It’s one of those titles that sounds like it emerged from a convocation at the Geek Squad, but in this digital age it is a critical role indeed as United Federal Credit Union has named Michael Benassi to the position of Vice President of Enterprise Analytics.
In his new role, Benassi will lead and develop a motivated data and analytics team by shaping United’s data strategy, and ensure data collection and analysis solutions are coordinated, integrated, and perform to the highest standards and expectations. He will also provide strategic oversight and vision in all activities related to advanced analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) initiatives that lead to performance improvement across the organization with an ultimate focus on providing better services and experiences to members.
Chief Information Officer, Duane Wilcoxson, tells us, “Having Mike join Team United is a big win for our Enterprise Analytics team and for our members,” adding, “Mike not only understands and lives the credit union philosophy of ‘people helping people’, his knowledge and expertise in the data analytics field also gives United a leader who will be a collaborative catalyst for change by inspiring new thinking about the use of data, leveraging data to solve complex business problems, and advising the credit union in making better data-driven strategic decisions in every area of the business.”
Benassi has spent his entire 17-year career in the credit union industry, starting out as a teller before transitioning to a financial analyst position and working his way up to his most recent role as senior director of data insights and business transformation at Teachers Credit Union in South Bend. His areas of expertise include predictive modeling, data mining, robotic process automation, business intelligence, databases, and dashboarding.
For his part, Benassi says, “Growing the credit union movement through insights and analytics has been a passion of mine for my entire career,” and adds, “I’m excited to be part of Team United, and looking forward to executing our analytics strategy with a member-centric focus so that we can deliver a frictionless and personalized experience to them with every encounter and interaction—from the branch to digital banking. Our Enterprise Analytics team will put solutions in place and work with teammates across all departments to help make members’ financial lives easier.”
Benassi earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Indiana University and his master’s degree in business analytics from the University of Notre Dame.
In the community, Benassi will support United’s volunteerism efforts and corporate philanthropy mission for organizations such as the Boys & Girls Clubs, United Way, and the American Red Cross.
United Federal Credit Union has served members since 1949 by helping them to build a sound financial future. United consists of more than 177,000 member/owners worldwide and manages assets in excess of $3.2 billion. Its corporate offices and main branch are in St. Joseph, with additional branches elsewhere in Michigan as well as in Arkansas, Indiana, Nevada, North Carolina, and Ohio. For more information you can visit www.unitedfcu.com.
