H.E. José Raúl Mulino

President of the Republic of Panama

José Raúl Mulino is President of the Republic of Panama. He was elected in the general elections held on May 5, 2024, and took office on July 1, 2024.

A lawyer by profession, Mulino holds a degree in Law and Political Science from Universidad Santa María La Antigua in Panama and a Master’s degree in Maritime Law from Tulane University in New Orleans. He has extensive experience in legal practice, particularly in the international maritime sector.

His public service career includes serving as Vice Minister and later Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as Minister of Government and Justice and Minister of Public Security. He has also held leadership positions in Panama’s political and business sectors.

Mulino has played an active role in Panama’s democratic and political life for several decades, including his participation in the National Civic Crusade opposing the military regime of Manuel Antonio Noriega in the late 1980s.

Maricel Cohen de Mulino

First Lady of the Republic of Panama

Maricel Cohen de Mulino is First Lady of the Republic of Panama. In this role, she leads a social agenda focused on child protection, preventive health, education, animal welfare and strengthening communities across the country.

Born in Panama City, she holds a degree in Banking Administration from Universidad Santa María La Antigua. Throughout her career, she has combined family life with active participation in the political, social and business sectors, including leadership roles promoting women’s participation and entrepreneurship.

From the Office of the First Lady, she works in coordination with public institutions, the private sector, civil society organizations and international partners to advance initiatives aimed at improving people’s quality of life, particularly for vulnerable communities.

Her work emphasizes dialogue, collaboration and practical solutions, while also strengthening exchanges with First Ladies and international leaders to promote inclusive and sustainable development.

Ariel Guarco

President of the International Cooperative Alliance

Ariel Guarco is President of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA). He was first elected to the position in 2017 and was re-elected for a second term in 2022. He has served on the ICA Global Board since 2013.

His involvement in the cooperative movement began through the Electric Cooperative of Coronel Pringles, in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he held several leadership positions and later became President.

Mr. Guarco is also President of the Cooperative Confederation of the Argentine Republic (COOPERAR), a position he has held since 2011, and President of the Federation of Electric and Public Utilities Cooperatives of the Province of Buenos Aires (FEDECOBA), which he has led since 2008.

Throughout his career, he has contributed to strengthening the cooperative movement in Argentina and to expanding its regional and global presence. He is also the author of The Argentine Cooperative Movement: A Hopeful Look into the Future.

José Alves de Souza Neto

President of Cooperatives of the Americas

Dr. José Alves de Souza Neto is President of Cooperatives of the Americas, the regional organization of the International Cooperative Alliance. A dental surgeon by training, he was the founder and first President of the Uniodonto Athenas Paulista Cooperative in 1994. He later served as Vice President for Administration and Finance of the Federação Paulista de Uniodontos from 2001 to 2004, before becoming President of the organisation until 2007.

He currently serves as President of Uniodonto Athenas Paulista and Uniodonto do Brasil. He is also a member of the Supervisory Council of OCESP, the Organization of Cooperatives of the State of São Paulo, and Coordinator of the Health Sector at the Organization of Brazilian Cooperatives (OCB).

José Alves holds an MBA in Health Management from Fundação Getulio Vargas in Brazil and has completed an Executive Course in Negotiation at the University of California, Irvine, in the United States.

Jeroen Douglas

Director General of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA)

Director General of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), a position he assumed following his appointment by the ICA Board.

Before joining the ICA, Douglas served as Executive Director of Solidaridad, a global network organization focused on sustainable and inclusive development. His professional experience includes leading international organizations, managing global partnerships and advancing initiatives that connect economic development with social and environmental objectives.

As Director General, he supports the ICA Board and the wider cooperative movement in strengthening the Alliance’s global role and responding to the challenges facing cooperatives worldwide.

Douglas is the 17th Director General of the ICA, which was founded in 1895 and today represents cooperative organizations across all regions of the world.

Danilo Salerno

Regional Director of Cooperatives of the Americas

Danilo Salerno is Regional Director of Cooperatives of the Americas, the regional organization of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), since 2018. He also acts as ICA’s focal point for global partnerships with FAO, IFAD and WFP.

In 2025, during the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives, he served as Executive Secretary of the Regional Committee of Partner Organizations for the Americas, promoting collaboration among UN agencies, governments and other regional partners. Since 2026, he has also served on the Board of the Fund for International Cooperative Development.

Born in Italy, Salerno has extensive experience in the cooperative movement and in building partnerships among governments, international organizations, civil society and development actors. He has worked with cooperative and social economy organizations across Latin America and Africa.

He holds a degree in Political Science from the University of Bologna and postgraduate qualifications in nonprofit management, European project management, international relations and Latin American studies.

Erika Vargas

Executive Director of the Panamanian Autonomous Cooperative Institute (IPACOOP)

Erika Vargas de González is Executive Director of the Panamanian Autonomous Cooperative Institute (IPACOOP), where she leads the institution’s efforts to strengthen the cooperative sector and promote its sustainable development and innovation.

She has a background in administration and management and is a graduate of Universidad Santa María la Antigua. She also holds two postgraduate degrees in Business Administration from the Latin American University of Science and Technology (ULACIT), with specialisations in Human Resources and in Marketing and Advertising. She is also certified at consultant level through the IIAFA Anti-Fraud Forensic Audit Programme

Rolando González Patricio

President PARLATINO

Rolando González Patricio is President of the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament (PARLATINO) and a member of Cuba’s National Assembly of People’s Power. He was elected President of PARLATINO for the 2024–2026 term.

Throughout his career, he has promoted interparliamentary cooperation and strengthened relations between PARLATINO and national legislatures, as well as strategic partnerships with institutions in Europe, Asia and Africa. His work has focused on regional integration, parliamentary diplomacy and international cooperation.

González Patricio holds a degree in International Political Relations and a PhD in Historical Sciences from the University of Havana. His professional background also includes serving as Rector of the University of the Arts in Cuba and as Director of the Center for Martí Studies and the Juan Marinello Cuban Institute for Cultural Research.

Ana Graça

United Nations Resident Coordinator in Panama

Ana Graça is the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Panama, where she provides strategic leadership to the United Nations Country Team and coordinates the UN system’s support for the country’s development priorities.

Prior to this role, she served as United Nations Resident Coordinator in Cabo Verde. She has also held several senior positions with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), including Team Leader and Global Advisor on Rule of Law, Justice and Human Rights in New York, and Regional Advisor on Governance and Crisis Prevention for Asia and the Pacific, based in Bangkok.

Earlier in her United Nations career, Ana managed governance and rule of law programmes in Guinea-Bissau, Angola and Timor-Leste, and served in advisory roles supporting different UN funds and programmes across Africa and Asia. She holds a Master’s degree in European Law and a Law degree, with a specialisation in International Law, from the University of Lisbon.

Bjørg Sandkjær

Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination at the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA)

Ms. Bjørg Sandkjær has served as Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination in the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) since March 2025.

Previously, Ms. Sandkjær served as Deputy Minister for International Development at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2021. In this role, she was responsible for developing Norway’s strategic vision and engagement in international development cooperation, and played a key role in negotiations on Norway’s budgetary allocations for official development assistance (ODA). She also led Norway’s engagement in multilateral processes and fora, including the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

Ms. Sandkjær began her career in civil society, holding advisory positions at the UK Stakeholder Forum for Our Common Future and the Church of Norway. Since then, she has held positions across civil society, the private sector, government and multilateral organisations. These include serving as deputy leader of the Standing Committee on Health and Welfare of the Oslo City Council (2019–2021), as well as positions at the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).

She has published on rural and social development related to human security and HIV and AIDS, as well as on global health financing and human rights-based approaches to development.

Ms. Sandkjær holds a master’s degree in Demography from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and an undergraduate degree from the University of Oslo.

David Fernández Puyana

Ambassador & Permanent Observer of the UN-mandated University for Peace (UPEACE) to the United Nations. Chief Diplomatic Officer, Cahero Family Office

Dr. David Fernández Puyana is the Ambassador and Permanent Observer of the the UN University for Peace to the United Nations Office at Geneva and Vienna, and the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. He chairs the Geneva Multilateral Center, which is a diplomatic initiative led by the Shanghai University on Political Science and Law, and UPEACE Geneva.

He cooperates with the Foundation Peace without Borders, Geneva Institute for Leadership & Public Policy, the King Hamad Global Center for Coexistence and Tolerance, and the Diplomatic Institute “Doctor José Gustavo Guerrero” of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador.

He is also co-founder of the UNESCO Chair on Peace, Solidarity and Intercultural Dialogue at the University Abat Oliba CEU (Spain).

