ICA Board

President

Dame Pauline Green (United Kingdom)

Dame Pauline Green was elected the first woman President of the International Co-operative Alliance in November 2009.  Pauline Green has been a committed co-operator from her time as a local leader in the Woodcraft Folk.  She was Assistant Parliamentary Secretary of the Co-operative Union between 1984 to 1989, Co-operative Member of the European Parliament from 1989 to 2000, President of the Co-operative Congress 1997; a member of the Co-operative Commission in 2000; and Chief Executive of Co-operativesUK, from 2000 to end of 2009.

Vice-President (Africa)

Stanley Charles Muchiri (Kenya) 
Mr Muchiri was ratified as the ICA Vice-President for Africa by the ICA General Assembly in Oslo in September 2003. Mr Muchiri is currently Chairman of the Co-operative Bank of Kenya. Mr Muchiri studied administration, bookkeeping and management at the Co-operative College of Kenya. He obtained a certificate in co-operative administration and is a certified public accountant. He also has a diploma in co-operative management from Turin, Italy and attended the University of Wisconsin (USA). He most recently held the postition of General Manager at Muranga Union.

Vice-President (Americas)

Ramón Imperial Zúñiga (Mexico) 
Ramón Imperial was elected as ICA Americas Vice President in November 2009. He is currently President of the Caja Popular Mexicana CPM, a financial co-operative which has approximately 900,000 members plus an additional 200,000 children who are holders of savings accounts. he has held a variety of other positions including board member of the Co-operative Development Committee in the Parliament of Mexico, President of COLAC headquartered in Panama , President of COMACREP, and a Board of Director in the International Raiffeisen Union IRU, Germany. Mr Imperial has worked in several positions in the federal organisation in the financial sector of the Co-operative Movement in Mexico. He has also participated in several national and international events related with the Co-operative Movement and he has represented the Movimiento Cajista Mexicano in different international congress and conferences. 

Vice-President (Asia & the Pacific)

Li Chunsheng (China)
Mr Li Chunsheng is the President of ICA Asia-Pacific and the Vice President of All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Co-operatives (ACFSMC) with a PhD in Botany. During his long period of service, he worked with Helihe farm in Heilongjiang Province, Ministry of Forestry, and the State Council in China. During his service in the State Council, he was deeply engaged in strategic planning and policy-making for rural areas and made enormous contribution to the co-operative development in China. In 1995, he joined ACFSMC as the Deputy Secretary General and Director of Farm-inputs Bureau. He later assumed office as the Secretary General and the Director of International Co-operation Department before being elected the Vice President of ACFSMC in 2000. At present, his responsibilities in ACFSMC include supervision of Cooperative Guidance Department, Department for Science, Technology, Education and Industry, International Co-operation Department, and China Chamber of International Commerce SMC Sub-Chamber, which means he takes charge of a wide range of co-operative works, inter alias, the reform and growth of affiliated enterprises and primary co-operatives, guild development, industrial planning and guidance, cooperative legislation, scientific research and innovation, training and education, and international relation, co-operation and trade promotion.

Vice-President (Europe)

Felice Scalvini (Italy) 
Felice Scalvini, a solicitor and auditor, has a degree in Law. He first became involved with the co-operative movement when in 1976 he participated in the founding of one of the first social solidarity co-operatives in Italy. After 1981, he devoted himself to the development of the legislation on social co-operatives, work that led 10 years later to the enactment of Law no. 381/91, the first Italian law on social co-operatives. During his career, he has held various positions in the social co-operative sector, in the financial sector and in Confcooperative's national and local governing bodies. He is currently a member of the Board of Confcooperative Brescia (a Confcooperative local union), President of the Social Housing Foundation and member of the Board of Euricse, the European Research Institute on co-operative and social enterprises. At European and international level he is President of CECOP (European Confederation of workers' and social cooperatives), and Vice-president of CICOPA. Mr. Scalvini was elected as the co-president of Cooperatives Europe in May 2010 and is serving his second ICA board term. He will be formally elected as ICA's Vice-president at the ICA General Assembly in November 2011.

Board Members

Jean-Louis Bancel (France)
Mr Bancel has served as the Chairperson of the International Co-operative Banking Association (ICBA) since 2006 and is currently the President of the Crédit Coopératif Group in France. He joined Crédit Coopératif in 2005. Prior to that he was active in the insurance mutual sector serving as Chief Executive Officer of the Fédération Nationale de la Mutualité Française and Secretary-General of the Groupement des Entreprises Mutuelles d'Assurances. In addition, Mr. Bancel has been active in the International Co-operative and Mutual Insurance Federation (ICMIF) and its European region (ACME) since 1993. Within ICMIF, he chaired the Development Committee (1999-2001) and was Chair of ICMIF from 2001-2005. He was co-opted to the Board in 2008 representing the sectoral organisations and elected as one of the nominees of the sectoral organisations.

