Corporate Responsibility Main Topic Of Day Three

WOCCU's International Credit Union Leadership Institute

Nassau, Bahamas-Day three of the 7th Annual International Leadership Institute witnessed more invigorating speakers, informative breakout sessions and Keynote speakers.

At today's General Plenary Session were David Mowat, Vancouver City Savings Credit Union CEO, and Bruce Ralston, board chairman of the credit union, who discussed "Responsible Corporate Citizenship: Bringing Value to Credit Union Members and Their Community."

2003 was the best year in the history of "VanCity," and speakers Mowat and Ralston explained how they managed to produce record numbers while maintaining a commitment to environmental soundness and social justice. VanCity has long been a leader in these areas, having recently released its third report on social accountability.

From 3:30-5:00 there were a number of breakout sessions. James Updike, CEO of the Honda Federal Credit Union, led "Branching Over the Border: A U.S. Credit Union Opens in Canada" and Joanne De Laurentiis, president and CEO of the Canadian Credit Union Central, reacted to Updike's comments.

WOCCU's own Brian Branch, chief operations officer and vice president, teamed up with Glen Francis, CEO of the Jamaica Credit Union League, to hold a discussion on "Credit Union Progress Around the World: An Insider's View."

Michael George of the Kern School Federal Credit Union and Tania Goodine, St. Willibrord sales and marketing manager, spoke on the unique subject of "Attracting the Young to Your Credit Union."

In the fourth breakout session, another World Council leader, technical services manager Mark Cifuentes, led "Becoming part of an International Network: International Remittances an open door to International Network of Services." WOCCU's International Remittance program, IRnet, has seen remarkable success since its creation in 1999, changing industry standards with its affordable processing fees.

An entertaining evening followed the sessions, highlighted by performances of the "WYCUP Challenge," a lighthearted competition designed to support relationship-building among WYCUP candidates. Tomorrow the 2004 WYCUP winners will be announced. World Council youth outreach initiative, WYCUP—WOCCU's Young Credit Union People—honors five bright young credit union professionals each year.

El Consejo Mundial de Cooperativas de Ahorro y Crédito es la asociación gremial y agencia de desarrollo para el sistema internacional de cooperativas de ahorro y crédito. El Consejo Mundial promueve el crecimiento sustentable de las cooperativas de ahorro y crédito y otras cooperativas financieras en todo el mundo a fin de facultar a las personas para que mejoren su calidad de vida a través del acceso a servicios financieros asequibles y de alta calidad. El Consejo Mundial realiza esfuerzos de defensa activa en representación del sistema global de las cooperativas de ahorro y crédito ante organizaciones internacionales y trabaja con gobiernos nacionales para mejorar la legislación y la regulación. Sus programas de asistencia técnica introducen nuevas herramientas y tecnologías para fortalecer el desempeño financiero de las cooperativas de ahorro y crédito y profundizar su alcance comunitario.

El Consejo Mundial ha implementado 290 programas de asistencia técnica en 71 países. A nivel mundial, 51,000 cooperativas de ahorro y crédito en 100 países atienden a 196 millones de personas. Obtenga más información sobre el impacto global del Consejo Mundial en www.woccu.org.