Monique Leroux from Desjardins Group in Canada has been elected president of the International Co-operative Alliance.
Ms Leroux was one of the four candidates that joined the race for the Alliance’s president elections. A board member of the alliance, Ms Leroux is chair of the board and chief executive of Desjardins Group, a federation of 376 credit unions and other groups serving seven million members in Canada and operating in 40 other countries.
She was elected as chair of the board of Desjardins in 2008 and was again elected to serve on the Alliance’s board, an appointment for which she could count on the backing and support of both Canada’s co-operative apexes: the Quebec Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals and the Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada.
Ms Leroux takes over from Dame Pauline Green, who has been leading the Alliance since 2009. Dame Pauline was the first female president in the Alliance’s 120 years history and was re-elected in 2013 for a further four years. She announced her early retirement in June, after funding from her host country could not be renewed beyond 2015.
There were a total of 742 votes cast, with Ms Leroux receiving 407 votes (55% of the vote). Ariel Guarco came second with 205 votes (28%), while Jean-Louis Bancel finished third with 66 votes (9%) and Eudes de Freitas Aquino came fourth with 64 votes (8%).
Praising the work of Dame Pauline, Ms Leroux said she would continue to work with the other candidates for the future of the co-operative movement. She thanked each of the other candidates in their native language.
The Alliance’s new president has highlighted some of the organisation’s priorities for the future. She said: “It is an honour to take over as president of the Alliance.
“I am highly stimulated by all the opportunities ahead of us. I think that all of us are ready for action. United, together we will succeed”.
Denis Paré, Vice-Chair, Board of Directors of Desjardins Group spoke about the appointment: “We’re obviously very proud to see Ms Leroux take on the role of president. This appointment is a testament to all that she has accomplished for the co-operative movement since she began her mandate as President of Desjardins Group. One of the highlights of her work has been the 2012 and 2014 editions of the International Summit of Cooperatives, which she helped organise to promote the co-operative movement both in Canada and internationally. In a way, this appointment recognises the strength of the cooperative movement in Canada and North America.”
- All of our coverage of the Alliance conference in Antalya can be found here.
In this article
Join the Conversation