OTTAWA, Canada — More than 110 female credit union leaders from 12 countries gathered here as part of the 2013 Global Women’s Leadership Forum, held in conjunction with World Council of Credit Unions’ World Credit Union Conference. Discussion centered on advancement of credit union women leadership.
Sheryl WuDunn, the New York Times bestselling author of “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide” and the first Asian-American Pulitzer Prize winner, spoke to the group about women’s potential to impact global development in a session sponsored by MasterCard.
WuDunn presented research from her book on the varying degrees of women's oppression worldwide. In addition to women's education and jobs, she said that microsavings can provide women's economic empowerment, which is a key to solving gender inequity worldwide.
"There's no silver bullet. We must try different strategies, and a lot of times what works is not always the sexiest," WuDunn said.
WuDunn related her findings to the credit union movement during a panel discussion focused on the challenges faced by female credit union leaders. Teresa Freeborn, Xceed Financial Credit Union president and CEO, moderated the discussion, which included Patrice Pratt, a director with Vancity Credit Union in Canada; Lucy Ito, EVP/COO with the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues; Lisa Bonin, corporate procurement specialist with Servus Credit Union in Canada, and Katie Smigiel, VP-organizational development with CU*Answers.
Prior to the forum, Roxanne Ostrem, Ventura County Credit Union (Calif., USA) director, was honored with the Global Women's Leadership Network's 2013 Athena Award at the Global Women's Leadership Network reception. CUC2013.
The panel discussed recent research on inequalities in executive positions held by women throughout credit union systems worldwide. Their studies and personal experiences revealed that a balance of men and women in top decision-making positions can accelerate an organization's economic success. Panelists suggested Network members could make a difference by raising awareness on the importance and benefits of having women in leadership positions at their own credit unions, especially among those in upper management.
