A Global Conversation

As longtime readers of this blog — and listeners to my podcast — know, I love to travel and try to do it whenever I can. That passion has taken me to some faraway places over the years, but a couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to make my longest journey yet: Australia. 

The trip was for the 2026 World Credit Union Conference in Sydney. An event like this is hard to pass up simply because it's far away. After all, plenty of Australians and other credit union leaders from that side of the world have made the journey to North America over the years, so it only seemed fair that I make the trip to them. 

The only real challenge was adjusting to being 13 hours ahead of home. That took a little getting used to both on the way there and on the way back. But when you have the opportunity to gather with credit union leaders from nearly 40 countries, distance starts to feel a lot less important. 

One of the many reasons it's important for me, and for many others, to attend this conference each year is because it's easy to get into the routine of thinking about our credit union movement here in America as operating in its own world. Events like this are a great reminder that we're part of a much larger global cooperative movement, and that many of the questions we're asking and challenges we're working through at home are shared by credit unions around the world. 

In fact, many of the ideas and issues shaping our future don't necessarily begin here. Take open banking, for instance. It gained traction in Europe long before it became a major conversation in the United States. Meeting with leaders from around the world helps us ask better questions, learn from how others have approached similar challenges and ultimately develop stronger strategies here at home. 

One of the best examples of this was the discussion around fraud. Several of us had the opportunity to learn from Australia's Customer Owned Banking Association (their credit unions are called customer-owned banks) about the way they've created a collaborative network for institutions to share information and identify emerging fraud trends. It was an intriguing platform, and one that sparked conversations about how similar approaches might benefit credit unions here in the United States. 

The same was true in conversations around advocacy. I met with WOCCU Vice President of International Advocacy Paul Andrews, alongside several other U.S. league leaders, to discuss how we can do a better job of keeping our credit unions informed about what's happening on the global advocacy front. Since America's Credit Unions serves as the U.S. member of WOCCU, we talked about ways state and regional leagues can better leverage that membership and communicate those international insights to the credit unions here at home. The more connected we are to what's happening around the world, the better prepared we'll be to help Michigan credit unions understand the issues that could eventually shape our own operating environment. 

One of the event’s keynote speakers, Australian leadership expert Holly Ransom, delivered a keynote that has stayed with me since — so much so that I ordered her book before I even left Sydney. I appreciated that her leadership philosophy starts with becoming a better human. She reminded us that asking questions, challenging assumptions and being intentional about the culture we create are essential to becoming a better leader. 

Another highlight was hearing from Australia's former Prime Minister Julia Gillard, the country's first and only woman to hold the office. It was inspiring to hear someone with that level of leadership speak so thoughtfully about the essential role credit unions play as collaborators within the broader financial system. I also had the chance to learn more about the 2026 Global Women's Leadership Network scholarship recipients. Seeing women from around the world come together and be recognized for their leadership is something I'll always appreciate. 

The focus on leadership development continued beyond the conference sessions. One evening, I had the opportunity to join 500 colleagues in attending the Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions' fundraising gala at the Sydney Opera House to help raise scholarship funds for young professionals. Knowing the evening was going to strengthen our movement’s future made an already special experience even more memorable. 

As I made the long trip back to Michigan, I naturally found myself reflecting on the week. We may come from different countries and operate under different regulations, but no matter what we were talking about, whether it was advocacy, fraud or innovative tech solutions, the conversation always came back to the same question: How do we best serve and protect our members? 

I'm grateful to be part of a movement where that's the question that unites us. And I'm grateful to the MCUL Board of Directors for recognizing the value of participating in this global conversation. I always come home with a broader perspective, and I look forward to weaving what I learned into the work we do for the Michigan credit unions we have the privilege of serving. 

Thanks for reading. 

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