BELFAST, N. Ireland–A panel here probed gender equality issues, including in credit union leadership and management.
“Although progress has been made toward gender equality in the workforce over the past several decades, it has been minimal at best,” said Shazia Manus, CEO of payments processor TMG, who served as moderator of this week’s Global Women’s Leadership Network (GWLN) panel discussion on gender equality in the global credit union movement during the World Council of Credit Unions’ Conference here.
During the panel it was noted that despite making up more than 70% of credit union employment in the U.S., only 41% of women hold senior level positions.
The GWLN organized the week’s panel discussion to address the leadership gap. Participants included Sandra McDowell, vice president of communication and culture for First Credit Union of British Columbia, Canada; Elenita San Roque, manager of member services for the Asian Confederation of Credit Unions, and Kim Sponem, CEO and president of Summit Credit Union in Wisconsin.
Panel discussion during Global Women's Leadership Network meeting.
“We must ask ourselves – how can each of us make a difference for women everywhere? It begins with these types of events. Each of us has been provided this platform to share stories and inspire others,” Manus said. “As I look around this room, it is filled with the best and brightest leaders within the credit union movement. I know each of you has your own story of struggles and triumphs.”
Manus told the audience words “have great power,” and she encouraged women to share their stories of support to inspire women on a global scale.
Manus, who was raised in Bangladesh, has shared her story in the past of spending her formative years pushing against societal and familial pressures to achieve her goals. It was tenacity, she has said, in combination with the encouragement of her grandfather, that allowed her to take challenging entrance exams, apply for highly competitive scholarships and even start a business at the age of 17.
Now a U.S. citizen and two-time CEO – first of Greater Iowa Credit Union, now of TMG – Manus said she is passionate about mentoring other young professionals.
This Global Women’s Leadership Network panel addressed topics including: what credit unions can do to put more women on a path toward senior management, how work and personal lives fit together, and what leaders of both genders can do to create greater gender parity in the credit union industry.