MACKIN-SMITH, Kat: B.Mus., CAFA®

I am a young professional currently working at Scotiabank. I am new to my position with Scotiabank, and new to the area of Shellbrook. I am originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, and spent a lot of my childhood growing up outside of Fredericton, New Brunswick. Prior to my position with Scotiabank I worked for Marriott International Inc., at the Delta Bessborough most recently as Food & Beverage Operations Manager. I lead a team of 80 unionized associates, as well as managed three Assistant Food & Beverage Operations Managers, and several hourly supervisors. I moved to Shellbrook in order to be closer to friends and boyfriend; best move to date! I started my current role as Small Business Advisor on May 22, 2018; while I am still very new to the role, I am enjoying it’s daily challenges. On a personal note: I have a rescue dog named Emily – she is a Rottweiler-Husky. I am a Crossfit athlete, and love to partake in local competitions, and even did a sprint triathlon this summer!

My current work is focused highly on banking for Small Business, with some, but very little retail product expertise. My role at the bank is primarily to assist small business with their day-to-day banking as well as investments, and operational questions/needs. My background in operations, Human Resources, and leadership have held me in good stead with our customers and community. I am able to provide advice related to business banking, operational questions, human resources (currently working on a Sask Polytechnic certificate in Human Resources).

My experience working with farmers has been fairly limited prior to working at Scotiabank. I did facilitate several conferences for the farming community in Canada including, but not limited to: Egg Farmers of Canada, Canadian, Agricultural Alliance of NB, Dairy Farmers of New Brunswick, Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan Inc. among many others. I worked on a produce farm briefly in New Brunswick as a summer job. I have spent a great deal of time working with businesses of many kinds in order to facilitate meetings in the hotel setting. In my work with Scotiabank I have also had ample opportunity to work with many different businesses in order to align their financial goals, labor practices, and more.