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Silke Staab

Regional Policy Advisor on Women's Economic Empowerment at the UN Women Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean

Silke Staab is Regional Policy Advisor on Women’s Economic Empowerment at the UN Women Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean. Previously, she was part of the Research and Data team at UN Women’s headquarters, where she led the development of flagship research and reports on social protection, the care economy, feminist climate justice, and gender-responsive economic transformation.

Before joining UN Women, she worked at the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

She holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Manchester and is the author of numerous publications on gender equality, social protection, care policies, and inclusive economic development.

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Giuseppe Guerini

President of Cooperatives Europe and Vice-President of the ICA

Giuseppe Guerini is the President of Cooperatives Europe and Vice-President of the International Cooperative Alliance. He represents Confcooperative at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), where he holds the role of Vice-President of the Single Market Section. A former President of Federsolidarietà-Confcooperative and CECOP-CICOPA, he has been involved in the co-operative movement since 1988.

Tangariki Reete

Minister of Tourism, Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives of the Republic of Kiribati

Hon. Tangariki Reete is Minister of Tourism, Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives of the Republic of Kiribati and a Member of Parliament representing Betio. She previously served as Speaker of the Maneaba ni Maungatabu, the Parliament of Kiribati, becoming the first woman to hold that position.

Her professional background includes extensive experience in the cooperative and financial sectors. Before entering national politics, she worked in cooperative development and later with the Kiribati Credit Union League, where she held training and management responsibilities. She has also worked in public administration and financial oversight.

Throughout her career, Reete has combined public service with work related to cooperatives, financial inclusion and community development. In her current ministerial role, her portfolio includes tourism, commerce, industry and the development and regulation of cooperatives and credit unions in Kiribati.

Maaret Cañedo Lohikoski

Regional Officer for Policy Coherence and Partnerships at the ILO

Maaret Cañedo Lohikoski is an international development professional with extensive experience in the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations system, working across Latin America and at the global level. Her areas of expertise include partnerships and resource mobilization, UN cooperation, skills development, youth employment, and results-based management.

At ILO headquarters in Geneva, she supported the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE) during the ILO’s tenure as its rotating Secretariat, contributing to coordination and fundraising efforts for the social and solidarity economy. Across her different roles with the ILO and the wider UN system, she has worked to strengthen collaboration among governments, social partners and development actors to advance inclusive employment and sustainable development.

Iñigo Albizuri Landazabal

President of CICOPA, Chair of the ICA Communications Committee & Member of the ICA Global Board. Global Public Affairs at MONDRAGON Corporation

Iñigo Albizuri is industrial engineer of business management & industrial organization (6 years degree). He has spent his all working life in different cooperatives of MONDRAGON Corporation around the world (Spain, Italy, México, United States and China). He owns multiple patents as the result of his work.

He is also the president of MUNDUKIDE, the NGO of MONDRAGON co-operatives, that works setting up new co-operatives in developing countries like Mozambique, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil or Ethiopia. He has been also honored with the prize “Fair Saturday” for his work and capacity of innovation and social impact in the cultural field.

He is president of CICOPA, the international organization of industrial and service cooperatives. He is member of ICA Board representing Spain and Vice-President of Cooperatives Europe. In 2025 he was elected as General Director of ASETT (Arizmendiarrieta Social Economy Think Tank).

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Balasubramanian (Balu) Iyer

Regional Director of the ICA Asia and Pacific

Balasubramanian (Balu) Iyer, serves as the Regional Director for the International Cooperative Alliance Asia-Pacific based in New Delhi, India. ICA, a member-based organization, advances the cooperative social enterprise model and provides a global voice and forum for cooperatives.

Balu has worked with the Asia Foundation, the International Development Exchange, ActionAid India, and the Aga Khan Rural Support Program; and served as Adjunct Faculty at Southern New Hampshire University.

He has a master’s degree in public policy from the Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley; Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Management from Institute of Rural Management, Anand, India; and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from National Institute of Technology in Durgapur, India.

Balu serves as Administrator for the ICA Domus Trust, Advisor to the Institute for Development of Agricultural Cooperation in Asia, Japan and Council of Advisors the New School Institute for the Cooperative Digital Economy, New York; Executive Council of the Tribhuvan Sahkari University, India.

Amparo Merino

Secretary of State for Social Economy at Spain’s Ministry of Labour and Social Economy

Amparo Merino is a Professor of Labour and Social Security Law in the Department of Labour Law and Social Work at the University of Castilla-La Mancha. Since 2023, she has served as Secretary of State for Social Economy at Spain’s Ministry of Labour and Social Economy.

Bhima Subrahmanyam

President of the International Cooperative Banking Association (ICBA)

Bhima Subrahmanyam has been associated with National Federation of State Cooperative Banks (NAFSCOB), an apex level organization of short-term cooperative credit and banking structure in India since 1982. He assumed the position of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)/Managing Director of NAFSCOB in 1990. Prior to joining NAFSCOB, Mr. Bhima has been associated with reputed institutions in India. He has over 50 years of experience in the areas of Rural communication, Rural Development, Agricultural Credit, Cooperatives, Banking etc.

He is author of more than 120 Articles, Research Papers, Occasional papers, etc. in the above areas which include Rural savings mobilisation. He participated in over 150 training programmes/workshops conferences and seminars. He coordinated more than 100 national level seminars/workshops on rural cooperative credit and banking issues. He served as resource person to number of programmes and shared his experiences on most important issues involved in cooperative credit delivery system. He addressed important issues in the areas of General Banking, Resource / Deposit banking and Social Banking. He has been instrumental in formulating Risk Management Policy, Information Technology Security Policy, Human Resource policy for banks, Fraud Monitoring guidelines, Cyber Security Advisory Forum etc. He addressed and analysed the impact of Prudential norms on cooperative banks.

He strongly advocates a three-tier rural cooperative credit delivery structure and continues to argue against the proposals towards mergers/delayering of well-conceived 3 Tier rural cooperative credit structure in a democratic set up. He has been successfully developed Operational Manuals to facilitate functioning of Cooperative Banks. He has also successfully disseminated the importance of Financial Inclusion and the role of cooperative Banks in Financial Inclusion.

He is elected President of International Cooperative Banking Association (ICBA), one of the sectoral associations of ICA since October 2019. He is member of ICA Board in his capacity as ICBA President.

During his tenure as President, ICBA, the following major studies/events have been commissioned and completed, in addition to couple of other studies and Webinars:

1. Regulation and Sustainability of Cooperative Banks: A cross-country Study
2. Sustainable Development Goals & Objectives: Contribution of Cooperative Banks
3. ICBA Members Today: How Do They Contribute and Report on Sustainable Development?
4. ICBA Centenary Year in Brussels in 2022
5. ICBA under his presidentship organised International Symposium on ‘Cooperative Financial Institutions’ in United Nations, New York on 28-29 May 2026 wherein about 120 delegates from around 25 countries participated.

He has been closely associated with international organizations such as Asia Pacific Rural Agricultural Credit Association (APRACA), International Raiffeisen Union (IRU), International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), ICA-AP Regional Assembly,), Regional Network for the Development of Agricultural Cooperatives in Asia and Pacific (NEDAC).

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Osamu Nakano

President of CICOPA Asia and Pacific, VP of CICOPA & Member of the ICA Global Board. Vice Executive Director of Japan Workers' Co-operative Union (JWCU)

Osamu Nakano is a Vice Executive Director of the Japan Workers’ Cooperative Union (JWCU). He joined JWCU in 2014 and has served as its Board Member and Director of International Relations since 2017.

Osamu has also been a President of CICOPA Asia and Pacific and Vice President of CICOPA since 2021. He has represented the worker cooperative movement at numerous international forums, including events by the United Nations, ILO and ICA. He has been a Board Member of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) by representing CICOPA since November 2025.

Osamu has published extensively on cooperative movements and the social and solidarity economy. His recent work includes a chapter titled “Platform Cooperatives: Toward the Citizen-Centered Digital Platform Economy” in Decoding Platform Capitalism (Nakanishiya Shuppan, 2023). He was a Visiting Researcher at Tokyo University from 2019 to 2021.

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Thérèse Faye Diouf

Member of Parliament and Deputy Chairperson of the Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs of the Pan-African Parliament

Thérèse Faye Diouf is a Senegalese sociologist, Member of Parliament and Deputy Chairperson of the Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs of the Pan-African Parliament. She is also Mayor of the Municipality of Diarrère, a position she has held since 2014, becoming the first woman to lead the municipality.

She has held several senior positions in Senegal’s public administration, including Ministerial roles and Administrator General of the Priority Investment Guarantee Fund (FONGIP). Earlier in her career, she also led the National Agency for Early Childhood and the Case des Tout-Petits, contributing to the implementation of Senegal’s national policy for integrated early childhood development.

