Speakers: Rita Rhodes
Doctor of Philosophy
Subject of thesis: The Internatioonal Co-operative Alliance during War and Peace 1910-1950
Books: The International Co-operative Alliance during War and Peace 1910-1950
published by the International Co-operative Alliance, Geneva, 1995
Thematic Guide to ICA Congresses 1895-1995
published by the International Co-operative, Geneva, 1996
Co-author An Arsenal for Labour – Politics and the Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society 1896-1996 published by Holyoake Books, Manchester, 1998
Forthcoming book: Empire and Co-operation
to be published by John Donald (Birlinn) Edinburgh, October 2012
Rita is currently a Visiting Research Fellow in the Co-operative Research Unit of the Open University
and a Fellow of the Plunkett Foundation
Positions held in Co-operative Education and Training:
Sectional Education Officer, Co-operative Union, Scotland
Education Liaison Officer, National Co-operative Development Agency
Education Officer and Secretary of ICA Women’s Comminttee, International Co-operative Alliance
Lecturer in Co-operative Studies, University of Ulster
Speaker: Ian Snaith
Ian Snaith holds degrees from the Universities of Keele and Manchester. In 2009, he retired from his position as Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Leicester. He now operates as a freelance teacher, researcher and writer on legal and policy issues, with particular reference to co-operatives and mutuals. He is a consultant solicitor with Cobbetts LLP and regularly advises the UK Co-operative and Credit Union Movements.
Ian has published extensively on legal aspects of co-operatives and credit unions and has served on HM Treasury Working Groups on the reform of Co-operative and Credit Union Law. He also served on the European Commission’s Experts Group on Co-operative Law and is an adjudicator on the use of the .coop domain name for the World Intellectual Property Organisation. He was a member of Co-operative UK’s 1992 and 2002 Corporate Governance Working Parties and advised to the Co-operative Commission of 2000-2001.
Ian was actively involved in the development, drafting, and passage through the UK Parliament of the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 2002 and the Co-operatives and Community Benefits Societies Acts 2003 and 2010. In 2009-2010 he was the UK national expert and a member of the Scientific Committee in the preparation of a report for the European Commission “Study on the implementation of the Regulation 1435/2003 on the Statute for a European Cooperative Society (SCE)” available at
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/files/sce_final_study_part_i.pdf
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/files/sce_final_study_part_ii_national_reports.pdf
He is currently a trustee of the Co-operative Heritage Trust :
http://www.co-op.ac.uk/our-heritage/national-co-operative-archive/support/co-operative-heritage-fund/
and a member of the Study Group on European Co-operative Law:
http://euricse.eu/en/node/1960
through which he collaborates on the PECOL Project:
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2005019 .
And blogs at: snaithsco-oplawnews.blogspot.co.uk .