Co-operative Group National Members Council South West

As Britain basked in another glorious sunny day, I trudged wearily down into the basement of the Co-ops support centre in Manchester to participate in the July 2018 National Members Council. It may be rose tinted glasses, but every Council Meeting seems to be held on a lovely bright Saturday.   The good news was that the air conditioning was on. The big worry was: would Council business finish in time to watch the England Sweden match? 7 TH July was the 78 th anniversary of International Co-operatives day. The Co-operative College has launched a fundraising initiative to support women in Sri Lanka , click here for more details . We had two fantastic and interesting speakers during the first half.   Helen Carroll, Director of Co-op Brand and Charles Offord , Director of Distribution and Marketing from our Insurance business. Carol outlined three main themes in her presentation:   Brand, Community and Membership. Firstly the Brand,   she made the point that for it to

The Aprils Council was all about planning for the AGM of the Society in May.    We met in the Federation building, which the Co-op had converted into a digital hub.   First up was Alan Leighton, Chair of the Board of Directors. Alan pointed out the Federation mission statement.    “A Community of digital businesses and innovators in Manchester built on ethical values.   C lick here for more information ”Alan felt this statement represented allthat he felt about the Co-op.  Digital Businesses and innovators. This represents the best of the Co-op. The Co-op were the great innovators in the 19 th Century and were the cutting-edge businesses at the time.   His mission for our Co-op is to make us great businesses again.    In Manchester, the spiritual home of Co-operation. Ethical values, underpin our unique business model. Alan let us know that he believed the Co-op was in pretty good shape. Things were going according to plan, and if things were on plan, he beli