International Centre for Co-operative Management

Our Centre is connecting with our global network in Sydney, Australia this week for the hashtag World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) conference and Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions Credit Union Development Education network. Congratulations to all of the alumni of our programs including CanadaDE for your important work in the sector bringing financial wellbeing to all through co-operative finance. It's great to see our partners and friends from across the world this week.

Global Women's Leadership Network (Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions) WYCUP (World’s Young Credit Union Professionals) World Council of Credit Unions Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions Canadian Credit Union Association iNova Credit Union African Confederation Of Cooperative Savings and Credit Associations

Following up on the success of the May 2026 virtual International Centre on Co-operative Identity and Energizing the Co-operative Brand, we would like to publish a special edition of the International Journal of Co-operative Accounting and Management with a focus on “Co-operative Identity, Branding and Marketing”.

Researchers and practitioners that took part in the Symposium are welcome to contribute to this publication, helping build the shared knowledge base on these topics and forwarding the work of co-operative growth, awareness, loyalty-building and impact. *****We would consider additional papers on these topics from those who did not present.

More here:
https://www.smu.ca/iccm/researchandpublications/symposia/co-operative-identity-and-branding.html

DotCoop Northwest Cooperative Development Center National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada / Coopératives et mutuelles Canada Sobey School of Business - SMU Saint Mary's University Halifax

Join us in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, October 26–30, 2026 for the International Masterclass for Transformative Co-operative Leadership!

Over five days, you'll gain practical tools and fresh perspectives to help your co-operative/credit union/association:
✅ Co-operative governance
✅ Build resilience in times of change - co-op responses to risks and shocks
✅ Leverage inter-cooperation
✅ Explore co-operative circular economy models
✅ Sustainability measurement and reporting
✅ Use performance indicators designed specifically for co-operatives

Through expert-led sessions, case studies, interactive discussions, and visits to leading Canadian co-operatives, you'll learn alongside an international cohort of peers while building lasting professional connections. If you're looking to lead with greater impact and prepare your co-operative for the future, we'd love to welcome you.

Presented by the International Centre for Co-operative Management at the Sobey School of Business - SMU Saint Mary's University Halifax with the Co-operative College of the Philippines, and supported by NaFeCoop and CLIMBS, this immersive professional development program brings together co-operative leaders from around the world.

Learn more and register today! https://www.smu.ca/iccm/programsandcourses/shortcourses/transformative-cooperative-lead-masterclass.html

Saint Mary's University Halifax Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada / Coopératives et mutuelles Canada
Each For All: The Co-operative Connection National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International Newfoundland-Labrador Federation of Co-operatives Canadian Worker Co-op Federation Canadian Credit Union Association Neighboring Food Co-op Association Everything Co-op

Congratulations to LaDonna Sanders - Redmond (shown on right below), graduate of the Master of Management, Co-operatives and Credit Unions program, for receiving the Cooperative Impact Award during the Consumer Cooperative Management Association's Cooperative Excellence Awards in Tacoma, Washington earlier this month. Well deserved! LaDonna has done tremendous work on leadership development, food co-op business development, inclusion and governance.

University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives

Sobey School of Business - SMU Saint Mary's University Halifax Saint Mary's University Alumni

Co-operatives coming together is a real joy and has sparked so many connections and collaborations to strengthen the local co-operative economy. This week we hosted another local co-operative and credit union mixer at The Bus Stop Theatre, sponsored by our Centre and iNova Credit Union Limited. We had a diversity of co-operative backgrounds - housing to arts, credit unions to associations, food to insurance. Thanks to all for the great conversations, support to each other and general merriment. See you September 16 for the next one. This initiative is a Credit Union Leadership Program project of our Education Manager Erin Hancock and shout out to Jillian Stagg and and Masuma Khan for co hosting.
The Bus Stop Theatre Co-op Sobey School of Business - SMU Saint Mary's University Halifax Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada / Coopératives et mutuelles Canada Nova Scotia Co-operative Council (NSCC) iNova Credit Union Teachers Plus Credit Union East Coast Credit Union Just Us! Coffee Canadian Credit Union Association

