Bridging Worlds in Stockholm
I just returned from Stockholm, where I had the chance to attend the 2025 World Credit Union Conference — the largest one ever held in Europe. There were more than 2,000 people there from across 55 countries this year. Not only is that amazing to witness and be a part of, but there’s also something about sitting in a room with people from every corner of the globe who are all trying to solve similar problems.
Whether it’s expanding financial access, protecting member data, supporting our young professionals, advocating for our issues or figuring out how to grow, it was humbling and energizing to be reminded that we’re not in this alone — and we don’t have to do it alone either.
This year’s event also marked 20 years of the World Credit Union Conference, which made it even more special. And I’m proud to say that Michigan had a unique presence this year through our involvement in WOCCU’s Global Bridges initiative. If you’re unfamiliar with Global Bridges, it’s a WOCCU program that helps credit union systems around the world connect and learn from one another. It’s about building real relationships and sharing what’s working so we can all grow stronger together.
Through Global Bridges, MCUL is partnering with the Bahamas Cooperative League on a long-term relationship. Our role is to help share insights into CUSO formation, digitization and shared services. But what I’ve already learned is that these partnerships go both ways. When we connect across borders, we not only offer support, we gain perspective. And this collaboration is going to allow MCUL to bring new ideas to the work we do here in Michigan. While in Stockholm, we had a chance to meet with some of our Bahama credit union peers, and our Board Chair, Dean Trudeau, was there to be part of those conversations and the larger conference experience.
Throughout the week, two big themes stood out to me — both of which happen to be major areas of focus for us here in Michigan, which felt reassuring.
The first was leadership development. There was a strong emphasis at the event on how we support and retain young professionals, and how we build real pathways for them to grow into future leadership roles. It reminded me of the work we’re doing through programs like CU Spark Tank, where we’ve already seen so much talent and energy. We know the potential and the talent is there. The next step is making sure we’re creating space for them to grow and succeed.
It’s always a pleasure when I get a chance to connect with the Global Women’s Leadership Network, so I was thrilled to be able to during their session at WCUC 2025. Their forum focused on my second big theme of the event: storytelling. Not just telling our story, but figuring out how credit unions can get better at sharing beyond what we do to explain why it matters. Our impact is meaningful and we need to get more comfortable putting it into words that connect with people outside our movement.
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