Expert Panel

As a co-founder and worker-owner of 'Tazebaez S.Coop,' Ana Aguirre stands at the forefront of the international cooperative movement. Her dedication to promoting cooperative values and her active engagement in global cooperative networks have established her as a pivotal figure in advancing the sector's development and visibility. Ana is currently vice president of the ICA Youth Network in Europe and is regularly invited to speak on topics relevant to the cooperative sector.

former Chair of both of the UK’s co-operative federal bodies, Co-operatives UK, and the Co-operative Group (including its banking and insurance businesses) Bob was also CEO of the largest consumer regional co-operative in the UK, and President of Consumer Co-operative Worldwide. Recently he has worked in environmental community co-ops and, in particular, has raised funding through community shares to capitalise new co-operative businesses.

Camilla brings a unique perspective to the cooperative world as an economic anthropologist specializing in financial inclusion within cooperatives. Currently advancing her research through a Ph.D., Camilla's work is instrumental in exploring and enhancing the role of cooperatives in achieving equitable economic growth and sustainability.

Honorary President of Credit Cooperative, a major French banking co-operative. Jean-Louis was on the Board of the International Co-operative Alliance, and in that capacity chaired its Values and Principles Committee in the 2016 redrafting of the underlying concepts of each of the 7 principles. Jean-Louis was previously the President of Co-operatives Europe.

has been an active and influential part of the UK’s co-operative movement for many years. As part of Baker Brown Associates, he specialised in research and development practice in social enterprise, community investment, and the training of social enterprise advisers and developers. Since 2012, Jim has been the Strategic Adviser to the Community Shares Unit at Co-operatives UK.

Former CEO of The Cooperators, the leading Canadian insurance co-operative. Kathy was a member of the Board of the International Cooperative Alliance, and in that capacity chaired its Blue Ribbon Commission on Co-operative Capital, which was established to consider how co-operatives could find new solutions to the movement’s long standing disadvantage in securing capital.

after 12 years as a director of a workers’ co-operative, Rory undertook a PhD study of co-operative social enterprises at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK. He has a strong interest in the impact of workplace democracy on corporate governance, and remains a director with Social Enterprise Europe and the FairShares Association. He is currently the academic lead for a new MBA in Co-operative Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship at Sheffield Business School.

Tom founded and developed the Masters Degree in Co-operative Management at St. Mary’s University in Canada. He is a respected and challenging author with over 40 years experience devoted to co-operative governance, business, economic and social practice, and was founder of MOCA (marketing our co-operative advantage) which sparked a co-operative renaissance in the early years of this century. Tom is currently Adjunct Professor at the Sobey School of Business and continues to support local co-operative development, and write on co-operative issues.