The Power of Visibility: Building Recognition for Canada's Co-operative Economy featuring Lisa Zentner

Canada's co-operatives, credit unions, caisses, and mutuals contribute billions to the economy, support hundreds of thousands of jobs, and serve millions of Canadians, yet their public visibility remains disproportionately low. In this presentation, Lisa Zentner will share select findings from CMC's forthcoming Power the Economy: Canada's Co-operative Advantage report ahead of its public release and explore how the organization's new national co-branding initiative aims to make co-operatives more visible, recognizable, and understood across Canada. Attendees will learn how evidence-based storytelling, a shared identity, and collective action can help strengthen public awareness of the co-operative model and position co-operatives as a larger and more influential part of Canada's economy. 

About our Speaker

Lisa Zentner is the Communications Director of Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada (CMC). A LEED Green Associate and bilingual brand strategist, she has led marketing, global rebrands, and digital campaigns for multinational nonprofits, advocacy groups, and corporations. Lisa translates complex goals into stakeholder-centred narratives, drives business growth, and mobilizes support by repositioning brands and launching initiatives aligned with market opportunity and mission.

About Co-op Conversations

The Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives' (CCSC) Co-op Conversations is an online gathering for co-operative sector professionals to learn from others in the field and exchange information in a casual setting. Each Co-op Conversation will be held during lunch hours (Saskatchewan time) on the first Wednesday of the month.

Each Co-op Conversation will be kick-started with a 15-minute presentation by an invited speaker who is working on or thinking about something new, challenging, or inspiring. Following the presentation, we’ll facilitate a broad conversation. Sometimes participants will be broken into small groups to discuss ideas. Other times the floor will be opened for questions, comments, and dialogue from everyone. 

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Questions? Email coop.studies@usask.ca