WA business leader wins international co-operatives seat

07 November 2013

Cape Town, 7 November 2013 – Group CEO of Capricorn Society, Greg Wall, became the first Australian to be elected to the board of the world’s largest NGO, the International Co-operative Alliance, at its General Assembly in Cape Town this week. Formed in 1895, the Alliance represents a global sector of co-operatives with one billion members.

The elections were the most highly contested for the Alliance in recent times with 31 candidates standing for 15 seats on the board. Delegates from each of the four regions of the Alliance — Africa, Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe — were elected. Mr Wall will represent Asia-Pacific.

CEO of the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals, Melina Morrison, said Mr Wall’s appointment to the Alliance board was a positive development for our own sector.

“Greg is joining business leaders from around the world including important trade partners, China, Japan and Korea, on a leadership group that represents a business sector equivalent to the tenth largest global economy.”

“Co-op to co-op trade is a focus for the Alliance which has launched its Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade strategy for co-ops to be the fastest growing business form by 2020,” said Ms Morrison.

“Our Asian trade partners have huge co-op sectors. For example, the Chinese apex body for supply and marketing co-operatives has 160 million members and employs over three million people, so there is potential to build business ties with our sector here.”

Co-operatives employ 100 million people – 20 per cent more than all multinationals according to the ICA. In Australia, a 2012 mapping report found eight in ten Australians is a member of a co-operatively owned business or mutual, representing a membership base of more than 13 million.

“There are no co-operative or mutual businesses on the B20 group advising the Australian government on the agenda for its G20 presidency in 2014, which has jobs and economic growth as key issues for discussion,” said Mr Wall.

“In light of the role of co-operatives in employment creation and job security, it was common sense to include the co-operative business point of view.

“G20 group, the International Labour Organisation, has co-ops at the front and centre of its strategies for employment growth. G20 nations including the UK have also included co-ops and mutuals in their GFC recovery plans.”

ICA president, Dame Pauline Green said, ”I warmly welcome Greg Wall’s election to the global board of the Alliance – an Australian voice is very overdue. If the Australian government appoints a co-operative leader to its B20, it would show vision as the first G20 host to recognise the role of this important business sector.”

Sector at a glance

• 79%, the proportion of Australians who are members of a co-op or mutual
• 43%, a comparison by proportion of the adult Australian population who own shares on the ASX
• 4.5 million, the number of Australians who are members of credit unions, customer-owned banks and building societies
• 7 million, the combined membership of automobile clubs
• $83 billion, the combined total assets of financial mutuals
• $17.8 billion, the combined annual revenue of the Top 100 co-ops and mutuals (2012)
• $7 billion, the combined revenue for the ten largest agricultural co-ops
• $1.6 billion, the combined revenue for the ten largest purchasing co-ops