight of specialized divisions, including the Dealer Centre, Mortgage Broker, Digital Services and Creative Arts Financial.
David has over 24 years of experience driving innovation, transformation and growth within the financial services industry. He has held a variety of executive roles throughout his career leading digital banking, analytics, marketing, finance, operations and sales at several of the largest credit unions in Canada. David has a BA and an MBA in business and economics from Wilfrid Laurier University.
John Doran is the Chief Financial Officer at FirstOntario Credit Union and is responsible for leading the Finance, Treasury and Procurement teams.
John’s expertise has been central to FirstOntario’s success in developing and delivering strategies designed to enhance profitability, safeguard members’ assets, create value for the membership and maximize FirstOntario’s financial contributions to local communities.
Throughout his tenure, John has been a valued member of the credit union’s executive team, providing effective leadership for a variety of significant and complex projects. As an active member of the credit union community and a financial expert, John is a frequently sought after speaker and has presented on a variety of topics at regional and national finance and treasury-focused conferences. He has also represented FirstOntario as a key interested party during regulator consultation processes.
John received a Bachelor of Accounting degree from Brock University and is both a designated Chartered Professional Accountant and a Chartered Financial Analyst.
As the Chief Investment Officer of FirstOntario Credit Union, Kevin Tom is responsible for generating revenue outside the core retail business through the operations of Alternative Investments and Non-Margin Income, Wealth, Credit – Commercial and Retail, FirstOntario Insurance Brokers and our Business Banking Group.
Kevin has more than 25 years of experience within the financial services industry through progressive roles held at banks and credit unions.
His most recent experience includes Divisional Chief Operating Officer of the Corporate Investments Division and progressive senior roles within Wealth Management and Corporate Credit. He is also a Past President of the Okanagan chapter of Chartered Financial Analysts.
Kevin received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Manitoba and holds the designations of Chartered Financial Analyst, Chartered Director and Chartered Investment Manager. He is active in the community and currently sits on the boards of directors for the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion and the Hamilton Community Foundation.
Chief Risk Officer, Mark Perkins, oversees Risk, Credit, Operations and Administration, Strategy, as well as FirstOntario’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and Social Purpose programs.
Mark has worked in the financial industry for over 30 years.
He has been with FirstOntario since 2012 and has extensive experience in business process improvement, project management, change management, product management, commercial sales, credit adjudication, risk management, strategy and syndication. He spent six years in consulting and technology roles, followed by 20 years in increasingly senior commercial sales and credit roles.
Mark holds an honours degree in economics from McMaster University and is involved with a number of local charities focused on improving the lives and safety of individuals within the FirstOntario footprint. He’s on the Board of Directors for Credit Canada, a national not-for-profit focused on credit counseling and financial literacy, as well as Food For Life, a grassroots-driven organization committed to food rescue and sustainability.
Lloyd Smith has been instrumental in FirstOntario’s ongoing success for more than 30 years. His commitment to growing the credit union to benefit members, employees and communities is central to everything Lloyd does. Over the years, this commitment has been evident in his leadership and achievements in a number of strategic areas including finance, treasury, corporate services, risk management and corporate investments.
Lloyd began his career in 1990, working at Family Savings & Credit Union (Niagara) Limited as Controller. In 1999, he was actively involved in the merger between Family Savings and Avestel Credit Union, which formed FirstOntario Credit Union. Lloyd became FirstOntario’s CEO in 2019.
An active participant in FirstOntario’s employee Blue Wave volunteer program, Lloyd is often seen out in the community, supporting a variety of initiatives that align with the credit union’s charitable priorities of youth health and wellness, affordable and sustainable housing, food insecurity and financial literacy. He also currently serves as Vice Chair of the board of directors for the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines.
Lloyd holds a Bachelor of Administration degree from Brock University, is a Chartered Professional Accountant, a Certified General Accountant and a Certified Chief Executive.
