WOCCU Celebrates 50th Anniversary to Close 2021 World Credit Union Conference
World Council also presents Distinguished Service Award to Cameron Dickey during closing celebration
July 22, 2021
MADISON, Wis.—World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) made history as it was looking back on it Wednesday, closing out the first ever virtual World Credit Union Conference with a celebration of its 50th anniversary.
The week-long event came to a close with a video featuring outgoing WOCCU President and CEO Brian Branch talking about the value credit unions provide people of all income groups, the history of the organization’s mission to improve lives through credit unions, and the relevance World Council must provide to members going forward when it comes to regulatory burden, digital transformation and young membership growth.
“I think what’s key is the fact that World Council has always been a member-driven organization since the very beginning. And that means that the World Council has constantly been in communication with credit union systems around the world and is able to share the experiences, the lessons from one country—across borders—to other countries,” said Dr. Branch.
Elissa McCarter LaBorde will succeed Dr. Branch as President and CEO of World Council on August 16.
You can watch the 50th anniversary celebration video by visiting the World Council YouTube Channel.
2021 Distinguished Service Award
World Council presented the 2021 Distinguished Service Award (DSA) to Cameron Dickey, President and CEO of Cy-Fair Federal Credit Union (CFFCU - USA).
Mr. Dickey has been involved in the global credit union movement since the early 2000s, always encouraging broader involvement in World Council initiatives to his credit union peers, industry partners and employees of his organization.
"As my family, friends and credit union colleagues will attest, I often say that the World Council of Credit Unions embodies the best attributes of credit unions and the people helping people mantra of not-for-profit financial cooperatives," said Dickey.
WOCCU’s Distinguished Service Award is the industry's top global honor for worthy individuals and organizations that have shown great contributions to further the credit union movement outside of their own countries.
Bough delivers marketing tips in final keynote address
Bonin Bough, one of the foremost-awarded marketing executives in the world, delivered the final keynote address of the 2021 Virtual World Credit Union Conference in a presentation sponsored by Medallia, Inc.
Bough said the future of marketing is in personal, one-on-one digital messaging.
“Right now, less than 10 percent of our (marketing) time is spent where people are spending 90% of their time,” said Bough, who relayed statistics which show that more people text than use toothpaste or deodorant.
As a result, Bough believes customer service has the ability to transform businesses more than any other department through direct digital messaging to learn member needs and wants, and develop new products to serve them.
A WCUC like none other
The 2021 World Credit Union Conference was the first entirely virtual WCUC, featuring more than 30 online keynote presentations or breakout sessions from more than 50 speakers—on topics that included:
- Digital Transformation
- Cybersecurity
- Financial Inclusion
- Regulation & Advocacy
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
- COVID-19 Response
- Governance
- Communications and Marketing
- Customer Service
WCUC 2021 also featured virtual exhibitor booths from industry partners and sponsors who offered credit union products and services, as well as fun activities.
WCUC On-Demand
World Council is providing access to all the content from those breakout sessions and keynote presentations through WCUC On-Demand, which allows you to:
- Watch presentations via your computer, tablet or smart phone, or download the audio files of the sessions to listen anywhere, anytime.
- Receive the full viewing experience through presentation slides that are synchronized with audio and video of the speaker.
- Explore five diverse content areas.
- Access on your schedule with 24/7 online access.
- Personalize your learning opportunities.
If you’re already registered, just login to the WCUC virtual platform and watch at your pace. If you have yet to register for the conference, you can still do so here to access all that on-demand content.
Get ready for 2022
Next year, World Council will host 2022 World Credit Union Conference in conjunction with its direct member in the United Kingdom, the Association of British Credit Unions Limited (ABCUL), in Glasgow, Scotland, July 17-20. To learn more, visit www.wcuc.org/glasgow.
World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) is the apex association for credit unions and other global financial cooperatives. World Council promotes the sustainable development of credit unions and other financial cooperatives around the world to empower people through access to high quality and affordable financial services. World Council advocates on behalf of the global credit union system before international organizations and works with national governments to improve legislation and regulation. Its technical assistance programs introduce new tools and technologies to strengthen credit unions' financial performance and increase their outreach.
World Council has implemented 300+ technical assistance programs in 90 countries. Worldwide, 74,634 credit unions in 104 countries serve 411 million people. Learn more about World Council's impact around the world at www.woccu.org.
Organization: World Council of Credit Unions
E-mail: gneumann@woccu.org
Phone: +1 608-395-2048
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