Her public service career combines experience in national and local government, public finance and territorial development, with a particular focus on women’s leadership and socioeconomic development.

Thérèse holds an advanced degree in Sociology from Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) in Dakar.

Gloria María De León Zubieta

Administrator General of the Panama Tourism Authority (ATP)

Gloria María De León Zubieta is Administrator General of the Panama Tourism Authority (ATP), a position she has held since July 2024.

She has more than 25 years of professional experience in marketing, retail management and human resources. Throughout her career, she has worked in brand development and promotion in Panama and Central America, as well as in human resources management and the organization of corporate, product launch and sporting events.

De León studied Industrial Administrative Engineering at Universidad Santa María La Antigua and holds a Master’s degree in Marketing and Commercial Management. She has also completed executive training in digital marketing for retail at INCAE.

In her current role, she leads Panama’s national tourism authority and contributes to the development and promotion of the country’s tourism sector.

Ahmed Ben Tahar Galai

Human Rights activist in the Tunisian Human Rights League & 2015 Nobel Peace Prize

Ahmed Ben Tahar Galai is a Tunisian human rights activist who plays a prominent role in the Tunisian Human Rights League, an organisation that belongs to the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet, which was awarded the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize. This association fights for the recognition of rights, and to make Tunisia after the 2011 Jasmine Revolution a de facto, free and transparent democracy. He continues his advocacy from 2018, striving for better relations between the countries around the Mediterranean and more humane policy from the UN regarding war refugees.

Aude Saldana

Secretary General of GSEF

Aude Saldana has been Secretary General of the Global Forum for Social and Solidarity Economy (GSEF) since April 2022, where she champions international recognition of the SSE as essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. She supports the GSEF’s 95 members and community in advocacy, collaboration and project development with local and national governments, international organizations, civil society actors…, while coordinating the network’s strategic plan to turn members’ priorities into concrete responses to socio economic and environmental challenges.

Her work creates a cooperative space where stakeholders can exchange best policies and practices, identify common challenges and opportunities, and strengthen public–private SSE networks, while the GSEF partners with local governments to jointly co construct SSE policies and ecosystems in order to drive significant scaling of the SSE worldwide.

Before the GSEF, she held senior roles with international NGOs in conflict affected countries as Director of Programs. Across rural and urban contexts, she has focused on supporting self help groups, associations, cooperatives, and local collective development initiatives, building civil society capacity through a democratic governance model that links local development goals with community driven projects.

Andrew Allimadi

Social Affairs Officer and Coordinator of Cooperative Issues at UNDESA

Andrew Allimadi is a Social Affairs Officer and Coordinator of Cooperative Issues at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) in New York.

In this role, he supports United Nations Member States in policy discussions and negotiations related to cooperatives in social development and contributes to the preparation of UN reports and policy work on cooperatives. He has also played an active role in strengthening collaboration between the United Nations and the global cooperative movement.

During his career with the United Nations, Allimadi has held positions within the Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. Prior to joining the UN, he worked in journalism, research and academia, including as a lecturer in Economics at City University London.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies from the University of East Anglia and a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of London.

Shobha Shetty

Global Director for Agriculture and Food at World Bank

Shobha Shetty is Global Director for Agriculture and Food at the World Bank, where she leads the institution’s global work on agriculture and food systems.

Prior to this role, she served as Agriculture and Food Practice Manager for both the Africa and South Asia regions. She also served as Practice Manager for Global Partnerships and Resource Mobilization within the Social, Urban, Rural and Resilience Global Practice, and has worked across the East Asia and Pacific and Middle East and North Africa regions.

Her areas of expertise include irrigation and water resources management, digital agriculture, agribusiness development, women’s empowerment, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, urban food systems, rural youth employment, climate resilience and rural-urban linkages.

Shobha has also been a Visiting Fellow at the Tata-Cornell Agriculture and Nutrition Initiative (TCI) at Cornell University and at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Anna University in India, as well as a Master’s degree and PhD in Agricultural Economics from Cornell University.

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Chitose Arai

President of the Japanese Consumers’ Co-operative Union

Chitose Arai is the President of the Japanese Consumers’ Co-operative Union, a national federation of consumer co-operatives with 30 million individual members. She also serves as Vice President of the Japan Co-operative Alliance, the apex cooperative organization in Japan. Previously, she was the President of Co-op Mirai, the largest consumer co-op in the country. At the ICA level, she has been serving as a board member of ICA-AP since 2021 and as Chairperson of the ICA-AP Committee on Women since 2022.

Doug O’Brien

President & CEO of the National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International (NCBA CLUSA)

Doug O’Brien works with the cooperative community, both domestically and internationally, to deepen their impact and influence. NCBA is the primary voice for cooperatives in the United States for using the cooperative business model to empower people in their businesses and communities. Doug has been with NCBA since 2016 and became president and CEO in January 2018.

Before coming to NCBA CLUSA, Doug led the work of the White House Rural Council and served in top positions at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Doug has also worked in the U.S. Senate, U.S. House and for two Governors. O’Brien’s experience in academia includes teaching and writing at the University of Arkansas and Drake University Law School.

O’Brien was raised on a diversified farm in Dubuque County, Iowa, and holds degrees from Loras College (Dubuque, Iowa), the University of Iowa Law School, and the University of Arkansas Masters in Agricultural and Food Law Program. O’Brien lives in Takoma Park, Maryland, with his wife, Alisa and three children. He enjoys biking, travel, his memberships in a number of consumer co-ops and credit unions.

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Rose Marley

Chief Executive of Co-operatives UK

Rose Marley is Chief Executive of Co-operatives UK and a Director of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA). She chairs the International Co-operative Working Group (ICWG), leading the UK co-operative movement’s international engagement. Rose played a leading role in positioning the UK during the UN International Year of Cooperatives and works with ministers and policymakers to shape national policy for co-operative and mutual enterprise. She also advised Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham on co-operatives and social enterprise.

Before joining the movement, Rose was a successful entrepreneur in the UK’s music and technology industries, bringing an entrepreneurial perspective to international co-operative leadership.

Simone Gamberini

President of Legacoop Nazionale

Simone Gamberini is President of Legacoop Nazionale, one of Italy’s major cooperative representative organizations, and Co-President of the Alleanza delle Cooperative Italiane. He has been active in cooperative development since the 1990s, with particular experience in the promotion of cooperatives in the cultural and creative industries, innovation, digital transformation and cooperative finance.

Before being elected President of Legacoop in 2023, Gamberini served as Director General of Coopfond, Legacoop’s mutualistic fund, and previously as Director General of Legacoop Bologna. His career also includes public service as Mayor of Casalecchio di Reno from 2004 to 2014. Through his current leadership roles, he represents a significant part of the Italian cooperative movement in dialogue with national and European institutions and promotes cooperation as a model for innovation, social inclusion and sustainable economic development.

Alex Ortega Pinto

Dr. Alex Ortega Pinto is President of the Board of Directors of Cooperativa de Servicios Múltiples Profesionales, R.L. in Panama, one of the country’s largest cooperative organizations serving professionals, particularly in the health sector.

In his leadership role, he promotes the strengthening of the cooperative’s membership base, financial sustainability and the delivery of services that combine economic value with social benefits for members and their families.

Ortega emphasizes cooperative principles such as solidarity, mutual support and collective responsibility, encouraging members to actively contribute to the institution’s growth and long-term development. Under the cooperative’s current leadership, Cooperativa Profesionales has consolidated its position among Panama’s largest cooperatives and has been classified by IPACOOP in its highest asset segment.

Fabíola Nader Motta

Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the OCB System

Fabíola Nader Motta is a political scientist, with a degree from the University of Brasília (UnB) and an MBA in Business Management from FIA, and has served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the OCB System since December 2025. Her experience spans over 17 years at the institution, beginning as Institutional Relations analyst and advancing through the roles of Institutional Relations Manager and General Manager before reaching her current position. Over the course of this trajectory, she has established herself as one of the leading authorities in advocacy and government relations for Brazilian cooperatives, leading the sector’s representation before Executive, Legislative and Judiciary branches, public opinion, and international organizations.

Godfrey Ng’urah

Managing Director/CEO of Coop Bank Tanzania

Godfrey Ng’urah possess two decades of banking experience in the financial sector.

He had previously worked with CRDB Bank (2008-2020) as SME & Digital Business Change Manager. Before his tenure at CRDB Bank, He worked as Micro Lending Officer at Pride Microfinance Tanzania (2025-2007).

