Nominated by Credit Union Central of Ontario

During many years of dedicated service to the co-operative sector, Jonathan Guss provided visionary and inspiring leadership to credit unions and affiliated organizations at the local, provincial, national and international levels. In 1980, Jonathan left Canada’s diplomatic corps to join Canadian Central. Twelve years later he was appointed President and CEO of Credit Union Central of Ontario (CUCO), a position he held until 2004. As President, he introduced a new governance model and led the turnaround of Ontario’s undercapitalized credit union system. CUCO counted 90 per cent of credit unions as members under Jonathan, in a province where membership is voluntary. He has also spent much time on the development of credit unions in East Asia.