Elissa McCarter LaBorde Named Next President and CEO of World Council

Tuesday 23 January 2024

World Council of Credit Unions’ Board of Directors has selected Elissa McCarter LaBorde as the organisation’s new President and Chief Executive Officer. The new leader of the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) brings more than 20 years of experience heading international financial inclusion and microfinance efforts.

“A very warm welcome to Elissa in her new role leading the World Council of Credit Unions,” says ABCUL CEO, Robert Kelly.  “The Association is proud members of WOCCU and everyone at ABCUL welcomes Elissa to the global credit union family. We look forward to working with you in the months and years ahead.”

Since 2009, Elissa has served as Chief Executive Officer of Vitas Group, a for-profit holding company she established under Global Communities, an international development and humanitarian aid organization that operates in 27 countries.

Under Elissa’s leadership, Vitas established three major initiatives – Vitas Values Equality, on promoting gender diversity, Vitas Ventures, an early-stage fintech venture investment portfolio, and Vitas Lab, part of an ambitious long-term shift to a data-centric, digital-first lending model.

Elissa has lived and worked in five countries (France, Benin, Armenia, Turkey and Zimbabwe) and has travelled to over 70 countries around the world. She is a published author of two books, as well as academic journals and essays that span many topics related to financial inclusion and economic development. She also serves as an adjunct professor at John’s Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, a position she’s held for 10 years.

“World Council of Credit Unions is a well-known and respected organization with massive reach and the potential to truly deliver next-generation financial products and services to last-mile customers all over the globe,” says Elissa. “I am honoured to join its work in expanding the credit union footprint and its mission to improve the lives of its vast network of members, especially in lower-income and disadvantaged communities. The opportunity to lead and rethink how we scale financial services by leveraging technology and building on the trust that credit unions uniquely have in so many places is exciting.”

Elissa will be the first woman to serve as World Council’s President and CEO. She will succeed Brian Branch in August, who announced his retirement earlier this year.