Women in Leadership

Last Thursday,17th October 2024 – International Credit Union Day, a group of female leaders at Dundalk Credit Union were privileged to host a Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions (WFCU) Global Women’s Leadership Network (GWLN) approved event: ‘Women in Leadership – Overcoming Challenges and Building the Future Together’

Hosted by Mary Mc Ardle, Head of Risk at Dundalk Credit Union, we had the pleasure of having Ms Elaine Byrne, Registrar of Credit Unions at the Central Bank of Ireland as our guest of honour. The event brought together a diverse group of leaders, including Bernadette F., Chair of Dundalk Credit Union Board of Directors, local Senator Erin Mc Greehan, and Claire Byrne CEO St. Raphael’s Garda Credit Union.

We also had the honour of welcoming a delegation of female leaders from PVKS Credit Union in Ukraine, who were visiting Dundalk Credit Union as part of a week-long information-sharing initiative through the WFCU’s hashtag Global Bridges programme, a knowledge sharing programme allowing for credit union engagement across the world.

The Women in Leadership Event centred on addressing the unique challenges women face in leadership and finding ways to overcome them collectively. The session began with a presentation from Mary McArdle on the scope and purpose of WFCU’s GWLN programme together with sharing some up-to-date global data regarding female participation at leadership level across the financial services industry. This was followed by personal introductions, where participants shared insights into their roles and leadership journeys. This created an atmosphere of openness, sharing and collaboration that greatly added to the open forum which followed.

The event concluded with everyone actively committing to further Global Women Leadership Network (GWLN) participation and collaboration. By supporting each other and fostering leadership at all levels, both women and men can break barriers and build a more inclusive future in leadership.