Eliza’s Project: Championing women’s leadership in co-operatives and mutuals

31 October 2025

The Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM) has launched Eliza’s Project, a new initiative uniting current and former women chief executives from across co-operative and mutual industries to champion women’s leadership at the highest echelons of the movement.

A BCCM initiative, the new network is named for Eliza Brierley, an inspirational pioneer in the co-operative movement who embodies the ideals of parity and inclusion. In 1846, Eliza paid her £1 membership fee to join the Rochdale Pioneers and brought about a true revolution – women having their own money and vote in a democratic organisation, more than fifty years before women even gained the right to vote or to join trade unions.

Eliza’s Project draws on the findings of the BCCM’s 2017 report, Eliza’s Project: Gender Inclusion in the CME Sector in Australia. This pioneering research concluded that women in the co-operative and mutual sector are significantly under-represented in executive and leadership positions. The higher up you go through an organisation’s structure, the higher the ratio of men to women.

While this is a similar pattern seen in other sectors, the co-operative and mutual sector has a history of empowering women, and organisations in this sector are founded on principles that promote democracy and inclusion. There is a unique role for the sector to show leadership on this issue. Moreover, there is a strong business case for inclusion and equality.

Eliza’s Project will bring together women chief executives from across the movement to connect, share experiences and advocate for change, ensuring that the principles of equality and democracy that underpin co-operatives and mutuals are reflected in their leadership.

BCCM CEO Melina Morrison said: “Eliza’s Project honours the pioneering women who have helped shape the co-operative and mutual movement and creates a platform to champion gender equality at the highest levels. By celebrating the contribution of women chief executives and supporting their advancement, we strengthen our movement and the values that define it. It is our objective through this initiative to advocate for and support the work of the ICA Gender Committee and other vital gender inclusion initiatives.”

Through Eliza’s Project, the BCCM reaffirms its commitment to advancing gender inclusion and equality – ensuring that women have the opportunity to lead, influence and inspire the next generation across the co-operative and mutual sector.

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