Yorkshire & the Humber

As a lifelong co-operator, I have 15 years’ experience of co-operative working: namely at the Co-op Group as a store manager and as a local community forum leader, until more recently joining Suma Wholefoods - a worker co-operative in Elland. I have undertaken training in governance, diversity and inclusion and working together and I’m hugely passionate about co-operative working and living our values and principles.

I am passionate about co-operative solutions and I am privileged to be part of the Members' Council. My years of co-operative experience have enabled me to see the strengths within the Co-op and challenges that still need to be resolved. I am especially campaigning for the creation of local forums that involve members, businesses and elected members in effective bodies that successfully enact our values and principles. Working with Co-ops UK has given me insights into best practice and an opportunity to connect the Co-op with the wider movement.

I am married with 3 daughters. When I started working for the Co-op, it was part time at my local store to fit in with the girls' school and my husband’s shift work. Fast forward 16 years, the girls have left home and I'm a store manager for another co-operative society. I’m passionate about working with other co-op businesses to support our communities and meeting and working with local groups/charities to improve people's lives and environment. As members, I feel you have a say and need to be heard.

I’m a store manager at Kirkburton's Co-op. I first started working for the Co-op as a part-time job alongside my university studies. Jump forward five years and here I am today as a store manager with a degree in business management. My experience in retail has developed plenty over the years and I’m hoping to keep on pushing that.

I’m extremely passionate about women in work and supporting young people. I work with the Co-op Young Members' Group to help the Co-op engage with young members and get them involved in shaping a business for the future.

My experience encompasses retail management, employee relations and governance. As a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, I regularly attend update sessions on HR management.

As your first President on the Members' Council, I used the skills gained in developing the John Lewis governance model to help set up our new governance structure. My aim remains to develop our co-operative difference. To do this, Council needs to build better links with our members, ensure colleagues have greater opportunities to understand our co-operative difference and crucially, we must help create a better balance between our business aspirations and democratic objectives.

Chair and Director of Mayfields Community Trust. I'm active in 6 local groups and champion ethics and social responsibility issues as part of my role on the Members' Council. I'm also a Labour Party activist and Co-operative Party member.

I am a married, working mother of a little one, passionate about capturing the voices and views of children and young people in particular. My work involves supporting services provided for children across multiple local authority areas and I know from experience that when communities are well supported, equipped and enabled, great things can happen.

As a child, my mum talked about ‘Divi-Day’ and how the Co-op helped people. I was a lecturer, but am now a filmmaker documenting diverse communities and their lives. I volunteer as a director and company secretary at the Lantern Theatre, Sheffield. Becomming ambulant disabled has fired my enthusiasm for getting more involved with disabled community groups. I want to be an advocate for my community and my Co-op.