Speaker: Paul Norgrove, CEO, Serve and Protect Credit Union
Paul Norgrove: Firstly, I would like to address the President, Board of Directors, members of the Credit and Supervisory Committees, staff and members of UWI Credit Union and wish you all a wonderful good morning from a not so sunny Great Britain, where our local time is 2pm on Saturday, the 20th of April. My name is Paul Norgrove. I'm the CEO of Serve and Protect Credit Union, serving the police, military, prison, fire and health services nationally, but also the elected president of the Association of British Credit Unions, which is our national Credit union association. On behalf of my credit union and credit unions across Great Britain, I wish to extend congratulations on the completion of yet another successful financial year of operations and for making a big difference within the international credit union system. I have huge news for you here today. You are part of a truly global credit union movement. There are 82,758 credit unions serving 403 million members across the globe, with $3.6 trillion of US dollars in assets and a 13.9% penetration rate across 98 countries in the globe. UWI Credit Union Cooperative Society Limited in Saint Augustine, Trinidad is an integral part of this achievement and this global credit union movement. And, like the words suggest, it's called a movement because it never stops. I must say that UWI Credit Union is a forward thinking and progressive credit union with astute leadership and dedication towards the cooperative principles and values. I have personally known your vice president, Mr Dorwin Manzano, for many years and last year had the honour of meeting your general manager, Mrs Heather Thurab-Schulz and your president, Mr Marlon Caesar and I look forward to deepening the strategic relationship between credit unions in the Caribbean and Great Britain as we work together to serve those people who we represent. Once again, congratulations for another successful year and thank you for the opportunity to be part of your 58th annual general meeting. Who knows? Maybe one day I'll be in person. Take care.
