Brant Malone
Succession planning has been vital to the continued growth, success and even existence of many credit unions. In Hoover, Ala., the Board of Directors at the $1.3 billion Avadian Credit Union have been working on its succession plan since 2021 for its President/CEO Linda Cencula's planned retirement happening at the end of 2024.
This week, Avadian officials announced they have chosen Brant Malone to take over as president/CEO once Cencula retires.
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Malone comes to Avadian from the Warner Robins, Ga.-based Robins Financial Credit Union, where he has held the position of CFO. Previously, he served as CEO at Coosa Pines Credit Union and Credit Union of Georgia, as well as CFO at All In Federal Credit Union.
In a prepared statement, Malone said, "I am delighted and honored to be following in the footsteps of a leader as extraordinary as Linda Cencula. I've long admired what she and Avadian have accomplished in serving its members, and I am excited to be joining Avadian and continuing its commitment to its members."
The chairman of Avadian's Board of Directors, Terry Davis, explained the timing of this week's announcement. "In late 2021, Linda Cencula informed the Board of Directors of her intention to retire at the end of 2024. She wanted to give us the opportunity to have time to have her successor in place so that they would have some time to work together to make the transition as smooth as possible."
According to Avadian, the transition work between Cencula and Malone began in July.
"I look forward to introducing Brant to our credit union and working to make this transition as seamless as possible for everyone involved," Cencula said.
Davis added, "Brant Malone has a long track record of leadership at credit unions across the South as both a CEO and a CFO. We are delighted that he will be our next President and CEO. We believe he is the absolute right person to follow Linda Cencula as she enters her well-deserved retirement."
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Michael Ogden
Editor-in-Chief at CU Times. To connect, email at [email protected]. As Editor-in-Chief of CU Times since 2016, Michael Ogden has led the editorial team in all aspects of content strategy and execution, including the creation of the publication’s exclusive and proprietary research database of the credit union industry’s economic landscape. Under Michael’s leadership, CU Times has successfully shifted to an all-digital editorial product with new focuses on the payments, fraud, lending and regulatory beats. Most recently, he introduced a data-focused editorial product for subscribers that breaks down credit union issues into hard data, allowing for a deeper and more factual narrative for readers. In 2024, he launched the "Shared Accounts With CU Times" podcast, which offers a fresh, inside-the-newsroom perspective through interviews with leaders from the credit union industry and the regulatory world. He dives into pressing credit union issues, while revealing the personalities working behind-the-scenes to push the credit union world forward. His background includes years as a radio and TV anchor/reporter and a public relations and digital/social media manager, where he covered the food and music industries, as well as cooperatives and credit unions. Over the years, he has launched numerous exclusive video and podcast series, including a successful series of interactive backstage interviews with musicians at music festivals, showcasing his social media and live streaming production skills.
