Nimal Mamaduwa, General Manager and CEO at SANASA Development Bank (Sri Lanka) and Monique F. Leroux, Chair of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Desjardins Group, at the 2009 Annual General Assemblies of Desjardins Group
Développement international Desjardins (DID) is a component of the Desjardins Group. Holding assets of nearly 160 billion dollars, Desjardins is the largest cooperative financial group in Canadaand the eighth largest in the world. With its 5.8 million individual and business members and clientsand over 42,000 employees, the Desjardins Group is a sound and highly effective cooperative enterprise. Desjardins is the sixth largest banking institution in Canada and one of the best capitalized. Major credit rating agencies rank it among Canada’s leading banks.
Desjardins: a source of strength for DID
From the start, DID has been able to benefit in many different ways from the support and expertise provided by the Desjardins Group.
- A source of inspiration
DID has developed its own expertise based on the models, approaches, tools and strategies used by the Desjardins Group. Constantly adapting to its environment, the mother institution is itself a living model for DID.
- An unrivaled pool of expertise
The Desjardins Group with its subsidiaries provides a large pool of specialists for DID to draw on. Hired for short-term mandates or long-term contracts, they lend a hand to DID partners abroad in the fields of community finance for surveillance, training, technological deployment, organizational development and insurance, etc...
- Welcoming visitors from around the world
Every year, various components within the Desjardins Group, including the savings and credit cooperatives, welcome visitors from DID partners. They come to see with their own eyes how Desjardins has grown and return home with greater confidence in their own abilities to succeed. In 2009, over 30 financial cooperatives contributed to the development of financial cooperation and the reputation of the Desjardins Group by sharing their talent and expertise with over a hundred international partners.
- Desjardins as an investment partner
The Desjardins Group has subsidiaries involved in FONIDI, one of DID's funds, which offers investments and loans to microfinance institutions in developing nations.
- Transferring Desjardins expertise
The Desjardins Group also participates in a program providing volunteer experts to provide accompaniment services to DID partners. Desjardins retirees volunteer their know-how and experience to DID partners.
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Welcoming visitors from abroad: a way to share Desjardins knowledge
“As Board Chair, I am always proud to talk about my caisse and describe some of our main activities. For a few years now we have been able to share our experience as a financial cooperative with partners from as far away as Lithuania and the Philippines! In fact the caisse populaire Sainte-Catherine has had the chance to welcome several representatives from institutions supported by DID. It goes without saying that our discussions are mutually beneficial since we share numerous concerns with these institutions. My role usually prompts questions since it requires, both here in Québec and elsewhere, a good understanding of the role of ambassador and ongoing community involvement that are part and parcel of the job. The time spent with DID partners is extremely enriching and rewarding.”
Martine Frenette, Board Chair
Caisse populaire Desjardins Sainte-Catherine |
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