What do trends in governance, corporate structure, and markets mean for the future of credit unions? How do credit unions’ and co-operatives’ structure resemble one another and differ across countries, and what do those similarities and differences mean for the future of North American credit unions?
Hosted by Filene Research Institute and Credit Union Central of Canada
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Hart House | University of Toronto | Toronto, Canada
- 9:00 a.m. UK building societies: challenges and opportunities – Andrew Gall, Economist, Building Societies Association – England
- 10:00 a.m. Morality and Integrity in Cooperative Banking – Hans Groeneveld, Senior Vice President Strategic, Governance and Organizational Issues, Rabobank
- 11:00 a.m. Using Psychology to Encourage Household Savings – Dilip Soman, Corus chair and Professor, University of Toronto
- 12:30 p.m. Credit Union Progression and Governance – Donal McKillop, Professor, Queen’s University Belfast
- 1:30 p.m. New Co-operative Paradigm – Daniel Côté, Professor, Haute Études Commerciales (HEC) and Filene Fellow
- 2:30 p.m. Keeping an Eye on the Ball: Credit Unions, the Level Playing Field, and Competitive Balance – Ben Rogers, Research Director, Filene Research Institute; and Marc-André Pigeon, Director, Financial Sector Policy, Credit Union Central of Canada.
- 3:00 p.m. Speaker Roundtable
The International Symposium on Trends in Credit Union Governance and Markets is being structured to allow for maximum participation by a select group of Canadian and US credit unions. This kind of cross-country comparative research is important because it will help identify challenges and opportunities for the future evolution of the credit union model, especially given ongoing consolidation in the credit union system and the fact that for many members, the cooperative difference is either unknown or diluted.
- Donal McKillop is a professor of financial services in the School of Management at Queen’s University Belfast and one of three researchers (along with Peter Goth and John Wilson) currently completing a detailed study into the future of credit union governance for Canadian Central and the Filene Research Institute. Dr. McKillop, who also leading a study into the future of credit unions for the Irish government, will present findings from a North American survey of credit unions and Desjardins caisses governance practices and situate these findings in the context of existing academic research on the topic.
- Daniel Côté is a business strategy professor from Haute Études Commerciales (HEC) in Montreal and the first Canadian Filene Fellow as selected by Canadian Central’s Research Advisory Council. Dr. Côté will discuss his work into what he calls the new co-operative paradigm (NCP), an approach which suggests credit unions refocus on their co-operative identity as a source of competitive advantage.
- Andrew Gall is an economist at the Building Societies Association in England. He will discuss the consolidation of mutuals in the UK, legislative challenges, and their efforts to emphasize their cooperative structure in the competitive business environment
- Hans Groeneveld is Senior Vice President Strategic, Governance and Organisational Issues at Rabobank, one of Europe’s largest and most respected cooperative banks. He will sketch the history behind Rabobank’s current structure, how the bank leverages its cooperative structure competitively, and what lessons North American credit unions can take from the the European cooperative bank system.
- Dilip Soman holds the Corus chair in communications strategy and is a professor at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Dr. Soman will present research findings from behavioural economics that could help credit unions position themselves relative to the growing public policy push to increase financial literacy and enhance financial well-being.
Cost:
We are offering this symposium free of charge for members (if Filene members are uncertain about their membership level, please contact Andrea Nilsen). If you would like to support the administrative and logistical costs of this symposium and further the work Filene and Canadian Central, we would welcome a donation of any size ($150 recommended). You may make a donation on the registration form.
Travel Plans:
The meeting is being held at the Hart House on the campus of the University of Toronto. A room block has been set up at The Sutton Place Hotel, a five minute walk from Hart House. In order to receive the special rate of $159 per night, please enter the block code of FILENE2012 when making a reservation at The Sutton Place (www.suttonplace.com). Reservations must be made no later than January 6th, 2012. Reservations can be made by calling 1-866-378-8866; however, online reservations are requested.
Canadian credit unions contact Anna Morena with any questions. U.S. credit unions please contact Monica Titley with any questions.
Comments
1
Looking forward to the day.
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