Prior to his current role as MD/CEO of Coop Bank Tanzania, Godfrey served as GM/CEO of Kilimanjaro Cooperative Bank (2020- 2024); where he executed transformational change initiatives that led to the formation of Co-operative Bank Tanzania Plc (Coop Bank)

Mr. Ng’urah holds a Master of Business Administration Degree (MBA-Finance) from the University of Dar es salaam and Executive Leadership Certification from Strathmore Business School. He is also a Certified Professional Banker (CPB) from Tanzania Institute of Bankers.

He is currently holding key governance roles including Council Board Member for Tanzania Institute of Bankers (TIOB), Board member of the Industrial Advisory Committee of Moshi Co-operative University (MoCU) and had previously held the role of commissioner and Board Member for Tanzania Cooperative Development Commission (TCDC)

Mr. Ng’urah is a passionate business banker and digital first, AI fanatic.

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Anne-Laure Desgris

Co-CEO of Smart Cooperative (Belgium)

Anne-Laure Desgris has been co-CEO since 2019 of the Smart cooperative in Belgium, which brings together more than 20,000 autonomous workers each year. With diverse experience, she has worked in the cultural sector, social and solidarity economy, as well as in international transport and logistics.

In France, Anne-Laure is co-founder of the Manufacture Coopérative and Bigre!. She is also vice-president of CECOP (European Confederation of Industrial and Service Cooperatives) and a member of Icett (International Cooperative Entrepreneurship Think Tank of the ICA).

Anne-Laure Desgris is committed to and advocates within these collective organizations to make them real levers of social change, with particular attention to professional equality between women and men and economic democracy.

Her expertise, shared at conferences and in her publications on cooperative entrepreneurship, demonstrates her determination to build a future where social justice and gender equity are the foundations of a truly solidarity-based and collaborative economy.

Christopher Thompson

CEO of Guyana Public Service Co-operative Credit Union

Christopher Thompson is the CEO of Guyana Public Service Co-operative Credit Union Ltd., the largest cooperative and credit union in the Co-operative Republic of Guyana that specializes in innovative and creative lending.

He is also an attorney-at-law and executive leader with expertise in anti-money laundering compliance and corporate law. As a partner at Christopher Ram & Associates, Attorneys-at-law, he led civil litigation and non-contentious proceedings across employment law, social security litigation and taxation matters. Christopher brings a rare combination of courtroom advocacy, compliance expertise, and operational leadership to his work.

Zhang Xiaohong

Division Chief of International Cooperation Department at All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives

Ms. ZHANG Xiaohong, holding a Master’s Degree in Social Sciences, is currently the division chief of International Cooperation Department of ACFSMC, the apex body of the cooperative movement in China. Having 20+ years of experience, she’s been working hard to promote cooperatives international exchanges and cooperation between China and other countries. From 2014 to 2015, she worked in MBO Office and actively facilitate in-depth exchanges and collaboration in economic and trade activities among cooperatives within ICA-AP.

Kaira Reece

Secretary for Sustainable Development at the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA)

Kaira Rosaura Reece Bernal is Secretary for Sustainable Development at the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA), the regional expression of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), which represents more than 55 million workers across the continent, with regional offices in Uruguay and Brazil.

At TUCA, Kaira Reece leads and coordinates regional agendas related to sustainable development, the environment and work, just transition, labour migration, tax justice, care, occupational health and safety, regional integration, and global production chains. Her work seeks to strengthen the role of the trade union movement as a key actor in transforming economic and social structures, promoting decent work, social protection, social justice, and a development model centred on people and the sustainability of life.

She is Panamanian and resides in Uruguay. Her professional career includes extensive experience in gender justice, the rights of women workers, trade union education and training, labour migration, development cooperation, and trade union organising. She has promoted the mainstreaming of a gender and equality perspective in trade union action, as well as collaboration and partnerships with social and feminist organisations and other stakeholders committed to building more equitable and inclusive societies.

She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Education, specialising in Primary Education, and is a Secondary Education Teacher. She has also pursued studies in Humanities, specialising in English, and holds a Master’s Degree in Labour Law and a Postgraduate Degree in Higher Education Teaching.

Within the framework of the conference “Building Bridges: Cooperative Contributions to a Peaceful World,” her experience brings a trade union and Latin American perspective on the importance of building alliances between the workers’ movement, the cooperative movement, and other social actors to promote economic models based on solidarity, democracy, social justice, equality, and peace.

Aicha Errifaai

General Director of the Office of Cooperation Development in Morocco

Mrs. Aicha Errifaai is the General Director of the Office of Cooperation Development in Morocco, which oversees the cooperative sector under the Ministry of Tourism, Handicrafts, and the Social and Solidarity Economy. Appointed by the Moroccan Government Council on July 24, 2023, she has since been leading the development of a national strategy to strengthen the cooperative sector in line with Morocco’s New Development Model.

Before this role, she worked in the private sector and later joined the Ministry of Economy and Finance, where she contributed to sectoral strategy development and the implementation of financial legislation, including multi-year budgeting and finance law drafting.

Mrs. Errifaai is a graduate of the Mohammedia School of Engineers (2013) and holds an executive master’s degree in “Advanced Public Action in Morocco” from Mohammed VI University and École des Ponts ParisTech. She brings to her role strong expertise in public policy design and is committed to promoting cooperatives as drivers of Morocco’s social and economic progress.

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Rebecca Harvey

Executive Editor of Co-op News

Rebecca is the executive editor of Co-op News, a magazine and news website about and for the global cooperative movement, which also provides specialist communications support to cooperative organisations internationally.

She has worked in education and communication for over 20 years, and currently co-hosts the Building a Better World podcast and Co-op Women’s Voices webinar series.

She also sits on the values and principles board of the UK’s Co-op Councils’ Innovation Network.

Attilio Dadda

President of Legacoop Lombardia

Attilio Dadda is President of Legacoop Lombardia, Vice President of Legacoop Nazionale and a member of the Board of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA). He also serves as President of the Alliance of Lombard Cooperatives.

He has more than 30 years of experience in the cooperative movement, having begun his career in 1990. For over two decades, he served as General Manager of cooperatives operating in the services and environmental sectors and later held several leadership positions within Legacoop Lombardia and Legacoop’s national structures.

His work focuses on strengthening cooperative enterprises, promoting inter-cooperation and advancing sustainability, innovation and international collaboration within the cooperative movement. As an ICA Board member since 2022, he has contributed to strengthening networks and alliances across the global cooperative sector.

Violetta Nafpaktiti

CEO of DotCooperation LLC (DotCoop)

Violetta is the CEO of DotCooperation LLC (DotCoop), the entity managing assets for the promotion, development and protection of cooperatives worldwide: the .COOP domain and the COOP Marque. Violetta has been actively involved with .coop since its inception, accumulating a wealth of experience in the domain name and internet industry.

She is an experienced presenter and has travelled around the world to events organised by the international cooperative movement, speaking on subjects from cooperative identity, the cooperative difference, digital tech and innovation, the advancing progress of AI as well as the potential and management of data.

Originally from Greece, She has been living in the United Kingdom since the mid-1990s.

Xiomara Núñez de Céspedes

President of the ICA Gender Equality Committee & Member of the ICA Global Board. Member of the Board of Directors of COOPROENF

President of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) Gender Equality Committee. Member of the ICA Global Board. Second Vice-President of the Board of Directors of Cooperatives of the Americas, representing the Dominican Republic.

Member of the Board of Directors of the Cooperativa de Servicios Múltiples de Profesionales de Enfermería (COOPROENF). Founder of the COOPROENF Committee for Women’s Development. Vice-President of the Committee of Cooperative Women of CONACOOP of the Dominican Republic.

Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing. Trainer of Trainers for the Women Entrepreneurs Project of the Andalusian School of Social Economy Foundation. Diplomas in Training Methodology for Virtual Learning Environments, Leadership and Gender Equality, Technical Master’s Degree for Teachers, Prevention of Money Laundering, among others.

Coordinator and speaker at national and international seminars and workshops on Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Gender, Services, Positive Attitude, Governance, among other topics.

Advisor to various cooperatives on Cooperative Education in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Panama, Nicaragua, Bolivia, among others. Trainer of Trainers for Women’s Development Projects. Trainer of Micro-entrepreneurs. Trainer of Women Micro-entrepreneurs. Columnist for El Cooperador newspaper, author of the Bendiciones de Lo Alto blog, among others.

Awards received: Cooperative Woman of the Year; ENECOOP Entrepreneurial Woman of the Year; Golden Lamp for Excellence in Teaching, Dominican College of Nursing Professionals (CODOPENF). Selected by the international organisation She-Coop as one of the 100 global women leaders in the cooperative movement. Received recognitions in El Salvador, Bolivia, Colombia, Paraguay, Panama, among others.

