FCCS News & Insights

FCCS Strengthens Commitment to Innovation in Farm Credit

FCCS has underscored its commitment to fostering innovation and digital transformation with the recent hire of Chris Peacock as Vice President of Digital Strategy and Collaboration, introduced at the inaugural SystemX.

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SystemX was designed by an advisory committee of System leaders as an interactive working session rather than a traditional conference. Attended by representatives of associations and Banks from across Districts and of every size, participants shared successful use cases as well as challenges; thought-provoking dialog covered other opportunities and potential for collaboration.

Key takeaways from SystemX pointed in a clear direction: innovation is happening across the System and there is a genuine appetite for practical, capability-specific collaboration. Participants converged on two first moves as the foundation for what comes next. 1) Building a shared AI governance framework and 2) launching a cooperative purchasing experiment.

“There is incredible innovation happening all over the System but it’s often happening in pockets,” says Jean Cantey Segal, EVP and Chief Learning Officer for FCCS. “We see a clear opportunity to better connect the System’s disparate efforts and share insights faster. We’re not here to dictate strategy, but to help connect, accelerate and elevate insights and hopefully obtain a better end result.”

Chris will be integral to this effort. Prior to joining FCCS, he co-founded and was CEO of AQUAOSO Technologies, a water and climate intelligence company with multiple Farm Credit clients. Indeed, its products were developed in large part in collaboration with several Farm Credit organizations. Through these relationships, Chris has gained insight into the challenges and opportunities Farm Credit faces and how innovative solutions can be brought to bear. (AQUAOSO Technologies was acquired by Growers Edge Financial in 2024.) Chris has supported Farm Credit organizations for the past eight years; before AQUAOSO, he was Vice President of Client Success and Strategic Accounts at FATHOM, a venture-backed water utility Software-as-a-Service startup.

“In the face of increasing competition and faster-than-ever change, Farm Credit needs to keep up with their customers’ expectations for efficiency and service,” says Chris. “Alongside skilled and dedicated employees, technology and innovation can be the levers to achieve this goal. But they’re expensive, so it makes sense to investigate how to best collaborate and apply the tools at a System level so all our organizations can benefit.”

As VP of Digital Strategy and Collaboration, Chris will serve as the nexus for the innovation conversation within Farm Credit. Through individual outreach and conversations at System and industry events, he will build and share an understanding of the current state of Farm Credit’s digital transformation and identify opportunities for organizations to build collaborations.

“FCCS is uniquely positioned as the neutral convener and trusted partner to help facilitate these conversations and help advance the System’s digital transformation priorities more efficiently,” says Jean. “Chris’ role is to help the System move forward together at a greater speed and with more intention.”

Chris will be reaching out to System organizations in the coming months; leaders who are interested in proactively discussing innovation and digital transformation can reach Chris via email.