Cooperators in India were surprised when the news of premature retirement of the high-profile International Co-operative Alliance’s president Pauline Green came in this Saturday.
Talking to Indian Cooperative Mr Chandra Pal Singh Yadav, President of the country’s apex cooperative body National Cooperative Union of India said “we have lost a source of strength as she stood like a rock should any challenge threaten the cooperative movement across the globe. It was her second term and we were used to expecting her presence as a matter of course in all global cooperative meets”, he said.
Responding to Indian Cooperative request on the development , IFFCO MD felt that Pauline was doing a good job but it is her personal decision and one should respect it, . Dr. U S Awasthi tweeted” Surprised 2know abt premature retirement of President #ICA # Pauline Green she was doing great job for int’l coop movement respect her desire.”
Balu Iyer who joined as Regional Director under her Presidency last year said “This is a sad announcement; but, we can take joy and pride in having been part of the movement when the first woman held the Presidency of the Alliance. Dame Pauline Green has been an inspiration to the movement; she brought vision, drive, passion and commitment to the job. All the qualities one could ask of a leader!
Pauline Green is to step down after the ICA’s General Assembly in November, as reported earlier in these columns. She took this decision in the wake of a cut in funding from her host country.
Being the first female president in the Alliance’s 120 year history, Dame Pauline has been leading the organisation since 2009 and was re-elected in 2013 for further four years.
With her term of office due to end in 2017, Dame Pauline has announced retirement two years early because the Co-operative Group could not commit to funding the global president’s role beyond 2015.
In her speech she said she would “always be immensely proud to be a member of this great worldwide movement” and that she would remain closely linked to the sector.