Kathy Bardswick (Canada)
Ms Bardswick is President and Chief Executive Office of The Co-operators Group Limited (Insurance).  She began her career with The Co-operators in 1978.  Prior to her appointment as President and CEO in 2002, Ms Bardswick served as Chief Operating Officer of Sovereign General and L'Union Canadienne, subsidiaries of The Co-operators.  She is Chairperson of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction and past Chair of the International Co-operative and Mutual Insurance Federation (ICMIF).  She is currently a member of the ICMIF Executive.  Ms Bardswick has just completed an eight year term as a member of the Executive Committee of the Conference Board of Canada.  She is Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors of the University of Guelph in Canada.  Ms Bardswick holds a Masters in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics.

José Antonio Chávez Villanueva (Mexico) 
Mr Chávez has been the youth co-operator representative on the ICA Americas Board since 2007. He is employed by the Federación de Cajas Populares Alianza, a financial co-operative in Mexico. Mr. Chávez established the first national youth co-operative committee in Mexico and has participated in the activities of ICA Americas to develop regional activities for youth co-operators. Mr Chávez was nominated to the Board as a representative of youth co-operators.

Won-Byung Choi (Korea)
Won-Byung Choi was elected as Chairperson of the National Agricultural Co-operative Federation (NACF) of Korea on 27 December 2007. He began his co-operative career in 1972 when he joined the Angang Agricultural Co-operative in his hometown.  In 1986 he was elected as the President of this co-operative and served six consecutive terms.  He has also served as president of the NACF Rice Processing Complex Business Operation Council.  His contributions to strengthening the Korean agriculturalindustry and in particular the rice industry were honoured by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in 1987 when he received the Meritorious Achievement Award.  In 2000 he was further recognised by the President of Korea and received the Meritorious Achievement Award for outstanding performance in the rice business and further in 2003 when he was awarded the Suktop Industrial Medal. Mr Choi has also served as a member and Chairperson of the Gyeongsanhbuk-do Provincial Council where he was a leader in local politics. Mr Choi holds degrees in Fisheries Business Administration, a Bachelor of Science, and a Master of Business Administration.

Jean-Claude Detilleux (France)
Mr Detilleux is Vice-President of The Group Credit Cooperatif, a cooperative bank which has 98 branches, 20 affiliated institutions, 1570 employees and a balance of 6,74 billion euros. It recently joined the Groupe Banque Populaire as a parent company, where it acts as a centre of excellence with regard to social and solidarity-based economy.

In addition to his position of Vice-President of Credit Cooperatif , Mr Detilleux is the President of the COOPFR, which represents and defends the interests of the French co-operative movement at national and international level. He is a member of the Board of Cooperatives Europe, the European organisation for co-operative enterprises, and Administrator of the International Co-operative Alliance, the international organisation for co-operatives.

At national and European level, Mr Detilleux holds number of additional elected positions as a representative of the French and European cooperative movement. 

Hajah Armi Zainuddin (Malaysia) 
Madam Hajah Armi has been actively involved in co-operative development in Malaysia for more than 30 years. She was Vice-President of the National Co-operative Organisation of Malaysia (ANGKASA), a position she held 1979–1988 and from November 2004 to May 2012. Given her expertise in the co-operative movement, she has also served as the Director of the Co-operative College of Malaysia (CCM) from 1970-2004. Madam Hajah Armi is also involved in non-governmental organisations within Malaysia. She has continuously participated in co-operative activities internationally and had previously served as the Council Member of ASEAN Co-operative Organisation (ACO) and ICA Asia–Pacific. She currently holds a position on the Board of a cooperative bank set up in Malaysia in 2011.

Paul Hazen (United States of America) 

Paul Hazen became executive director of the Overseas Cooperative Development Council in February 2012. Previously, he represented one of the member organizations and served as OCDC’s board chair and board member.  Prior to joining OCDC, Hazen was CEO of the Washington DC-based National Cooperative Business Association. Under Hazen’s leadership, NCBA’s cooperative development portfolio grew from $8 million to over $30 million annually. During his 25-year tenure with the organization, he held key positions, including chief operating officer, vice president of public policy, vice president of member services and director of consumer cooperatives.

