Chris Whyte Email & Phone Number

Toronto, On, Ca

Kanata, Ontario, Ca

The International Foundation for Customer Experience in Government is a non-profit organization headquartered in Canada. The Foundation is supported by an International Consortium that forms an assembly of customer experience thought leaders from around the world. The Foundation’s main mission is to build a community of thinkers, practitioners, and academics who collaborate to advance a customer experience body of knowledge and practice in the public sector.The Foundation aims to define the conceptual framework for CX in the public sector and create and disseminate practical transformation tools that are contextually suited for the public sector. It also creates networking opportunities for passionate public sector customer experience executives, practitioners, and researchers worldwide.

Agile consulting and advisory practice that enables both established institutions and emerging growth companies to navigate unprecedented change in the market. Freestone Group provides services to enable growth, innovation, effortless customer experience, governance and technology transformation. Select engagements include:- Customer experience transformation review and assessment for select regional government entities- Developed and deployed a digital workflow to support improved customer service for an established Canadian mortgage lender as part of their digital transformation strategy.- Advised a new entrant mortgage lender on product structure and financial, regulatory and market considerations for their unique, innovative shared equity mortgage product.- Advised a new fintech leveraging AI technology to improve the mortgage industry's application process and credit adjudication.- Secured key industry and strategic partnerships for an emerging fintech in the wealth management industry.- Advised a new fintech developing products to streamline tenant application and management processes in the housing rental space.- Interim CEO leading a Canadian fintech in the SME lending space. Led strategy, go-to-market, operation and fundraising - Developed and implemented a credit and enterprise risk management strategy and framework for a fintech in the SME lending space- Developed strategic partner strategy and developed and signed alliances that accelerated growth and increased company valuation for a Canadian fintech in the wealth management space

Chief Travel Advisor creating world-class travel experiences and helping create memories that will last a lifetime.

Montreal, Quebec, Ca

Assisting start-ups achieve their growth potential through mentorship and technical guidance

Toronto, Ontario, Ca

Developed and implemented credit risk, financial risk and enterprise risk policies and processes to support launch and growth of a Canadian fintech start-up involved in small and medium enterprise payments and lending. Worked closely with the CEO and management team to build the business and assisted with financing and capital raise activity.

Toronto, Ontario, Ca

In 2016, I joined Canada’s largest alternate lender (market capitalisation at the time exceeded $1.1B) to strengthen the business model and lead 450 employees across all operations: lending, deposit / card services, funding, sales, human resources (including staffing and talent management), technology, administration, and corporate communications.After bringing some seismic process changes to the organisation, my priorities shifted dramatically—urgently—to guide the organisation through the most significant liquidity crisis in Canada in >70 years.I used to feel concerned about including this experience in my profile, but I realised that my teams and I were not responsible for the crisis. We were, however, relentless, driven, and ultimately successful in pulling the organisation through major governance, operations, and finances issues. As a key member of the crisis management team, I delivered five strategic transactions in a three-month period that yielded >$6B in asset sales, financing and re-capitalisation.Here are a few additional accomplishments:• Increased accountability and performance by restructuring the organisation (from 13 levels to six), and by reducing total headcount by 10%.• Planned and executed operational efficiency program that cut expenses by $15M through contract renegotiations, real estate consolidation, and staff reduction.• Directed technology transformation initiative that improved workflow, enhanced the employee and client experience, and boosted system performance by 30%.

Toronto, Ontario, Ca

I was promoted to this SVP position with D+H (now Finestra, a global fintech) to strategically drive financial performance, employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and business development for Canadian lending technology businesses. Reporting to the company President, I managed P&L and guided leaders and employees across all areas of operations.Highlights include:• Directed large-scale restructuring to consolidate three core businesses (Collateral Management Services, Canadian Mortgage Technology, and Student Lending) into a single, cohesive national lending platform.• Outperformed financial targets by turning flat revenue into 6% growth and boosting EBITDA by 7%• Reduced costs by $6M through automation and process improvements.• Improved employee engagement by 20% during a period of change that affected the entire workforce.• Landed the largest lending-services contract in company history: >$15M annual revenue when fully deployed.• Managed year-long response to federal government RFP; re-acquired the business capturing >$18M annually for 10-year term.

Toronto, Ontario, Ca

I was brought in to rebuild and strengthen relationships with national and regional accounts, such as Bank of Nova Scotia and TD Bank. Many of our contracts were up for renewal, so it was important to renegotiate contracts that bolstered client confidence while ensuring long-range stability and profitability. At the same time, I led the expansion of the technology platform and launched new digital products and services to keep pace with industry and technology innovation.Key accomplishments:• Restored faltering relationships, preventing defection and opening doors to bid on future business.• Renegotiated eight contracts with national mortgage lenders in five months; secured long-term exclusive contracts for D+H mortgage origination platform that assured >$12M in annual revenue for 5+ years.• Secured $3M in additional revenue by selling product platforms and SaaS solutions to three strategic clients.

Toronto, Ontario, Ca

I was promoted to Vice Present of Personal Lending in 2007, and after a corporate restructuring, I accepted a new role with a different title and expanded responsibilities. I provided strategic and hands-on leadership to infuse new energy and inspire growth across multiple channels: mobile sales, contact centre, franchise, third-party broker, and retail branches. My team consisted of 1,000+ sales and marketing professionals plus additional employees who supported 1,200 retail locations.Achievements included:• Delivered >$40B in revenue year after year—consistently exceeding targets.• Proposed, developed, launched, and scaled CIBC’s first-ever mobile sales channel. Grew the team to 580 salespeople, capturing >12% of total retail mortgage originations and producing $6.5B revenue in 36 months.• Improved support to the retail organisation by building centralised contact centre; increased monthly calls from zero to 16K with >96% customer satisfaction.• Decreased sales force turnover by 12% by redesigning recruitment, onboarding, training, and compensation programs.• Led development of online support tools, including a custom online ad engine, personalised micro sites, and remote access reporting portal.

Toronto, Ontario, Ca

I was awarded this role to chart the course, reengineer processes, and oversee client-facing operations for President’s Choice Financial (PCF), the CIBC and Loblaw joint venture that was one of the earliest partnerships between a grocery chain and a financial institution in North America. In this capacity, I provided direction for 1,000+ in-store agents and 350 call centre employees, as well as online and ABM banking channels.Key results:• Led PCF to receive J.D. Power’s prestigious customer service top ranking in 2007 by fine-tuning processes and reshaping the client experience.• Increased mortgage sales growth by 20% YOY and delivered the highest mortgage sales to date (exceeding the annual target by $.5B) by redesigning training and compensation programs.

Toronto, On, Ca

I started my tenure with CIBC as Director of Commercial Banking, and in 1999, I was promoted to lead a newly established group within CIBC’s Merchant Banking organisation. As Executive Director for World Markets (New Ventures), I had a precise goal in mind: to identify and invest in technology start-up companies, help them grow into powerful, robust businesses, and then deploy their technology in our banking institutions.This was “fintech” before fintech had a name.My work was also analogous with consulting—we advised on business strategy, infrastructure, technology innovation, and operations decisions to propel these companies to the next level of performance, and supported our corporate vision at the same time.

Toronto, Ontario, Ca

Originated and managed a portfolio of commercial and corporate real estate financings across residential, commercial and retail segments. Generated a 250% increase in fee revenue and increased portfolio annual return from 8.5% to 20% over a 12 month period through the devlopment and delivery of higher yielding solutions wihile maintaining a disciplined approach to risk management.

Digital Disruption: Digital Transformation Strategies, Business

Mba, Finance, Technology

B Sc, Biology, Chemistry