François Dionne

Director of the International Program Organization, SOCODEVI

François Dionne is Director of the International Program at SOCODEVI, a Canadian cooperative organization dedicated to strengthening cooperatives and mutual enterprises as drivers of sustainable and inclusive development. An expert in project planning and management, he has more than 25 years of experience working with international organizations, particularly in Latin America and the Maghreb.

His professional experience focuses on inclusive economic development and strategic development planning. At SOCODEVI, he promotes collective entrepreneurship and the role of cooperatives and civil society organizations in addressing inequality, discrimination, violence, and social and economic exclusion through locally rooted development initiatives.

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María Ortiz Pérez

Executive Director of Leadership Initiatives at the Aspen Institute

María Ortiz Pérez is a seasoned executive with over two decades of leadership experience spanning international organizations, think tanks and the private sector. She has built a reputation for advancing large-scale initiatives with diplomatic and political acumen, that unite governments, corporations, and civil society to address pressing global societal challenges.

She currently serves as the Executive Director of Leadership Initiatives at the Aspen Institute’s Center for Leadership, where she oversees strategic planning, operations, and partnerships. Prior, she was Managing Director of the Institute’s Energy & Environment Program, where she secured significant corporate and philanthropic support, launched global initiatives that convened international thought leaders and decision makers, and designed innovative management practices to foster talent growth and organizational alignment.

Prior to Aspen, Ms. Ortiz Pérez spent over a decade with the United Nations, where she rose to the role of Deputy Chief of Staff at the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. She managed operations for a 500-person, multi-country organization, advised senior officials on UN system reform, and spearheaded initiatives that deepened regional collaboration on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Earlier, she led conflict-related projects in the Middle East, including managing a multimillion-dollar project in Iraq and convening high-level officials to reflect on democratic transition following the Arab uprisings.

Her career began in economic development and public policy, including leadership roles at the Pioneer Institute in Boston and the City of Somerville, Massachusetts. She also worked in the private sector for Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH), helping open the Mexican subsidiary.

Ms. Ortiz Pérez earned her Master’s in Public Administration from Suffolk University, graduating as Valedictorian, and holds a Public Leadership Credential from Harvard Kennedy School.

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Veronica Morales

Deputy Manager of Digital Transformation and Strategic Planning COAC Riobamba

Veronica Morales is a cooperative professional with 15 years of experience at Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito Riobamba Ltda., where she currently serves as Deputy Manager of Digital Transformation and Strategic Planning and as a member of the Management Committee.

Her professional background includes social economy, microfinance and finance, complemented by postgraduate studies in Spain. Her work focuses on innovation, strategic planning and the development of sustainable cooperative models.

She has represented the cooperative movement internationally as Vice President of the Regional Youth Committee and currently serves as a member of the Regional Committee of Financial Cooperatives and Cooperative Banks of Cooperatives of the Americas, promoting collaborative leadership and a forward-looking vision for the sector.

Akram Altaher

General Director for the Economic & Social Development Centre of Palestine (ESDC)

Akram Altaher has been the General Director for the Economic & Social Development Centre of Palestine (ESDC). He has 28 years of experience in the international cooperation and Socio- Economic development in Palestine including Cooperatives, SMEs, small farmers. Within his experience he has been supervise ESDC team to develop and implement tens of developmental projects and programs to build the institutional and business capacities of more than 150 individual cooperative and sectorial union in Palestine.

Besides that, he was key player in improving the production environment for the small and medium enterprises and cooperatives, also facilitating the agricultural market system and specific value chain level.

Akram Altaher has master’s degree in the “International Studies” since 1997. And he joined the cooperative movement since 1992.

Also, Mr. Altaher is working as a board member at New Farm for processing and Marketing company (Cooperative Company), and a board member at TURBA Co. for Economic & Technical consulting services.

Halefom Gezaei Abera

Chief Program Officer (CPO) for Imagine1day

Halefom Gezaei Abera, Ph.D. is an Ethiopian leader with 20 years of experience across education, humanitarian development, cooperatives and the financial sector.

He currently serves as Chief Program Officer of Imagine1day International Organization, President of Fana Youth SACCO, President of Semien Microfinance Institute, and Board Member for International Relations at Raya University.

Under his leadership, Fana Youth SACCO has grown to serve more than 54,000 young members, promoting employment, entrepreneurship and financial inclusion. In 2026, he was recognized by the ICA Africa Awards among the continent’s most influential cooperative leaders.

Dr. Halefom holds a Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Strategic Management, an MA in Community Development and Leadership, a BA in Management and a BSc in Mathematics. He is also an author, researcher and trainer in leadership, education, cooperatives, project management and community development.

Contact him and follow:

Email: halefomgezaei29@gmail.com

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Valtencir Mendes

Head of Education and Senior Specialist at the UNESCO Latin America

Valtencir Mendes is Head of Education and Senior Specialist at the UNESCO Regional Office in Santiago and Office for UN Coordination in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In this role, he coordinates regional initiatives aimed at strengthening education systems across Latin America and the Caribbean, working closely with UNESCO offices, governments and strategic partners.

His work focuses on education policy, innovation, inclusion and digital transformation. He has also led regional initiatives related to artificial intelligence in education and the development of more inclusive and resilient education systems.

Mendes holds a European Doctorate from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and the University of Glasgow and has extensive experience leading research and programmes in educational innovation.

Nora Gabriela de Aracama

Institutional Relations and Compliance Manager at Asociación de Cooperativas Argentinas (ACA)

Nora Gabriela de Aracama is a lawyer and graduate of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina, with experience in corporate legal advisory, labour relations and compliance.

She currently serves as Institutional Relations and Compliance Manager at Asociación de Cooperativas Argentinas (ACA), where she previously worked as Legal Affairs Manager, advising the second-tier cooperative and its affiliated agricultural cooperatives.

De Aracama also collaborates with CONINAGRO on collective bargaining and legal matters affecting the agricultural cooperative sector. She serves on the Board of the National Institute of Associativism and Social Economy (INAES), representing the agricultural cooperative sector through CONINAGRO.

She also contributes as a trainer on cooperative law and ethical compliance in courses organized by Fundación NODOS.

Khalat Shikhmous

Co-Chair of the Cooperatives Committee in Rojava (Northeast of Syria)

Agricultural Engineer. Currently, Co-Chair of the Cooperatives Committee in Rojava (Northeast of Syria). Previously, Co-Chair of the Economy and Agriculture Council in the Jazira Region – Syria.

The Cooperatives Committee focuses primarily on the economic dimensions of community affairs, with a particular emphasis on developing and strengthening the community economy. The Committee provides the necessary economic support to cooperatives, while also strengthening cooperation and coordination between cooperatives, government bodies, and institutions.

Dulce Bustamante

Executive Director of the Union of Legitimate Service Contracting Cooperatives in the Philippines

Atty. Dulce Delmo is the Executive Director of the Union of Legitimate Service Contracting Cooperatives in the Philippines, a cooperative union whose main advocacy is for the development, training, and support to labor service cooperatives.

She also serves as the Chairperson of the ICA-Asia Pacific Youth Committee, Board Member of the ICA Asia Pacific, and the Vice-President for Asia Pacific of the ICA Youth Committee. She is also a practicing lawyer and the Managing Partner of a law firm based in the Philippines.

As a cooperator, she has taken on various roles as trainer and program implementor especially in the development of laboratory and youth cooperatives. Now in the labor and service sector, her advocacy is to promote cooperative laws and framework locally and internationally. Her expertise includes youth development, labor service, governance, and cooperatives.

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Jose Pérez

Deputy Director of Fundación Espriu

Jose Pérez is the Deputy Director of Fundación Espriu, the organisation representing health cooperatives in Spain, and Secretary-General of the International Health Cooperative Organisation. Dedicated to the promotion of health cooperatives since 2000, he has also served as a Board Member and Treasurer of the Alliance for Health Promotion. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management from the University of Barcelona.

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Sarah Alldred

Lead at the Fund for International Cooperative Development (FICD)

Dr Sarah Alldred is the Lead at the Fund for International Cooperative Development (FICD), where she is responsible for the overall management and strategic alignment of the Fund. In this role, she ensures that the Fund’s activities remain aligned with its goals and coordinates efforts with its Organisational Members and Directors.

Her areas of interest include Peace Studies, Conflict Resolution, Co-operatives, Solidarity Economies, International Co-operative Development, the Sustainable Development Goals, Labour Rights and Decent Work.

Thomas Blondeel

Chair of ICETT

Thomas is foremost a proud father of two teenage girls he tries to raise with his wife on the Belgian countryside. He holds a Master Management (MSc), a Bachelor in Social work and a Business education certificate in Accounting.

