Co-op News September 2021
The September edition of Co-op News: connecting, challenging and championing the global co-operative movement. This issue we look at Principle 6 - co-operation among co-ops: including a look at how co-ops are coming together to find solutions to the environmental challenges facing the world - whether that means stepping up the war on plastic waste in the UK or helping the clean energy transition in Croatia. We look at efforts to provide co-op housing and community pubs, and speak to Lord Victor Adebowale – Co-op Group director and chair of Social Enterprise UK - about co-operation with other socially led sectors. And there's a look at the co-op environment that helped nurture US Olympian Dalilah Muhammad.
The September edition of Co-op News: connecting, challenging and championing the global co-operative movement. This issue we look at Principle 6 - co-operation among co-ops: including a look at how co-ops are coming together to find solutions to the environmental challenges facing the world - whether that means stepping up the war on plastic waste in the UK or helping the clean energy transition in Croatia. We look at efforts to provide co-op housing and community pubs, and speak to Lord Victor Adebowale – Co-op Group director and chair of Social Enterprise UK - about co-operation with other socially led sectors. And there's a look at the co-op environment that helped nurture US Olympian Dalilah Muhammad.
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10 | SEPTEMBER <strong>2021</strong><br />
EDUCATION<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative <strong>Co</strong>llege awards honorary fellowship to Dr Cilla Ross<br />
Dr Cilla Ross has received an honorary<br />
fellowship award from the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
<strong>Co</strong>llege, an organisation she joined six<br />
years ago as vice principal.<br />
Dr Ross is the first woman to be awarded<br />
an honorary fellowship in the <strong>Co</strong>llege’s<br />
history. She was appointed its first ever<br />
female principal in 2019, and has recently<br />
stepped down from the role.<br />
At the <strong>Co</strong>llege, she worked across<br />
multiple areas including teaching,<br />
learning and global research, leading on<br />
both co-<strong>op</strong>erative higher education and<br />
the co-<strong>op</strong>erative university project. As a<br />
fellow of the <strong>Co</strong>llege, she will continue<br />
to work with the education co-<strong>op</strong>eratives<br />
that the <strong>Co</strong>llege has helped to establish.<br />
In 2019, she sat on the Centenary<br />
<strong>Co</strong>mmission on Adult Education, and has<br />
recently been appointed to a three-year<br />
honorary professorship in co-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
education at the University of Nottingham.<br />
Dr Ross said: “I am truly honoured by<br />
this award. It has been a privilege being a<br />
custodian and steward of the <strong>Co</strong>llege and<br />
in helping to ready it for its future.<br />
“The <strong>Co</strong>llege has a magnificent record<br />
in empowering pe<strong>op</strong>le through education<br />
and this imperative is as critical as ever.<br />
As a fellow, I will contribute in any way I<br />
can to support the <strong>Co</strong>llege’s commitment<br />
to relevant, high quality and distinctive<br />
learning that has social justice at its heart.”<br />
Jon Nott, chair of the <strong>Co</strong>llege trustees,<br />
said: “Cilla has led the <strong>Co</strong>llege through a<br />
period of incredible external challenges<br />
and internal transformation. She moves<br />
into her new role having provided a strong<br />
academic and organisational platform<br />
from which the new team can build and<br />
grow. I’m delighted that Cilla will be able<br />
to continue her commitment to co-<strong>op</strong><br />
learning through this fellowship.”<br />
Neil Calvert, CEO and principal of the<br />
<strong>Co</strong>llege, added: “Cilla’s contribution<br />
to the work of the <strong>Co</strong>llege cannot be<br />
underestimated, and it is only right that<br />
it is being recognised by this award. Her<br />
influence will be sadly missed in our dayto-day<br />
working, but I am grateful that we<br />
will be able to retain our links with her<br />
through the honorary fellowship.”<br />
FINANCE<br />
Ecology CEO Paul Ellis to step down after 40 years at the building society<br />
Ecology Building Society CEO Paul Ellis is<br />
step down after 40 years working for the<br />
ethical lender.<br />
He spent the last 26 years of his time<br />
with Ecology in the t<strong>op</strong> job, making him<br />
the longest-serving CEO in the sector.<br />
During this time, he has overseen an<br />
increase in assets from £18m to £226m at<br />
the end of 2020.<br />
Ecology says Mr Ellis leaves it in a<br />
good position, with its strongest ever<br />
pipeline of lending and a strong interest<br />
in its sustainable lending solutions. It<br />
has started the recruitment process for<br />
a replacement, with Mr Ellis expected to<br />
remain in post until 2022 to support the<br />
handover process.<br />
Mr Ellis said: “I have had the great<br />
good fortune to work for an organisation<br />
whose principles and reason for being I<br />
passionately support.<br />
“Indeed, with Ecology I have had the<br />
<strong>op</strong>portunity to demonstrate how balance<br />
sheet dynamics can be constructed<br />
in order to pursue the provision of<br />
sustainable finance. Nothing would have<br />
been possible without our members and<br />
wider stakeholders in the green building<br />
community, and I am proud to have met so<br />
many passionate pe<strong>op</strong>le and experienced<br />
so many exciting projects. I will be leaving<br />
Ecology with fantastic memories to<br />
continue the fight for a sustainable future<br />
through other means.<br />
Ecology board chair Steve Round<br />
said: “I would like to thank Paul, who<br />
will be stepping down after 40 years<br />
of involvement with Ecology, for his<br />
extraordinary contributions to both the<br />
devel<strong>op</strong>ment of the society, as a member,<br />
then director and latterly CEO as well as<br />
the wider values-based banking, social<br />
and environmental finance, and green<br />
building community.<br />
“Throughout that time his unwavering<br />
commitment to our founding members’<br />
vision of applying ecological principles<br />
to finance to deliver a sustainable future<br />
has guided the society from its early<br />
pioneering activity to our current position<br />
as a leading exponent of green finance.”
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