Bolu Omidiji

A credit union association doesn’t have its own smokestacks to clean up, so Bolu’s real lever is influence. Canada’s 160-plus credit unions manage more than $300 billion between them, and until she got involved, shared no framework to act on climate conversations sector-wide. As staff lead for CCUA’s Climate Action Working Group, she developed the sector’s first common toolbox, including an ESG and social purpose guide, a regional climate scenario analysis guide, and a materiality benchmarking framework. She secured $220,000 in federal funding from CMHC to launch a Housing Affordability Lab uniting credit unions and community land trusts. She also relaunched and grew the Canada Sister Society under the Global Women’s Leadership Network. Bolu has shown that credit unions can definitely bank on more than interest rates.