LONDON – February 12th 2023 – Coop Exchange, the innovative fintech start-up poised to revolutionize the sustainable investment market, has announced the appointment of Barry O'Dwyer, Group CEO of Royal London, to its board of directors. With a strong track record in the financial services industry and a deep commitment to the cooperative and mutual sector, O'Dwyer's addition to the board is expected to propel Coop Exchange toward its mission of fostering cooperative growth and addressing wealth inequality.
Barry O’Dwyer
Barry is currently President of the Association of British Insurers and has over 30 years’ experience in the financial services industry in the UK and Ireland. He brings to the Coop Exchange board his considerable expertise, perspectives, and industry connections.
Prior to joining Royal London is 2019, Barry was head of Standard Life Aberdeen’s UK business, having been CEO of Standard Life’s assurance, pensions and savings business and a member of the Standard Life plc Board. A qualified actuary, he began his career at Standard Life in 1988, when it was a mutual, before moving to HBOS and then on to Prudential UK & Europe, where he became Deputy CEO.
Cooperative Capital
Coop Exchange is a global platform cooperative dedicated to facilitating investment in tradeable co-op shares and promoting the growth of cooperatives and mutuals. By offering access to new capital sources, it aims to align financial returns with tangible social impact—a mission that resonates powerfully with impact investors and sustainable fund managers.
Coop Exchange is poised to revolutionise the cooperative sector by providing unparalleled access to new capital sources. As a global platform cooperative, its mission is to combat wealth inequality by facilitating investment in tradeable co-op shares, fostering the growth of co-ops and mutuals. This initiative resonates powerfully with impact investors and sustainable fund managers, aligning financial returns with tangible social impact.
Sustainable Finance
Coop Exchange's vision includes becoming a regulated stock exchange, allowing cooperatives to list financial instruments like bonds and equity with restricted voting rights, in line with cooperative values. This approach not only safeguards investors and cooperatives but also opens new opportunities for sustainable fund managers in the growing market of sustainable businesses and private business conversions to employee ownership. The cooperative model, upheld as the most sustainable business model, will be at the forefront of this new investment era. Coop Exchange offers fund managers a unique opportunity to access this substantial market of sustainable businesses and a potential new market of private businesses conversions.
Stephen Gill, Coop Exchange, CEO: “We’re delighted that someone with Barry’s industry experience and passion for the mutual model is to join us as a non-executive director. Barry will compliment the existing board members who bring a mix of cooperative and mutual experience, giving Coop Exchange the strength of expertise needed to launch such a timely and critical platform.”
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For more information, please contact:
Aaron Stewart aaron.stewart@coop.exchange +44 (0)7794612016
Notes for journalists:
About Coop Exchange: Coop Exchange is a start-up headquartered in London, UK with an office in Malta. Its mission is to address wealth inequality by: growing the co-operative economy by providing co-ops with access to new sources of capital; and enabling everyone to invest in tradeable co-op shares.