Geneva, Switzerland, 6 July 2010 - Following a search by Global Recruitment Specialists, the Board of the international Co-operative Alliance (ICA) has selected Charles Gould to serve as the organisation’s Director-General. Mr Gould comes to ICA after serving as CEO of Volunteers of America, a Washington-based health care, housing, and human services organisation, where he provided strategic leadership to 16,000 full-time staff and directed $1 billion in annual turnover. Prior to that experience, he practised law at Arnold & Porter and at Hogan & Hartson law firms. Mr Gould has a JD (Juris Doctor) degree from the University of Minnesota Law School and an Mst (Master of Studies) in International Human Rights Law from Oxford University.

In announcing the selection, Dame Pauline Green, ICA Board president, said “The ICA Board recognized, with the United Nations declaration of 2012 as the International Year of the Cooperative,
the need for a leader who can successfully use this platform to communicate the cooperative value. Charles Gould has shown he has both the passion for a vital mission and the business knowledge to grow an organization to scale.”

“It’s a privilege to help lead an organization that combines the rich, century-plus heritage of the International Co-operative Alliance together with a business model that has never been more relevant than in these times,” said Gould. “I have been impressed throughout the search process with the breadth, professionalism and adaptability of the co-operative movement around the world.”

Throughout his career, Gould has emphasized collaborative ventures and the use of technology to increase organizational effectiveness. During his tenure at Volunteers of America, the organisation’s resources and profile improved considerably. Gould has been recognized for the past five years as one of the fifty most influential leaders in the U.S. non profit sector. He is a member of the board of ASAE (American Society of Association Executives) & The Center for Association Leadership.

Charles Gould follows Iain Macdonald, who served as Director-General during the past eight years and, in anticipation of the changing economic environment, positioned the world cooperative
movement to take its proper place in the global economy.

For more information, contact Maria Elena Chavez Hertig, Deputy Director-General, chavez@ica.coop or visit www.ica.coop.