The study tour to Mondragon, Spain is a core experience in the Master of Management, Co-operatives and Credit Unions program and we were glad to welcome a strong group of additional sector leaders from across the co-operative world this year too. Professors Marcelo Vieta and Erbin Crowell, in collaboration with local sector leaders and lead researchers guided folks through the long and strong history of the MONDRAGON co-operatives, worker co-operation, innovation and challenge, and more. Welcome home and we can't wait to watch you put your learnings to work!! Sobey School of Business - SMU Sobey School of Business - SMU International Cooperative Alliance Mondragon Unibertsitatea MONDRAGON Corporation Co-operative News

Júlia Martins Rodrigues, Ph.D., who recently joined our Co-operative Study Tour to Spain and the MONDRAGON Corporation, published this short and descriptive piece reflecting on her trip to the Basque Country - Auzolan: The Basque Way of Collective Work | Media Economies Design Lab | University of Colorado Boulder https://www.colorado.edu/lab/medlab/2026/06/10/auzolan-basque-way-collective-work Democracy At Work Institute Saint Mary's University Halifax Sobey School of Business - SMU Canadian Worker Co-op Federation US Federation of Worker Cooperatives

Auzolan: The Basque Way of Collective Work Auzolan: The Basque Way of Collective WorkPublished:Jun. 10, 2026 Jun. 10, 2026 • By Júlia Martins RodriguesTucked into the heart of San Sebastián's old town, Juan de Bilbao Kalea transformed into an open-air museum of street art, a living testament to the social movements that have shaped the B...

Congratulations to CHF Canada for an engaged and successful annual conference, and all of the successes with growth in co-operative housing. Such lofty goals and real impact for addressing the housing crisis. Education Manager Erin Hancock offered a workshop on 'Connected Communities: Co-operative Solutions from Around the World'.

It was wonderful to connect with Master of Management, Co-operatives and Credit Unions alumni Wendy Carruthers Michelle (she/her) Cooper Iversen, CPHR Patricia Tessier Natasha Verwey Karen Brodeur (MMCCU) and Jaclyn Johnston finishing her Certificate in Co-operative Management.

Great to see Tim Ross and excellent leadership with CHF Canada and Janie Moyen from Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada / Coopératives et mutuelles Canada Sobey School of Business - SMU Saint Mary's University Halifax Co-operators Canada's Emerging Co-operators / Coopérateur•ice•s émergent•e•s du Canada

🌟 With great excitement we are pleased to announce that Tammy Mercier is joining the International Centre for Co-operative Management as Centre Manager and Education Director! 🌟

She is an experienced leader in change management, and is also a leadership coach, professional facilitator, and educator who helps individuals, teams, and organizations grow with purpose. With over 20+ years in the financial services industry, including a decade consulting within the credit union system, Tammy brings deep industry expertise paired with a passion for people development and relationship building.

We can't wait to see how Tammy's guidance shapes the future of our Centre and the wider co-operative and credit union education network!



Saint Mary's University Halifax
Sobey School of Business - SMU

Our free, virtual symposium, Co-operative Identity and Energizing the Co-operative Brand, begins tomorrow with a pre-event workshop!

📅 May 14, 1-3 PM (ADT) 📢 What Makes Your Co-op Different? Reverse Engineering Your Market to Find Your Edge

Miguel Valencia, Worker-Owner, Design Action Collective
Raquel Victoria Navarro, Worker-Owner, Radiant Consulting; Communications Coordinator, U.S. Federation of Worker Coops

In this workshop, we'll examine how companies in 3 key industries position themselves. Together, we'll study their marketing to reverse engineer who their customers are and what messaging works. Then we'll flip the lens: what does your co-op offer that competitors can't match? We'll brainstorm how to authentically communicate the co-op advantage. You'll develop a compelling value proposition that speaks directly to what your customers actually care about.

Learn more and register to this and other symposium events at https://identitysymposium2026.coop/

Northwest Cooperative Development Center
DotCoop Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada / Coopératives et mutuelles Canada
Sobey School of Business - SMU
Saint Mary's University Halifax