Hazen is the one of the founders of DotCoop the top-level domain for co-operatives around the world.  He currently is leading IMPACT, an initiative to document the economic and social benefits cooperatives provide in the developing world.  Hazen chairs the ICAs Human Resources and Election Committees. In 2001, he was named CEO Communicator of the Year by the Co-operative Communicators Association.  A native of Wauzeka, a rural community in western Wisconsin, Hazen holds a BA in economics and finance from the University of Wisconsin.

Lennart Hjalmarson (Sweden) 
Mr Lennart Hjalmarson has been engaged in the co-operative movement in Sweden all his working life. He started 1967 to work in KF, the Federation of Consumer Cooperatives as an economist. After various appointments he became Head of the Research department and later Training and Education. Lennart moved 1983 from KF's Head office and was CEO for a large Coop Society until 1990 when he returned to KF as Executive Vice President  for eleven years. Lennart is retired. For the past ten years he was CEO at the Swedish Co-operative Centre with development activities in more than 20 countries around the world.                                                                                

Lennart has beside this employments had several commissions as Board member, among others in ICA, Folksam  (insurance ) and OK (energy and fuel issues ), where he still is vice chairman. He has also been chairman of two Universities in MidSweden.

Abolhassan Khalili (Iran)
Elected to the ICA's board in November 2011, Mr Khalili is a member of the Board and Directing Manager of the Iran Oilseeds & Vegetable Oil Processing Cooperative, also known as Farda Co-op. He is a member of the Board of Representatives of the Tehran & Iran Chamber of Commerce, as well as sitting on the board of the Central Council of Iran Confederation of Industries. He serves as General Secretary to the Federation of Iranian Food Industry Associations. He is Editor–in-Chief of a monthly magazine and the founder of the Farda Training Center. Mr Khalili is also a member of the Immunity Managing Systems of Food Industries at the University of Medical Sciences.

Evgeny Kuznetsov (Russia) 
Mr. Kuznetsov was elected as President of the Central Union of Consumer Societies of Russia in May 2009 and is also President of the Association of the League or National Unions of Co-operative Organisations of Consumer Co-operation in CIS countries. He is also currently a member of the Board of Co-operatives Europe. He has served as Chairperson of the Council of Centrosoyuz and has held a number of governmental positions including administrator of the President of the Russian Federation. He holds a number of board positions working with community action groups, agrarian policy issues, the fisheries industry, and health care and is on the Presidium of the Board of a non-profit partnership, the Association of Entrepreneurial Organisations of Russia. Mr. Kuznetsov holds degrees in law, management and a PhD in economics.

Mamoru Moteki (Japan)

Mr. Mamoru Moteki was elected as President of the Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives (JA-Zenchu) by its General Assembly in August 2008 replacing Mr. Isami Miyata, former ICA Board member. Mr. Moteki began his career in the co-operative movement in 1985 as an auditor. He quickly moved into leadership positions in a primary agricultural co-operative and a prefectural agricultural co-operative union and federations. Mr. Moteki is Chairperson of the Japan Joint Committee of Co-operatives (JJC) which consists of 12 Japanese organisations that belong to the ICA including consumers, fisheries, workers, forest owners and agricultural co-operatives and President of the Institute for the Development of Agricultural Co-operatives in Asia (IDACA).

Marta Beatriz Sosa Heisele (Paraguay)

Ms Marta Beatriz Sosa Heiselle was appointed to the ICA Board at the ICA General Assembly in Manchester 2012 and is a member of the ICA Americas Gender Committee.  Ms Sosa is a leader of the “Cooperativa Universitaria Ltda.”, being involved in various fields and committees of the country’s largest co-operative. She is currently the Chair of its Board. 

Ms Sosa is a member of the “Cooperativa de Graduados en Ciencias Contables” (Co-operative of Graduates in Accountancy Sciences) of the Catholic University and a member of the Management Board of the “Colegio de Contadores” (Accountants’ association) of Paraguay as well as the current Director General of the Supreme Court Accountant’s Office. 

Ms Sosa has a PhD in Economics and Administration delivered by the American University in Asunción – Paraguay, and a Masters in Economics and Business Administration from the same university. She has a bachelor degree in Accountancy and Administration Sciences delivered by the Catholic University of Asunción, Paraguay. She was granted a Rehobot scholarship by the Weissman Institute in Israel, where she specialized in International Economy, Rural and Urban Economic Development. She is a Postgraduate Professor of Auditing, more precisely for Co-operatives. 

