India has strengthened its presence in the global cooperative movement with the election of three prominent cooperative leaders, Dileep Sanghani, Dr. Nandini Azad and Bhima Subrahmanyam, to the Board of Directors of the International Raiffeisen Union at its General Body meeting held in Luxembourg on Friday.
The election of three Indian representatives to the governing board of the Bonn, Germany-headquartered IRU reflects the growing international recognition of India’s cooperative movement and its expanding engagement with global cooperative institutions.
IFFCO Chairman Dileep Sanghani was re-elected to the IRU Board, this time representing IFFCO. Earlier, he had represented India on the Board through the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI). Following IFFCO’s admission as a member of the International Raiffeisen Union, Sanghani has now secured another term on the Board as IFFCO’s representative.
Working Women’s Forum (India) President Dr. Nandini Azad was re-elected to the IRU Board for a third consecutive term. She first joined the Board in 2018, becoming the first woman in more than a century to be elected to the governing body of the International Raiffeisen Union.
NAFSCOB Managing Director Bhima Subrahmanyam was elected to the IRU Board for the first time, strengthening the representation of India’s cooperative banking sector in the organisation’s global leadership.
The election of all three leaders enhances India’s voice in international cooperative policymaking and reflects the diversity of the country’s cooperative ecosystem, spanning fertilisers, cooperative banking and women’s empowerment.
Headquartered in Bonn, the International Raiffeisen Union is among the world’s oldest international cooperative organisations, promoting the Raiffeisen principles of self-help, self-governance and mutual cooperation. The presence of three Indian leaders on its Board is expected to further strengthen India’s role in advancing the global cooperative movement.
