Dr. Chandrapal Singh Yadav, a Member of the Upper House of the Indian Parliament (Rajya Sabha), is the Chairman of Krishak Bharti Cooperative Ltd. (KRIBHCO) and all its subsidiaries. He was also the President of the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI). In addition, Dr. Yadav was the Vice Chairperson of the International Cooperative Alliance - Asia and Pacific region from 2010-2021. He is also on the Boards of the International Raiffeisen Union (IRU), Germany, National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India (NCCF), National Agriculture Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED), National Federation of Urban Coop Banks & Credit Societies (NAFCUB), National Federation of State Coop Banks (NAFSCOB) among others. Dr. Yadav holds M.Sc, B.Ed, L.L.B and PhD degrees.
Mr. Cai Zhenhong is the Vice President of All China Federation of Supply & Marketing Coops (ACFSMC). He has committed to human resource development and social security system advancement in his early career. Over the years, while holding various positions, he has accumulated rich experiences in the governance of agricultural-based regions and explored effective ways to upgrade agribusiness through innovation. Mr. Cai wishes to extend his efforts to the construction of a healthier and more sustainable SMC system as well as promote cooperation among cooperatives in the Asia-Pacific Region.
Datuk Seri Dr. Abdul Fattah Haji Abdullah is the Chairperson of the Malaysian National Cooperative Movement (ANGKASA) since 2010. He has been active in the cooperative movement since 2000 after being elected as the Chairman of the Smallholder Cooperative of Lipis, Pahang. In 2014, he was elected as the President of ASEAN Cooperative Organizations (ACO) at the ACO meeting in Bali, Indonesia. Dr. Abdul Fattah Abdullah also sits on the Board of the Cooperative College of Malaysia (since August 2013) and worked in the Malaysian Government sector from 1979 until 2007. He graduated from the University of Pura, Malaysia with a Bachelor of Communication and also holds a Professional Diploma in Entrepreneurship and Business Management from the University of Malaysia.
Ms. Natalie Browning has been on the Board of Directors of Cooperative Bulk Handling Ltd. (CBH Group) since 2018 and was appointed as Deputy Chair in 2020. She was the first woman Director appointed to the CBH Board and is a strong supporter of cooperative education and leadership programs. She is the Chair of CBH’s Network and Engineering Committee and is a member of the CBH Audit and Risk Management Committee. In 2020, Natalie was chosen as a cooperative farming ambassador and champion for the Business Council of Cooperatives and Mutuals’ (BCCM) Cooperative Farming program. Ms. Browning is an active advocate of the cooperative model and its values. She has completed the ‘Executive Leadership Program: Cooperatives and Mutuals’ course, facilitated by the University of Western Australia’s Business School and the Australian Institute of Management.
Mr. Alireza Banaeifar was nominated as the ICA-AP Board Member by the Iran Chamber of Cooperatives (ICC) in November 2023. Previously, he served as the Youth Representative on the ICA-AP Board and was the former Chairperson of the ICA-AP Committee on Youth Cooperation (ICYC). He is also the International Affairs Manager of ICC since 2016. After joining ICC, he has succeeded in areas of activity with the presence of foreign ambassadors in Iran and their commercial attaché. He holds an MBA from Istanbul University in Turkey.
Ms. Chitose Arai is the Vice President of the Japanese Consumers’ Cooperative Union (JCCU), which is a national federation of consumer cooperatives with 30 million individual members. She also serves as the President of Coop Mirai, the largest consumer cooperative in Japan. She was a board member of Saitama Coop from 2005 to 2013. In 2013 when Saitama Coop merged with Coop Tokyo and Chiba Coop to become Coop Mirai, she was elected as a Board member of Coop Mirai. At the ICA level, she served as the Vice President of the ICA-AP from 2016 to 2021 and is the Acting Chairperson of the ICA-AP Committee on Women since 2021.
Mr. Ho-dong Kang, born on October 25, 1963, in Hapcheon-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea, is the Chairman of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF) in Korea. He completed his education at Hapcheon High School, followed by studies in Tax Accounting at Daegu Mirae College, and a graduate program at the Agricultural Cooperative University’s Graduate School of Cooperative Business. Kang's career includes significant leadership roles, such as President of Yulgok Agricultural Cooperative from 2006 to 2024 and President of the National Strawberry Producers’ Organization from 2010 to 2024. He also served as a Board Member of the Farmers Newspaper and NACF. His contributions have been recognized with several awards, including commendations from the Prosecutor General and the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, as well as the Order of Industrial Service Merit (Iron Tower) in 2017. Kang assumed the role of Chairman of NACF in 2024.
Mr. Min Raj Kadel has been serving as an incessant cooperative leader for the last 2.5 decades. He is the Chairman of the National Cooperative Federation of Nepal (NCF) and advisor of the Nepal Federation of Savings and Credit Cooperative Union (NEFSCUN). He holds the position of First Vice President of the Association of Asian Confederation of Credit Unions (ACCU). Groomed as a Chairman from Janakalyan SACCOS, Dhading, he has worked as a high school principal and immediate Past President of Jaya Bageshori Multipurpose Campus. He has received high-level cooperative training from various countries and a degree in Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education from Tribhuvan University.
Engr. Jurney E. Labatos was elected as Chairperson of the National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO Network) in the May 2024 election of officers. Mr. Labatos serves as the Chairperson of the highly successful King Multi-Purpose Cooperative (King MPC), which was established in 1981 in Davao City with 600 members. Today, King MPC has 28 branches and 16 satellite offices, serving 71,000 members. It is recognized by the Philippine Government for its highly esteemed contribution to the community during the COVID–19 pandemic, in the exercise of the 7th universally accepted cooperative principle “Concern for Community". He joined the cooperative movement in 2005 and became a board member of KING MPC in 2010. He has been the Chairperson of KING MPC since 2013 and his leadership has been recognized, as he served as a board member of NATCCO from 2019 to 2022 and was re-elected in 2023. A licensed Civil Engineer, Mr. Labatos has wide experience in Government, initially working for the National Irrigation Administration from 1989 to 1997, and with the Commission on Audit since 1997.
Mr. G.D. Sarath Weerasiri is the Hon. Chairman of the Kuliyapitiya District Cooperative Council and Bingiriya Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society, Director of Sri Lanka Consumer Cooperative Federation, and one of the Young Cooperative Leaders in Sri Lanka. He has extensive experience in national and international level trainings on cooperative development, business management, good governance and rural development. He has served on the board of ICA-AP since 2016 and was reelected in 2021.
Mrs. Cao Xuan Thu Van was elected as the President of the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance (VCA) in October 2023. She also serves as Secretary of the Party Union of VCA and the Vice President of the Vietnam Farmer’s Union. She has held several positions in the Provincial Party Committee of Bac Lieu. She holds a Doctorate in Education Management. She was conferred the Prime Minister’s Certificate on merit in 2008 and the National Emulative Soldier Award in 2011.
Ms. Dulce S. Bustamante was elected as the Chairperson of the ICA-AP Committee on Youth Cooperation (ICYC) in November 2023. Previously, she has served as the Vice-Chairperson of ICYC. She also serves as the Chairperson of the Young Entrepreneurs Service (YES) Cooperative in the Philippines. A trained attorney, she works as the Senior Partner with the Evidente Abunales Ramos Bustamante & Delmo Law Offices and as the City Government Dept. Head for the Imus City Legal Office. She has received a bachelor’s degree in Law from San Beda College Alabang – School Of Law and has graduated with a BSBA in Management Accounting from De La Salle University – Dasmarinas.
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