Langley Federal Credit Union taps new CEO

Newport News-based financial institution Langley Federal Credit Union on Monday announced that PenFed Credit Union executive Gaurav Bhatia will be its new president and CEO.

Bhatia will succeed Tom Ryan, who is retiring at the end of this year after 13 years leading the credit union, the fourth largest based in Virginia.

Bhatia has more than 20 years of executive experience in financial services, technology and business transformation. He was most recently chief marketing, digital and experience officer at PenFed, which is based in Tysons and is the second largest credit union headquartered in Virginia.

He also has held senior roles at AARP, Capital One, NewDay USA, Sabre Holdings and NIIT Technologies, serving clients in the travel and financial services sectors.

“Mr. Gaurav Bhatia was selected from an outstanding pool of candidates for his visionary leadership, strategic acumen, and unwavering commitment to member-centric growth,” Audrey Douglas-Cooke, chair of the credit union’s board of directors, said in a statement. “We are confident that under his leadership, Langley will continue to thrive, innovate, and serve our members with excellence.”

In a statement, Bhatia said he was honored to join Langley, a federally chartered credit union that serves more than 300,000 members and has more than $4 billion in assets.

“Langley has been recognized as a leader in the credit union industry for decades and I look forward to building on the strong foundation Tom and the leadership team have built,” he said. “I also look forward to working with all the talented employees to serve our members.”

In a statement, Douglas-Cooke praised Ryan’s leadership and wished him the best in his retirement.

Langley Federal Credit Union was founded in 1936 and today is one of the 100 largest credit unions in the nation, with approximately 700 employees and 20 branch locations in Hampton Roads, Richmond and Raleigh, North Carolina.