Denyse Guy appointed executive director of Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada
Ottawa, March 26, 2014 – Léo Leblanc, president of Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada (CMC) has announced the appointment of Denyse Guy as executive director of CMC, effective April 1, 2014.
Ms. Guy has been the executive director of the Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) since 2012 and the interim ED of CMC. CMC is a new bilingual association that will incorporate the Canada based work of two founding organizations, CCA and le Conseil canadien de la coopération et mutualité (CCCM) as of April 1 .
The activities of CCA and CCCM being transitioned to CMC include government relations, co-op development in Canada, support for research and education, and facilitating communications and dialogue among co-operatives.
Ms. Guy has worked in the Canadian co-operative and mutual sector for more than 30 years. She has served as the executive director of the Ontario Co-operative Association (On Co-op), based in Guelph, Ontario. Prior to her work at On Co-op, she was co-ordinator of Windfield Co-operative Homes, a co-op housing project in Guelph and also had her own consulting business. Over the years, she has been involved in other co-operative sectors such as financial, local food and renewable energy.
Ms. Guy, who is fluently bilingual in English and French, holds an honours bachelor’s degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Waterloo, as well as a diploma in business administration from Humber College. “Denyse has handled the transition phase from CCA to CMC very well,” Mr. Leblanc said. “now we need her leadership to realize the opportunities ahead of us.”
“This is a truly historic occasion, one that many co-operators in Canada have been awaiting for a long, long time,” said Denyse Guy, “It will make our movement stronger, more cohesive and more dynamic than it has ever been before. We are writing a new and exciting chapter in the history of the co-operative movement, and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
CCA will carry on with its international development activities under the leadership of Jo-Anne Ferguson, who was promoted from Senior Director, International Development to executive director of CCA. “We will continue to thrive and grow in our efforts to use the co-operative model to alleviate poverty around the world.” said Ms. Ferguson.