In 2009 he joined SmartCoop, a Belgian cooperative for freelancers, where he worked on different missions before becoming their (international) advocacy officer. In this role he is currently the chair of the International Cooperative Entrepreneurship Think Tank (ICETT), a think-(and do) tank of the International Cooperative Alliance on cooperative entrepreneurship.

In the past he was a board member of Coopkracht, an umbrella organization for Flemish cooperatives and member of the general assembly of the Belgian national council of cooperatives. Since June 2026 he is a board member of Cooperis, the Belgian federation of employment cooperatives.

Harsh Sanghani

President of the ICA Youth Committee & Member of the ICA Global Board. Chairman of Ray Infrastructures (India)

Harsh Mukeshbhai Sanghani is President of the ICA Youth Committee and Youth Representative to the ICA Global Board, the first person of Indian origin elected to this role. Since 2025, he has worked alongside young cooperators across the world to transform the Youth Committee into a more active, connected, and self-reliant global network.

Harsh is also Founder and President of the Indian Youth Cooperative Society (IYCS) and Chairman of Ray Infrastructures Pvt. Ltd., bringing hands-on entrepreneurial and institution-building experience to the movement.

Donna C. Dizon

Group Senior Vice President at CLIMBS Life and General Insurance Cooperative

Donna is a dedicated professional with over 25 years of experience across academe, financial sector, development and cooperative industry. She drives strategic leadership in human resources, organizational development, innovation, and partnerships that advance organizational resilience, education and sustainability.

She has been actively involved in initiatives on gender-smart Climate and Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance (CDRFI) and Cooperative Education that strengthen inclusive and climate-resilient communities. Passionate about lifelong learning and people development, Donna has earned post-graduate certifications in Cooperative Management, Insurance Development and Executive Programs from local and global institutions.

She holds a degree in Business Administration, Economics from Mindanao State University–Iligan Institute of Technology and an Executive MBA from the Asian Institute of Management. She currently serves on the ICA-AP Committee on Cooperatives in Educational Institutions (ICEI), contributing to regional initiatives that promote cooperative education and leadership development.

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Ana Aguirre Uriz

Director of Open Government and Good Governance at the Basque Government

Director of Open Government and Good Governance at Eusko Jaurlaritza – Basque Government where she works with transparency, civil participation, accessibility, frame development for impact measurement in transparency and accountability… all things that enable the Government and the citizens to work more, better and more clearly together.

She graduated from the Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Innovation (LEINN), and has devoted her career to the cooperative environment, specially worker cooperatives, and cooperative development (local and global) at TAZEBAEZ S.Coop, where she was a co-founder, worker owner and team entrepreneur. For years she has lead the line of cooperative development, international development and platform and digital cooperatives, as well as being part of the TravellingU – LEINN International team in the international development.

She’s served in various roles at the International Coooperative Alliance since 2015. She first was part of the founding of the YECN Young European Cooperators’ Network and later served as vicepresident for Europe at the Youth Committee, before becoming president of the Youth Committee and becoming the youth representative at the ICA Global Board.

She is a firm believer in applied democracy, participation and shared ownership, wealth distribution and the parallel development of global and locally enrooted growth.

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Ignacio Moncayo

Agriculture Expert

Ignacio Moncayo is a consultant specializing in agrifood systems and rural development, with experience in public policy, cooperatives, partnerships and investment. He has worked with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on initiatives related to rural development and cooperative organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Moncayo is an agronomist from the University of La Serena in Chile and holds a Master’s degree in Agrifood Economics from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Italy.

Carlos Heller

President Banco Credicoop, Argentina

Carlos Heller is President of Banco Credicoop Cooperativo Limitado, one of Argentina’s leading cooperative financial institutions, a position he has held since 2005.

His career in the cooperative movement spans more than six decades. He began working in credit cooperatives in the 1960s and later served as General Manager of the Instituto Movilizador de Fondos Cooperativos (IMFC). In 1978, he became General Manager of Banco Credicoop, a position he held until 2005 before assuming the Bank’s presidency.

Heller has also played an active role in Argentina’s public and institutional life. He served several terms as a National Deputy and held leadership positions in congressional committees related to finance, budget, small and medium-sized enterprises and cooperative affairs.

Throughout his career, he has combined leadership in cooperative banking with public service, promoting cooperative development, financial inclusion and the social economy in Argentina.

María Eugenia Pérez Zea

President of Coomeva’s Board of Directors

María Eugenia Pérez Zea is a Colombian cooperative leader with more than 20 years of experience in the cooperative movement. She served as President of the Board of Directors of Grupo Empresarial Cooperativo Coomeva and has held several leadership positions at national and international levels.

She has served as President of the International Cooperative Alliance’s Gender Equality Committee since 2012 and as a member of the ICA Global Board since 2018. She is also President of the Colombian Association of Cooperative Lawyers (COOLEGAS).

Throughout her career, Pérez Zea has promoted cooperative identity, gender equality and the participation and leadership of women and young people within the cooperative movement. In 2020, she was recognized by SHE-COOPS as one of the 100 most influential women in the global cooperative movement.

Tiago Luiz Schmidt

President of the Board of Directors of Sicredi Pioneira RS

Tiago Luiz Schmidt is President of the Board of Directors of Sicredi Pioneira RS, one of Brazil’s oldest cooperative financial institutions.

His work is closely connected to the development of cooperative finance and to initiatives that support stronger and more sustainable communities. Schmidt has been a member of Sicredi Pioneira since 2006 and has a background in Business Administration. He also participates in governance structures within the broader Sicredi system, contributing to the representation of cooperative financial institutions in Brazil.

Throughout his leadership, he has promoted the cooperative model as a tool for financial inclusion, local development and community engagement.

Kristen Murray

Co-operative Development Officer at the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Co-operatives (NLFC)

Kristen Murray (she/her) is a community leader and co-operative developer based in St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada. She holds the degrees of Bachelor of Commerce and Master of Business Administration in Social Enterprise & Entrepreneurship (MBA-SEE) from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Kristen has also completed CoopZone’s Co-operative Developer Training Program (2024), Saint Mary’s University’s Certificate of Co-operative Management Program (2025) and is enrolled in Saint Mary’s University’s Graduate Diploma in Co-operative Management Program. For over four years, Kristen has been working with the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Co-operatives (NLFC), currently in the position of Co-operative Development Officer. She leads co-operative education and development efforts, including a Co-operative Business Conversion Project and Co-operative Incubator Program. She has supported the development of 16 new co-operatives in her province thus far in her career.

She was the 2022 recipient of the Lemaire Co-operative Studies Award from the Canadian Association for Studies in Co-operation, a 2023 Co-operators Young Leaders Award recipient, and named the 2023 Young Co-operator of the Year from Co-operatives & Mutuals Canada. She is proud to serve as President of Co-operatives & Mutuals’ youth advisory council (called Canada’s Emerging Co-operators), as well as serve as Secretary of CoopZone Developers’ Network Co-operative. Kristen has a steadfast passion for the co-operative model and believes in the role co-operation will play in creating a brighter future for society and the planet.

Jayati Ghosh

Professor of Economics at University of Massachusetts Amherst

Jayati Ghosh is Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She previously taught at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi for more than two decades. She holds a PhD and an MPhil in Economics from the University of Cambridge and has published extensively on economic development, globalisation, labour, inequality, gender and macroeconomic policy.

Dr Ghosh has worked extensively with international organisations and has served on several high-level international advisory bodies, including the United Nations High Level Advisory Board on Economic and Social Affairs, the UN Secretary-General’s High Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism and the WHO Council on the Economics of Health for All. She is also Co-Chair of the Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation (ICRICT).

Nicolás Jacquet

President of the Regional Youth Committee of Cooperatives of the Americas (CRJ)

Nicolás Jacquet is President of the Regional Youth Committee of Cooperatives of the Americas (CRJ) and a member of the Cooperative Law Committee of Cooperatives of the Americas.

Based in Argentina, he is also a consultant to the Argentine Federation of Consumer Cooperatives (FACC) and serves on the Board of Cooperatives of the Americas. He is actively involved in promoting youth participation, cooperative leadership and the development of cooperative law across the region.

Jacquet is also a professor of Cooperative Law and has contributed to research, publications and regional discussions on cooperative legislation, identity and governance.

Through his work, he combines legal expertise with the promotion of greater youth participation in the cooperative movement at national and international levels.

Hagen Henrÿ

Professor Emeritus at the University of Helsinki

Hagen Henrÿ is Professor Emeritus at the University of Helsinki, where he continues to work as a Visiting Scholar. Following his studies in law and development in Germany, Switzerland, France and Finland, and his judicial training in Germany, he served as Legal Adviser to the German Federal Government, Head of the Cooperatives Service at the International Labour Organization (ILO), and Director of Research at the University of Helsinki.

