Jimmy Carter, the 39th US president, who lived to 100, advocated not only the co-operative business model, but also co-operation in general. In office, Carter helped to grow co-ops through the appointment of John Lewis as the associate director of Action, the federal volunteer agency, which helped rural communities in southern states set up co-operatives. He also promoted energy conservation, installed a White House solar hot water system and was guest speaker at several NRECA events. Having grown up on a 360-acre farm outside Plains, Georgia, he was well aware of the difference rural electric co-ops made to communities across the US.
The former president of the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU) served as a delegate on Chapter 1 for 43 years, holding roles including treasurer and chair. His career also saw him serve as a prominent trade unionist in the area. While working at the Molins cigarette-machine factory in Maydown, he became a shop steward for the Amalgamated Engineering Union. In its tribute, ILCU said: “With his vast expertise in the trade union movement, he proved to be an invaluable asset to the growth and development of the credit union.” Adair was awarded an MBE for his services to the credit union movement in 2010.
Co-operator, communications specialist and proud Mancunian Mary McGuigan died in December 2024, aged 51, after a short illness. McGuigan spent 16 years working in communications for the Co-op Group across various businesses and departments and was instrumental in promoting the 2012 International Year of Cooperatives and its launch event in Manchester. “Her wisdom, warmth, and unwavering commitment to co-operative values made a lasting impact on our organisation and the wider movement. She inspired so many with her belief in the power of co-operation to change lives. She will be deeply missed,” said Co-operatives UK chair, Cheryl Barrott.
Trail-blazing co-operator Brian Cameron was elected the first chair of Cooperative Business NZ in the early 1980s, a role he held for over a decade. Under his leadership, the organisation expanded from its agricultural roots to take in co-ops across diverse industries, and in the 1990s, he played a key role in the development of New Zealand’s Cooperative Companies Act. A farmer on the Ashburton plains, near Canterbury on South Island, Cameron “combined analytical acumen with a forward-thinking mindset” to pioneer irrigation techniques, said Coops NZ. These innovations had national impact, and he went on
to spearhead community-level irrigation, reflecting his co-op spirit.
Ramy Al Shurafa, the co-founder of the UK’s tech co-op Yalla, died in March at the age of 33 after a sudden heart attack. Born in Gaza, Al Shurafa dedicated himself to science before moving through mechanical and civil engineering, and finding his passion in coding. He was very proud of the co-op, which operates on sociocratic principles to ensure all members can share ideas, have a say and contribute to how it is run. “Ramy was more than a friend – he was family to so many. Whether in Gaza, Istanbul, or across Europe, his kindness and support made him a constant presence in people’s lives,” read an obituary from Yalla colleagues.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected head of the Catholic Church in 2013. Throughout his tenure, he was vocal in his support for the co-operative model, recognising its potential to build a more just and inclusive economy. He highlighted its ability to create productive economies, foster ethical finance, and prioritise the needs of people and the common good over profit. In 2015, he addressed over 7,000 members of the Confederation of Italian Cooperatives to express his support for co-operatives as a means to achieve an “economy of honesty”, where he suggested several actions for co-ops to achieve their mission and achieve their potential.
Dr Rita Rhodes, a prominent co-operative educationist, author and historian, studied at the Co-operative College and was section educational officer at the UK’s Co-operative Union (now Co-operatives UK) in the late 1970s, before taking on similar roles at the National Co-operative Development Agency and the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA). Rhodes wrote a number of co-operative histories, with her final book, Co-operative Adventures – we joined the Co-op and saw the world, depicting disparate aspects of postwar co-operation, alongside co-op adventures she and her late husband Bernard experienced around the world. “The Co-op has always been part of my life,” she said, in what would be her final interview, with Anthony Taylor and Antony McMullen in 2024. “My mother did her weekly shop at the stores and I accompanied her as a child. We lived in a small town of around 9,000, and many of its communal activities took place in the Co-op Hall behind the stores.” Her family were members of the London Co-operative Society, and Rhodes became active in its political activities in 1950 and 1951, becoming the country’s youngest election agent in 1955.
Author and journalist David Boyle helped develop the concept of co-production, a process by which citizens and other key stakeholders are involved in the design of public services. He was a fellow of the New Economics Foundation (NEF), a think tank promoting social, economic and environmental justice, which has played a key role in shaping modern co-op ideas in the UK. Boyle was also involved in the Clone Town Britain campaign, helped launch the London Time Bank, and was co-founder of Time Banking UK.
Richard Hughes, who served as CEO and secretary of Tamworth Co-op, died following a short illness. Hughes was heavily involved in different areas of the co-operative movement and local life, holding non-executive positions at organisations including National Co-operative Chemists and St John Ambulance. He was a governor at the Heart of England NHS Trust, sat on the member nominations committee of Tamworth Council, and was president of the Tamworth Male Voice Choir. His later life was dedicated to charitable work. “His commitment to improving lives in Tamworth and beyond will be fondly remembered,” said Dan Welsh, current Tamworth Co-op CEO.
Alban D’Amours, the former International Cooperative Alliance director, died in November 2025, aged 85. From 2000 to 2008, he was president of the Desjardins Group, through which he joined the board of the ICA. “Alban was one of the outstanding members of the ICA board during my time as director general,” said Iain MacDonald, who held the post from 2002-2010. “He was also a very personable and generous man, and I was very grateful for the considerable support he gave me in my time as director general. He will be sadly missed.”
