Mike Ash-Edwards

Occupation: Caseworker

Co-operative Businesses traded with in last 12 months Food, Insurance, Bank and Electrical

Skills and experience

I am a recent manager of the Co-op’s membership structures in Wales. I was responsible for working with members, building strong community programmes and developing close links between members and Co-op businesses. I have experience of managing large scale charity programmes and setting up governing structures from scratch and am currently working as a caseworker helping people and community groups resolve problems. I am passionate about what makes the Co-op special and different.

Additional information

I managed the membership structure for the Co-op in Wales between 2008-2015. I was responsible for the Co-op's Board and Member Committees in Wales, and our membership and community programmes. I developed close relationship with the Co-op's businesses, assisting elected representatives hold them to account, while supporting efforts to develop our stores to meet the needs of members and local communities. I was proud to manage work with people across Wales, including Communities First programmes working with the poorest communities worth an annual spend of £2.5m, which had a real impact on people's lives.

I have had a varied career which has included being a traffic engineer, a campaign manager for Oxfam, a development manager for community charities, and as a trade union representative. I am currently working as a Caseworker for an MP, a role in which I see the difficulties people are facing from austerity on a daily basis.

I am committed to promoting ways of working that give people and communities more control over the things that are important to them. I am Secretary of my local Co-op Party branch and am a board member of the Wales Co-operative Centre which works to support those wishing to develop alternative business models. I am a governor of two local schools, and a trustee of local community organisations developing opportunities for local people to take greater control of their community's future. I am part of a scheme which houses young people without a home, while helping them develop skills to live independently.

The Co-op has done a good job of strengthening its businesses over the last few years, and in a tough marketplace has ensured that we are able to compete with others. This work cannot pause, and even more will need to be done to ensure the Co-op remains a strong force on the high street.

The Co-op is not just another retailer however, and the need to be distinctively different, truly benefitting from working closely with members and communities. While members and community groups are now being rewarded via the 5% + 1% scheme, and in many places are being given the opportunity to work with the Co-op's community programmes, progress to involve members more in setting the future goals must continue, with transparency and real engagement crucial.

A co-operative retailer has to recognise the differences between communities, and nowhere is this more true than Wales. Local people need to see and feel that we respond to communities in a way which makes the Co-op store feel like the community store.

We cannot forget the increasing pressure on colleagues at the front end of the organisation. They must be rewarded well, and given a real chance to develop contact with shoppers, members and local people if we mean what we say about being a community focussed business.

I am excited about the possibilities that exist for the Co-op and in Wales in particular. I seek your support and collaboration in helping these opportunities become real.