International Centre for Co-operative Management

🌟 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

Co-ops will be the best-kept secret no more! The International Centre for Co-operative Management ’s symposium on ‘Co‑op Identity and Energizing the Co‑op Brand’ will gather leaders from around the globe to share insights and practices on co-op marketing, grow the network, and inspire co-op collective action.

The symposium will run across May 19 – May 21, 2026, with a pre-symposium workshop on May 14. Anchored in alignment with the co-operative identity, the event will tackle brand image and its intersections with marketing, communications, and culture.

40+ speakers from 11 countries! Themes include:

✅ Assessing authenticity
✅ Effective branding
✅ Co-operative identity, positioning, and messaging
✅ Marketing the co-operative advantage
✅ Communicating identity internally vs externally
✅ Resonating in the contemporary digital landscape

In collaboration with sponsors coop and Northwest Cooperative Development Center and supported by Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada / Coopératives et mutuelles Canada.

Register today at www.identitysymposium2026.coop !

Spring has sprung! How are you looking ahead?

From Master's and Graduate Diploma programs to short one day executive courses, the International Centre for Co-operative Management has something for every co-operator looking to grow professionally.

Join us for an upcoming virtual info session! Upcoming dates and times include:

🗓️ Thurs April 9, 12:00 - 1:00 PM ADT
🗓️ Wed April 22, 1:00 - 2:00 PM ADT
🗓️ Wed April 29, 1:00 - 2:00 PM ADT
🗓️ Tues May 12, 12:00 - 1:00 PM ADT
🗓️ Mon May 25, 12:00 - 1:00 PM ADT

Want to learn more about our style of education, including our 'living lab' approach? Curious about financial aid and bursaries? Or perhaps you are interested in CUDE designation, or our study tours and co-operative law school in Europe?

Sign up today by visiting https://smu.ca/iccm/newsandevents/

We’re happy to spread the word about an upcoming training from our friends at CooperationWorks!!

In this practical and intensive training, participants will learn the foundations of assessing feasibility through creating a financial workbook, conducting research, and summarizing their findings.

Taught by the Industry Professional Corrigan Nadon Nichols, co-op consultant and Certified Management Accountant, this training features regular homework and a final project to demonstrate core competencies.

The course runs from March 10-April 2 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Each day runs for three hours, beginning at 11am PT/12pm MT/1pm CT/2pm ET and ending at 2pm PT/3pmMT/4pm CT/5pm ET.

Check out our friends CooperationWorks for more details and to register today!

Learn more and sign up here https://cooperationworks.coop/art-and-science-of-cooperative-development/

🌟 Here's the first in a series of posts we're making about donors to our Leadership in Co-operative Management Education bursary (LCME). Thank you Scotian Gold Apples ! 🌟

Scotian Gold is a progressive grower cooperative based in Nova Scotia's stunning Annapolis Valley. Along with apple sales, Scotian Gold is a fully integrated cooperative with several retail locations offering agricultural services, fertilizers and pet and horse services. Scotian Gold is a trusted partner for agriculture operations in Nova Scotia and is a leader in crop input sales.

We were fortunate enough to visit the Scotian Gold facilities with the Natcco Network delegation from the Philippines last year and have very fond memories of engaging with their staff!

Donations contribute to the LCME bursary and have a meaningful impact on students enrolled in our graduate programs who demonstrating financial need. Preference is given to students from developing countries or co-operative organizations that might not otherwise be able to afford the program costs.

Organizations considering donating to our bursary can contact us at [email protected]

Our program manager Erin Hancock (ICUDE) and outreach specialist Cathy Statz (CUDE) are already very familiar with the incredible work of the WFCU to recognise international leaders in the credit union space - and both just happened to appear in this 2026 ICUDE applications post!