Since 1994, Henrÿ has provided consultancy on cooperative policy and law in and for some 80 countries, working with numerous governmental and non-governmental organisations. He coordinates the International Cooperative Alliance’s Cooperative Law Committee and is a member of several scientific associations and editorial and scientific boards of academic journals.

Many of his numerous publications, lectures and teaching activities focus on how to translate cooperative principles into legal rules in a way that complies with the legal principle of sustainable development. In addition to cooperative law, he continues to teach comparative law.

Hanan El-Youssef

Co-author of the ICA Guidance Notes on Cooperative Principles (2015)

Hanan El-Youssef is a multi-cultural polyglot with 15+ years of international experience in strategic programming, relationship management, and governance. She has a background in not-for-profits, economic development, member associations, and co-operatives.

She served as Director of Strategy for the International Co-operative Alliance from 2013-2017 working to advance the Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade. She is passionate about cooperatives as engines of self-determined economic development, worker and labor rights, and refugee and immigrant issues.

Hanan earned a BA from Bryn Mawr College (magna cum laude) and an MSc from the University of Pavia (Italy).

She speaks English, French, Spanish, and Arabic.

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Dante Cracogna

Chairperson of the Cooperative Law Committee of Cooperatives of the Americas

Dante Cracogna is Chairperson of the Cooperative Law Committee of Cooperatives of the Americas and a member of the International Cooperative Alliance’s Cooperative Law Committee.

A distinguished specialist in cooperative law, he is Professor of Commercial Law at the University of Buenos Aires and a practicing lawyer in civil and commercial law. He also serves as Vice President of the Argentine Federation of Consumer Cooperatives.

Cracogna has made significant contributions to the development of cooperative legislation in Latin America and internationally. He participated in the drafting of the Framework Law for Cooperatives in Latin America and the Statute of Mercosur Cooperatives, and contributed to the ICA’s Guidance Notes to the Cooperative Principles.

He is the author of numerous books and articles on cooperative law and has held leadership roles in international academic and legal organizations dedicated to the study and development of cooperative legislation.

Colombia Pérez Muñoz

Director of the Institute of Social Economy and Cooperativism (INDESCO) at the Cooperative University of Colombia

Colombia Pérez Muñoz is Director of the Institute of Social Economy and Cooperativism (INDESCO) at the Cooperative University of Colombia, which provides training, research and consultancy services in solidarity-based entrepreneurship and social innovation to public, private and solidarity-based organisations at national and international levels.

She is Director of the UNESCO Chair on Social and Solidarity Economy for the 2026–2030 period. She is an active member of the RULESCOOP, UNICOSSOL, ICA, RIPESS and GSEF networks and Editor of the journal Cooperativismo & Desarrollo.

She has participated in a number of projects, including the Erasmus Mundus Programme Project (York St John University, 2020), Enhancing Study and Practice of the Social Economy in Higher Education; Organizing Workers in the Informal Economy of Selected African and Latin American Countries: The Potential of Trade Union and Cooperative Partnerships (ODI–ILO, 2021); Plataforma de Incubación de Emprendimientos y Redes Colaborativas de Economía Popular, Social y Solidaria con Enfoque Territorial – Incubepss (University of Quilmes, Costa Rica Institute of Technology and University of Managua, 2024–2025); and Support for the Associativity for Peace Agenda through the Development of Solidarity Territories with the Government of Colombia (2023–2025), among others.

She received the Award for Outstanding Teaching and Research Career at the 12th Research and Teaching Awards in the Field of Participatory Organisations, presented by the Complutense University of Madrid (Madrid, 2023).

AREAS OF INTEREST: Cooperative management; cooperative education; cooperative entrepreneurship; social innovation; and research on the social and solidarity economy.

Kiriam Palma

Youth Leader, Panamá

Mateo André Cando

Youth Leader, Panamá

Mateo André Cando Urueta is a Panamanian youth leader actively involved in youth participation, leadership development and cooperative education.

He has held several leadership roles within the Fundación del Movimiento de Liderazgo Juvenil Panameño (FUMOLIJUP), including serving as National President and currently as Coordinator of the Panama Platform.

Cando has participated in youth civic and environmental initiatives and currently facilitates workshops on soft skills and teamwork for youth cooperatives. He is also a graduate of the Latin American Laboratory for Citizen Action of the Panama Canal.

He is currently pursuing a degree in Industrial Engineering at the Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá.

Milagros Arias Tuñón

Youth Leader, Panamá

Milagros Arias Tuñón is a Panamanian youth leader with experience in leadership, community engagement and youth participation.

She currently serves as Technical Coordination Assistant at the Fundación del Movimiento de Liderazgo Juvenil Panameño, where she has also held several leadership and training roles. Her background includes participation in youth organizations, volunteer initiatives and community-based projects.

Arias Tuñón has also been involved in the cooperative movement from an early stage, including as a founding member and Board Secretary of Cooperativa Juvenil Rubenistas, R.L.

She holds a degree in Psychology from Universidad Latina de Panamá and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Neuropsychology at Universidad Santa María La Antigua.

Mathias Nkuhi

Senior Lecturer in Law & Coordinator of the Internationalisation and Partnerships Office at Moshi Co-operative University (MoCU)

Dr. Mathias S. Nkuhi is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Law at Moshi Co-operative University (MoCU), Tanzania, and currently serves as the Coordinator of the Internationalisation and Partnerships Office.

He is a legal scholar, researcher and consultant specialising in co-operative law and policy, with extensive experience at the intersection of law, sustainable development and co-operative development, particularly in relation to communities and vulnerable groups.

He holds a Ph.D. in Law from the University of Mysore, India, an LL.M. from the University of Dar es Salaam, an LL.B. from Mzumbe University, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law School of Tanzania.

He is a former Head of the Department of Law at MoCU and has worked extensively with national governments, regional bodies and international institutions, including the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) and the German Cooperative and Raiffeisen Confederation (DGRV), on co-operative development, legal and policy reform, research and capacity-building initiatives across various African countries.

He currently works with the Co-operative University of Kenya (CUK) in implementing the Producer Organisations (POs) Strengthening Project in Kenya and Tanzania, focusing on strengthening producer organisations and their value chains.

His work connects academic scholarship with policy development and practical co-operative systems, and he has contributed to national and international research projects, policy reform processes and co-operative development initiatives across Africa and beyond.

He has published in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes and has presented research papers and delivered keynote addresses at international conferences across Africa, Europe and Asia on co-operative law and policy.

He is actively engaged in strengthening co-operative education through institutional partnerships, international collaboration and field-based extension models that connect universities, policymakers, practitioners and communities in advancing sustainable and inclusive co-operative development. He currently coordinates a network of more than 1,000 young co-operative scholars through the Young Scholars Initiative (YSI) of the US-based Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET).

María Jovita Soto

Social Responsibility Officer at Sociedad Cooperativa Cuauhtémoc

She is the Social Responsibility Officer at Sociedad Cooperativa Cuauhtémoc in Mexico. Her work focuses on social responsibility, sustainability and the well-being of cooperative members and workers. She has also participated in youth committees and representative spaces of the International Cooperative Alliance, contributing to discussions on cooperative identity, youth engagement and the social economy.

Soto Chávez holds a degree in Humanities from Universidad de las Américas Puebla and a Master’s degree in Social Economy Enterprise Management from Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla. Through her work at Cooperativa Cuauhtémoc, she has promoted initiatives related to environmental responsibility, community engagement and the recognition and dignity of workers in the transport sector.

Marina Aguilar Rubio

Tenured Associate Professor of Financial and Tax Law & Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Postgraduate Studies at the University of Almería School of Law

Marina Aguilar Rubio is a Tenured Associate Professor of Financial and Tax Law and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Postgraduate Studies at the University of Almería School of Law (Spain). She holds degrees in Law and Political Science and Sociology, as well as a European Doctorate in Law.

She is the author of numerous academic publications, including journal articles, book chapters and monographs, and has presented papers at international conferences. She has undertaken research stays at the Universities of Nottingham, Bologna, Arizona, Harvard. Costa Rica and Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa.

She has participated in R&D&I projects funded through regional, national and European programmes in various areas of tax law and on the taxation of cooperatives and social economy enterprises particularly. She also undertakes knowledge-transfer and collaborative activities with public and private organisations through research contracts.

In the field of the social economy, she regularly teaches on specialized postgraduate courses organized by the CIDES Research Centre and the Chair in Social Economy at the University of Almería. She is a researcher with EESCOOP at the Complutense University of Madrid and CIRIEC-Spain and serves on editorial boards and scientific committees of specialized journals in both Spain and abroad.

