Sarah Newens

Occupation: Solicitor

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

Skills and experience

I have been a member of the Co-op for 40 years and believe passionately in the co-operative movement. I am a Solicitor and live in Waltham Abbey. As a Council Member, I will continue to work to hold the Board to account and towards maintaining the Co-op as a strong society that provides services to its members in accordance with our Values and Principles and has a positive impact in our local communities. Contact: sarahnewenscoopcouncil@gmail.com

Additional information

Under the structure of the Co-op Group, the National Council’s role is to hold the board to account. The Council is the primary means for members to exert influence over Group policies and activities. I have been an elected member of Council for three years and during that time we have worked towards building it into a body that is listened to with respect and worked hard at holding the Board to account and in maintaining the society’s Values and Principles. We have ensured that the Co-op has maintained its commitment to free trade and it was our idea to establish the employment of Member Pioneers in our local community. We are actively involved in the selection of candidates for election as Member Nominated Directors to the Board. There is still a lot to be done. For me the priority is member engagement and communication.

The Council has a key role in working to rebuild the Co-op into a strong organisation that offers a range of services to its members in accordance with our Values and Principles. We want to make it a special place to work because of the ideals and principles which we are all working towards. Members should feel that they are part of the Co-op, that their voice matters and that they have an influence through elected members to Council, local pioneers and other means. The Co-op is making an impact in our communities by supporting local charities and we need to build on this work.

My greatest objective is to improve communication - we have started this with the Council led initiative of appointing Member Pioneers in our local communities. This project needs to be expanded so we have Pioneers in every local community. Communicating with our members is a challenge which I argue needs improvement. We should be able to hear what our members want from their Co-op. We need more local meetings and social media presence.

The Co-operative offers something different and special to its members and to its employees. We have been working on developing supporting our employees to have pride to work as employees of the Co-op and to have a real wish to contribute towards us being a strong membership-lead society.

I am a family solicitor with 30 years’ experience. I worked for Co-op Legal Services from 2013 - 2016 with the aim of contributing to the development of its legal services. I have analytical and advocacy skills, which will serve me well in putting forward the views of Co-op members and employees in the National Council.

I have been a member of the Co-op for 40 years and over those years have been a regular user of its services. Contact details: sarahnewenscoopcouncil@gmail.com