ABCUL’s Young Professional Network reflects on a week of international networking

Tuesday 16 January 2024

Back in March, ABCUL members spent a week in London and Manchester, learning and networking with fellow young credit union professionals from Britain, America and Brazil as part of a global Young Professional Exchange week.  Following several days of motivational exchange in London and Manchester, participants on the program attended, ABCUL’s Young Professionals Network event at the ABCUL Annual Conference.

Reflecting on the YP Exchange week and the benefits it brought to the YPN event at the ABCUL Conference, ABCUL’s Head of Member Services, Rosanna Donovan said: “The week-long learning programme was a powerful experience for those involved. The Network was set up to develop and retain future leaders within the sector and those who attended our YP Exchange and the conference’s YPN event engaged with our next generation of leaders in the international credit union movement connecting, sharing and living the credit union values of cooperation and people helping people.”

Participating in the YP Exchange week, ABCUL YPN Steering Committee member, Luke McGilvray said: “My experience of the YP week in London was entirely made by the group of people I shared the week with. From Brazilians and Americans to British colleagues I had never met, everyone shared a common goal of bettering themselves and their credit union.

“The strangers who started the week with me have now become close friends and I can’t wait to see them all again at another credit union event. The experience also had a positive effect on me as a person and as an employee of my credit union, my opinions changed, confidence grew and appetite to help my credit union prospered all because of the YP week.”

As the week progressed into the ABCUL Conference, delegates from across the country joined a session dedicated to the future of the credit union movement, engaging young professionals in interactive discussion and networking.

For the second year running, Dr. Brandi Stankovic of CU Solutions Group led the YPN event focusing on the importance of the strategic planning process, reviewing mock CUs and discussing  the British credit union business model. They also heard directly from ABCUL Chief Executive, Robert Kelly, the President and CEO of the World Council of Credit Unions, Brian Branch and the Chief Executive of CMutual, Paul Walsh and had a chance to ask questions and engage in strategic level discussions about global credit unions.

CEO of Serve & Protect Credit Union and ABCUL YPN Steering Committee Chair, Paul Norgrove added: “Spending the week in London with a delegation of young professionals from Britain, America and Brazil gave us some fantastic momentum leading up to our event at the ABCUL Conference.  This was our third YPN event and our best yet! We owe a big thank you to Dr.Brandi Stankovic, for leading another inspiring session to our network in Britain.

“The cooperative spirit during the Young Professional Exchange and our YPN event fills our YPN Committee with tremendous pride and motivates us all to inspire more of our future leaders, in the many years to come.”

Looking ahead to the future, unfortunately due to the continued ravel restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic the planned YPN event this summer has been cancelled. However, the YPN Committee are planning a special ‘YP Week’, for members of the Network which will include exclusive YPN Webinars and virtual meetings with several expert speakers within the movement. YP Week is due to be scheduled in June and more information will be available in the coming weeks.

Young Professionals may also find of interest that World Council Young Credit Union Professionals scholarships are open for this year. The program was initially designed as a scholarship program to promote and engage the next generation of credit union leaders in the international credit union movement. Today, WYCUP has become a platform for young credit union professionals, including current recipients, alumni and past scholarship nominees, worldwide to connect, share and live the credit union values of cooperation and people helping people. This year the eligibility has been changed from 35 to 40, with a deadline to apply of  29 May 2020.

For anyone who would like to be involved in ABCUL’s Young Professional Network, please get in touch by contacting: members@abcul.org