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Ivan Asiimwe

Cooperative Expert, Professional Accountant & Master Trainer. PhD Candidate at Moshi Cooperative University (MoCU)

Ivan Asiimwe is a cooperative professional with extensive experience of 23 years in cooperatives for sustainable development. He is a professional accountant, Professional cooperative expert and master trainer for cooperatives. Ivan holds master’s degree in business administration among other qualifications and currently pursuing doctoral studies with research focusing on agricultural cooperatives and rural livelihoods at Moshi Cooperative University. He has served in various leadership roles, demonstrating integrity, accountability and a commitment to cooperative principles and values. Ivan is passionate about advancing the cooperative movement through strategic leadership, innovation and inclusivity.

Carlos Vargas Vasserot

Professor of Commercial Law at the University of Almería

Carlos Vargas Vasserot is Professor of Commercial Law at the University of Almería (Spain) and a member of the International Association of Cooperative Law (IACL). He is Director of the Chair of Social Economy at the University of Almería and previously served as Director of its Research Centre for Social Economy and Cooperative Law (CIDES) from 2018 to 2025.

His main research fields are cooperative law, social economy law and social enterprises, with particular emphasis on cooperative principles, cooperative identity and their legal implementation. He has been Principal Investigator of several competitive research projects on cooperative and social economy law, including projects on the reformulation of cooperative principles, the legal recognition and regulation of social enterprises, cooperative integration and socially responsible restructuring, and, currently, the transformative role of the social and solidarity economy.

He is the author and editor of numerous publications in these fields and has participated as a speaker in international conferences organised by the International Cooperative Alliance and other leading academic networks.
He is Deputy Director of CIRIEC-España, Revista Jurídica de Economía Social y Cooperativa, and a member of several international research networks.

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David Aguilar Sánchez

Academic Affairs Manager at Fundación Ciudad del Saber

David Aguilar Sánchez is Academic Affairs Manager at Fundación Ciudad del Saber in Panama.

In this role, he works to strengthen Panama’s position as a regional hub for higher education and applied research, promoting collaboration among universities, public institutions, companies and international partners.

His work focuses on attracting and supporting international academic institutions, fostering knowledge transfer and developing partnerships that connect education with innovation and the needs of the productive sector.

Aguilar has also held responsibilities in business development at Ciudad del Saber, contributing to the growth of its ecosystem of academic institutions, research centers, companies and international organizations.

Morshed Mannan

Lecturer in Global Law and Digital Technology at Edinburgh Law School, University of Edinburgh

Dr. Morshed Mannan is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Global Law and Digital Technology at Edinburgh Law School, University of Edinburgh, where he is co-director of the Scottish Research Centre for IP and Technology Law (SCRIPT Centre). He is also a Science-Policy Visiting Fellow on Data Governance at the United Nations University – Centre for Policy Research Fellow in Geneva and a co-Principal Investigator of the ‘Co-imagining data intermediation in Scottish creative industries’ project, funded by the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

He is an Affiliate Faculty of the Institute for the Cooperative Digital Economy at The New School in New York City, and has written extensively about the regulation and governance of platform cooperatives and data cooperatives. He is the co-author of two books, most recently Blockchain Governance, published by MIT Press in 2024 and has a forthcoming co-authored monograph, Blockchain Chronicles: A Social History of Ideology, Code, and Law, to be published by MIT Press in May 2027.

He has acted as an expert on cooperative law and digital governance for the ICA, BRAC Centre for Peace and Justice, the Scottish Parliament, the European Commission, NCBA Clusa International, the OECD, UNCTAD, UNIDROIT, and the UNDESA.

Ajibola Akanji

Legal Adviser to the Cooperative Federation of Nigeria & Lecturer at Lead City University

Ajibola Anthony Akanji Esq. PhD is a multidisciplinary scholar with degrees in Law and social sciences. He is Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, and Legal Adviser to the Cooperative Federation of Nigeria.

He is a lecturer at the Faculty of Law, and adjunct at the Faculty of Management and Social Sciences, Lead City University, Ibadan, Nigeria. His research is primarily focused on the intersection of law, social solidarity economy and sustainable development. He is an associate with Olujimi & Akeredolu, legal practitioners and notaries, Nigeria.

He is one of two representatives of Africa region on the Cooperative Law Committee of International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), global.

He has at different times being selected as national expert for Nigeria on cooperatives and the social solidarity economy by the ICA and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

He currently serves as a coordinator of the Cooperative Working group of the Young Scholars Initiative. Amongst others, he served as co-authored of a global report “International Legal Research & Analysis Initiative on Housing Cooperatives” for the ICA and Cooperative Housing International and equally served as a national expert for Nigeria on the same project. He has published extensively on law, cooperatives and sustainable development.

Akkanut Wantanasombut

Coordinator of the Platform Cooperativism Consortium (PCC) Thailand

Akkanut Wantanasombut is a scholar activist based in Bangkok, and coordinator of the Platform Cooperativism Consortium (PCC) Thailand. He founded Tamsang-Tamsong, a multi-stakeholder cooperative delivery platform that offers a community-centred alternative to extractive gig platforms, and ThaiEconoMap, a community-owned digital commons.

He heads the ISSIE Research Group (Innovation for Social Solidarity and Inclusive Economy in Asia) at the Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University, where his work centers on the solidarity economy, platform cooperativism, and fairer models of digital labour. As a member of the Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of Social Solidarity Economy (RIPESS), he supports initiatives to adopt cooperative principles and the social and solidarity economy (SSE) in the digital economy. As Principal Investigator of Fairwork Thailand, he assesses working conditions on digital platforms and advocates for cooperative approaches that put ownership and voice in workers’ hands.

Through these networks he hopes to connect Thai and Southeast Asian cooperativism more closely to the global movement, learning from international practice and bringing it back to local organizing.

His fieldwork keeps him in direct contact with motorcycle taxis and informal workers, grounding his cooperative advocacy in the realities of those the movement seeks to serve.

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Andreea Nacu

Communications Officer at Housing Europe

Andreea coordinates the activities of Cooperative Housing International alongside her role at Housing Europe, where she leads on communication, dissemination, networking, and membership development.

With over five years in the housing sector, she brings experience in EU-funded projects on housing, energy, sustainability, and inclusion.

Andreea has a background in languages and NGO work, and is passionate about making complex topics accessible. She speaks English, Romanian, and French.

Shivali Sarna

Communication and Membership Development at the ICA Asia and Pacific

Shivali Sarna is a communication and development professional with over a decade of experience. She currently heads Communication and Membership Development at the International Cooperative Alliance – Asia and Pacific (ICA-AP) Regional Office.

Her work focuses on strategic communications, advocacy, stakeholder management, digital communications, and membership development across the Asia-Pacific region. She brings together academic training and practical experience to develop communication approaches that support stronger engagement and meaningful impact. She works with cooperative organisations and partners to build greater visibility and participation in the cooperative movement. She also contributes to strategic regional processes, including Regional Assemblies, Board meetings, and major programmes and events.

Before joining ICA-AP, Shivali was Head of Communication and Business Development at Access Livelihoods Group, an Indian social enterprise working with cooperatives. Earlier, she worked as an editor and social media manager with a publishing agency.

Shivali holds a Master’s degree in Media Governance from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, and a Bachelor’s degree in Development Communication and Extension from the University of Delhi.

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Tom Ivey

DotCoop Community Development Manager

Tom has been an active member of the global cooperative community for over a decade, joining DotCoop in 2016. During this time, he has taken on a range of roles and now serves as a public advocate for cooperative identity, leading webinars, workshops, and events around the world. He has also contributed to key global initiatives that support the cooperative movement, including stories.coop and worldmap.coop.

Tom is a strong advocate for the cooperative business model and is committed to advancing wider recognition of its role in creating decent, sustainable work worldwide.

Helena Gorroño

Vice President for Europe of the ICA Youth Committee. Project Development Coordinator at TAZEBAEZ (Spain)

Helena Gorroño is Vice President for Europe of the ICA Youth Committee. She is Project Development Coordinator at the workers’ cooperative TAZEBAEZ, where she leads projects related to Social Economy and Youth, focusing on strategic innovation, complex project design and implementation, impact assessment and the internationalisation of business units.

She is also Coordinator at U-BAI, where she works on regional economic and territorial development in the Busturialdea-Urdaibai region of the Basque Country, promoting entrepreneurship in educational centres and supporting established business initiatives through the U-BAI Up! programme.

For the past decade, Helena has been committed to contributing to a fairer, safer and more equal society from a “glocal” perspective. Beyond her professional work, she considers activism a transversal part of her life and regularly engages in learning opportunities and open civic processes where citizen participation and decision-making play a key role.