FaithLife Financial names new President to lead continued growth

WATERLOO, ON, June 2 /CNW/ - Karen Bjerland will take the helm as new President and CEO of FaithLife Financial. As the first female CEO for FaithLife Financial, Ms. Bjerland will continue to lead the not-for-profit financial services organization's continued growth into the future, including increasing the organization's reach into the broader Christian community.

"It gives me great pleasure to announce that Karen Bjerland has been named as the successor to Dr. Dieter Kays, who recently announced that he will retire in September, 2010, after taking the organization to new heights over the past six years," said Wayne Musselman, Chair of the Board of Directors.

"I have been very impressed with Karen's strong leadership skills, success in leading teams, her outstanding communication and organizational development skills, as well as her ability to manage change and lead people during turbulent times," added Musselman. "She's passionate about fraternalism and is recognized in the industry for her skills in building partnerships. I am confident in Karen's ability to continue to grow FaithLife Financial into the future, and I look forward to working with her in this capacity."

"It is a tremendous honour to lead FaithLife Financial into the future. I look forward to meeting many of our members, and learning more about the causes they care about. We are part of such an incredibly exciting organization because, as we grow financially, we are able to increase our outreach to those in need, at home and abroad," said Karen.

Since joining FaithLife Financial in 1980, Ms. Bjerland has played pivotal roles in a number of areas and has assumed increasingly senior roles including Regional Sales Manager, Director Field & Branch Services, as well as Vice-Presidential roles in Member Services, Field Services, Brand Development, Fraternal and Sales.

In addition, Ms. Bjerland is Board Chair at Trinity Village, a long-term care and retirement facility in Kitchener, Ontario. She is a Board Member of the Evangelical Lutheran Foundation (Eastern Canada) and the Canadian Fraternal Association. She is active in the Lutheran community.

About FaithLife Financial

FaithLife Financial is a not-for-profit financial services organization that provides life insurance, income protection and investment products for approximately 31,000 Canadian Christians, managing assets in excess of $400 million. As a fraternal benefit society, it reinvests earnings in its members, their congregations and communities, as well as people in need worldwide. In 2009, FaithLife Financial's total charitable impact was $2.3 million. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, it operates in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia.

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For further information: To arrange an interview, please contact Karen Bjerland, in-coming President & CEO, Tel: [phone] ext. 262, or Allison Cann, Manager, Marketing Communications, Tel: [phone] ext. 490, Toll-free: 1-800-563-6237