Dame Pauline Green receives the Rochdale Pioneers Award

Dame Pauline Green outside the Rochdale Pioneers

Dame Pauline Green has joined the line of lifelong co-operators who have received the Rochdale Pioneers Award. Inspired by the Rochdale Pioneers, the award aims to recognise an outstanding contribution to the global co-operative movement.

The story of the Pioneers began in 1844 when a group of 28 men from Rochdale joined forces to sell cheap food in their community. The Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society was driven by a vision for a better social order. To achieve this, the Pioneers set out seven co-operative principles that still guide co-operatives from all over the world.

Dame Pauline was assistant parliamentary secretary of the Co-operative Union from 1984 to 1989 and Co-operative member of the European parliament from 1989 to 2000. In 1997 she was elected president of Co-operative Congress and in 2000 she became a member of the Co-operative Commission.

She retired from her political career in 2000 to join the Co-operative Union (Co-operatives UK). While chief executive of the organisation, in 2002 she was elected president of ICA Europe (Co-operatives Europe), the umbrella body for European co-operatives, and made co-chair of the organisation in 2006.

Three years later, Dame Pauline became the first woman to serve as president of the International Co-operative Alliance in its then 114-year history. She was elected on a platform for change, calling for the Alliance to focus on three key elements: offer the opportunity for business synergies for co-operatives around the world; enhance representation in global institutions; and develop a centre of excellence for global co-operative knowledge and information.

Under her leadership, the Alliance capitalised on the momentum of the United Nations’ International Year of Co-operatives in 2012. With support from co-operators from across the world, the Alliance launched the Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade, which set out the strategic goals for the co-operative movement towards 2020.

Asked what the award meant to her, Dame Pauline said: “This is the most tremendous honour given that I have already had such a wonderful career within the co-op movement. This was really a great surprise and a great privilege to receive the Rochdale Pioneers Award from the global movement.”

The original store of the Rochdale Pioneers is preserved by the Rochdale Pioneers Museum, and managed for the co-operative movement by the Co-operative College.

The Co-operative College Principal, Simon Parkinson said: ‘’We are delighted that Dame Pauline’s work with the ICA and the global cooperative movement has been recognised via the ICA Rochdale Pioneers Award. Dame Pauline has always been a great friend and advocate for the Cooperative Heritage Trust, The Cooperative College and the Rochdale Pioneers Museum. Bringing the award back home is an honour for which we are extremely grateful.’’