Janusz Paszkowski (Poland)

Janusz Paszkowski is actively engaged in the Polish co-operative Movement. He is a graduate of the Law Faculty of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow . At a local level he has been active since 1976 in the workers co-operative movement. From 2000-2004 he was Chairperson of the Supervisory Board of NAUWC and since then has been President of the Management Board of NAUWC. He was also a member of the Executive Committee of the National Co-operative Council and to date is Deputy President of the National Co-operative Council. At the international level he is a member of the Executive Committee of CICOPA and CECOP. He is also a consultant on Polish co-operative law.

Anne Santamäki (Finland)
Ms. Santamäki has been President of Eurocoop since 2006 and was elected the President of Consumer Co-operatives Worldwide (CCW) in November 2009. A member of the Executive Board of Co-operatives Europe and former Vice-President (2003-2006), she is also a Board member of SOK Association SOKL (Finland). Ms. Santamäki has been working with SOK Corporation in Helsinki, Finland, since 1990 where she is currently the Director of International Relations. Prior to this, she was responsible within SOK for sponsorship agreements and market awareness actions for the entire S Group, a leader in the retail market in Finland with a 42.4% market share. She has prior employment experience with the advertising agency Publicic, Finnish Railsand Nielsen. She has degrees in business and administration, and marketing management. Ms Santamäki was elected as one of the nominees of the sectoral organisations.

Petar Stefanov (Bulgaria) 
Mr. Stefanov has been President of the Central Co-operative Union since 2003. The Union has 162,000 co-operative members, 850 co-operatives and 34 regional co-operative unions. Mr. Stefanov is an active co-operative leader at the national level participating as a member of the Supervisory Board of Central Co-operative Bank, and Board of Directors of Coop Media. He is a Board member of Co-operatives Europe and also active in the sectoral organisations as a member of the Executive of Consumer Co-operatives Worldwide (CCW), a member of EUROCOOP, a member of the Board of Co-operatives' House-Europe, and a member of the Supervisory Board of the Buying Alliance of Purchasing Association in Central Europe COOPEURO. In 2008, Mr. Stefanov received the Medal of the Republic of Bulgaria, "Civil Merits", for his contribution to the development and promotion of the values and institutions of the co-operative movement in Bulgaria over two decades of continuous business management.

Seah Kian Peng (Singapore)
Mr Seah is currently the Chief Executive Officer of NTUC Fairprice Co-operative of Singapore. NTUC FairPrice is a leading retailer in Singapore, running a chain of over 245 supermarkets, hypermarkets and convenience stores. Its turnover exceeds USD 1.6 billion and has a staff strength of over 7,000. In February 2003, Mr Seah was elected as a member of the ICA Asia-Pacific Board. Prior to his involvement in the co-operative movement, he has worked in both the public and private sectors and also serves in many public and community organisations. He was also the Chairman of the Singapore National Co-operative Federation (SNCF), the apex body representing the co-operative movement in Singapore, from 2002 to 2008. Mr Seah is serving his second ICA Board term.

Americo Utumi (Brazil) 

From 1982 to 1985 Americo Utumi was elected Vice President of OCB-Brazilian Organization of Co-operatives, the apex entity that comprises all co-operatives in Brazil. He was also elected as President of OCESP – the São Paulo State Organization of Co-operatives and from 1985 to 1992 was Vice President of Cooperativa Agrícola de Cotia, the biggest agricultural co-operative in South América, from which he left this position to be the Secretary of Supply of São Paulo City. From 1994 to 1996 Mr Utumi was the Executive Secretary of ICAO and from 1997 to 2001 he was chief of staff to the ICA President. In 2001, at the General Assembly of ICA in Seoul, Korea, he was elected a member of the Board, and re-elected both in 2005, at the General Assembly in Cartagena de Índias, Colombia and in 2009, at the General Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.

Len Wardle (United Kingdom)
Mr Len Wardle is Chairperson of the Co-operative Group of the United Kingdom. The Group has over six million members in the UK and business interests in food, pharmacy, funerals, travel, banking, insurance and farming. As Chairperson he oversees the strategic direction of the businesses so that they fulfil co-operative principles, and adopt ethical values such as fair trade and responsible retailing. Mr Wardle is also a member of the Board of the Co-operative Insurance Society, Co-operative Financial Services and the Co-operative Bank. He is a graduate in economics and has experience in teaching, management and strategic planning.