World Council of Credit Unions Makes Paul Treinen its Permanent President and CEO
WOCCU Board removes “interim” tag after seeing impressive leadership of the organization
August 25, 2025
MADISON, Wis.—The person who guided World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) through one of the most turbulent times in its history will now get to lead the organization into the future, with the Board of Directors on Monday officially naming Paul Treinen as permanent President and CEO.
Treinen took over that role on an interim basis in April and has since helped WOCCU navigate the financial turmoil caused by the termination of USAID’s international development funding; worked with the Board to establish a new strategy that emphasizes core trade association activities such as international advocacy and member engagement; and in July inspired thousands of global credit union professionals with a forward-looking State of the Movement Address at the 2025 World Credit Union Conference in Stockholm, Sweden.
“The Board had already begun the formal process of conducting a thorough search for a new leader. But seeing the way Paul was so proactive in helping us create a new three-year strategy for the organization; how he presented such a positive view of WOCCU’s future at WCUC 2025; and, perhaps most importantly, the positive feedback we got from staff about his leadership skills—all made us realize we didn’t need to look any further for our next President and CEO,” said Michael Lawrence, WOCCU Board Chair and CEO of the Customer Owned Banking Association (Australia).
Treinen originally retired from WOCCU in 2023, following a distinguished seven-year career as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, before agreeing to come back as interim President and CEO.
“This is a great honor. I see so much potential for World Council of Credit Unions to help our members achieve greater regulatory certainty with our continued emphasis on international advocacy, while at the same time providing our membership with next level member services, education and engagement opportunities. Our strategy is focused on creating a value proposition that supports the continued growth and success of credit unions and financial cooperatives around the world and then delivering on that promise. Working hand in hand with Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions, we are committed to bringing year-round opportunities to respond to the varying needs our membership,” said Treinen.
Mike Reuter, President of Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions, welcomes greater collaboration with WOCCU.
“From day one, Paul and I have been in lock step on creating a more unified WOCCU enterprise that allows our entities to come together and offer credit unions a world-class engagement experience with multiple touchpoints on a journey. I look forward to building that out in the months and years to come,” said Reuter.
Treinen in September will make his own first engagement visit as WOCCU President and CEO to Manila, Philippines, for the Asian Credit Union CEO Workshop, hosted by the Asian Confederation of Credit Unions.
World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) is the apex association for credit unions and other global financial cooperatives. World Council promotes the sustainable development of credit unions and other financial cooperatives around the world to empower people through access to high quality and affordable financial services. World Council advocates on behalf of the global credit union system before international organizations and works with national governments to improve legislation and regulation. Its technical assistance programs introduce new tools and technologies to strengthen credit unions' financial performance and increase their outreach.
World Council has implemented 300+ technical assistance programs in 90 countries. Worldwide, 74,634 credit unions in 104 countries serve 411 million people. Learn more about World Council's impact around the world at www.woccu.org.
Organization: World Council of Credit Unions
E-mail: gneumann@woccu.org
Phone: +1 608-395-2048
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