Danny-Lee Francis appointed Manager of St. Vincent Automotive Cooperative 

Veteran cooperator promises membership drive as 57-year-old society looks to the future

By Admin. Updated 7:34 p.m., Thursday, October 22, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4). 

Danny-Lee Francis, a familiar face in the local cooperative movement, is the new Manager of the St. Vincent Automotive Cooperative Society Limited.

Francis, the former Marketing and Communications Manager of the General Employees Cooperative Credit Union (GECCU), was appointed on October 12. The cooperative made the announcement official today at a brief ceremony at its headquarters in Kingstown.

Members of the board attended, along with interim manager Richard Williams. Both he and the other directors formally welcomed Francis and pledged their support.

Francis, also known as Danny-Lee Hinds has spent close to 25 years in the cooperative sector. She thanked the board for trusting her with the job.

“I would like to thank the board of the St Vincent Automotive Cooperative Society Limited for the faith and confidence that they have placed in me,” she said. “I believe in the power of the cooperative movement.”

She noted that the organisation is a non-financial cooperative. She said she was pleased to bring her experience to it and hoped to lead it into “a new round of exciting outcomes.” Looking ahead, she expressed confidence that with the team around her, the cooperative could celebrate many more years of success.

A good fit, says the board

Chairperson of the Board Ena Walters thanked Francis for accepting what she called a challenge. Walters said Francis had taken the time to learn what the cooperative stands for before joining.

“She brought with her a wealth of knowledge and expertise, which we do appreciate,” Walters said.

She added that the cooperative serves everyone and that Francis’s vision lines up with its own mission. Walters said she was confident the new manager would take the cooperative to a higher level.

Born out of the credit union movement

Walters also explained the cooperative’s roots. Stalwarts of the credit union movement founded it to give credit union members access to services beyond banking. Portraits of its past chairpersons still hang on the wall at headquarters.

The society was formed on April 14, 1969. Its service station opened for business on October 20 of that same year. That means the station marked 57 years of operation just two days before the ceremony.

The service station remains the cooperative’s main operation and its chief source of income. 

Walters stressed that the organisation is owned by its members, not by any one person.

“It’s not about any individual,” she said.

What members get

Members who buy fuel at the service station receive rebates at the end of the year. The cooperative also pays dividends to its members. Non-members, by contrast, simply pay as they go, and the cooperative is encouraging them to sign up.

Businesses and members can also access a one-month credit facility for fuel and other petroleum products.

How to join

Joining requires a minimum of 40 shares at $5 each, which comes to $200. There is also a $25 registration fee, bringing the starting cost to $225. Members may buy more than the minimum number of shares if they wish.

Francis’ vision

Francis described the cooperative as an indigenous organisation built on the vision of the credit union pioneers. She said the fact that it has lasted 57 years shows how resilient it is.

She plans to put more focus on corporate social responsibility. She also wants a lively membership drive to help Vincentians understand why it is worth belonging to a cooperative.

“I hope to bring all those skill sets to help take the cooperative forward,” she said.

Her qualifications

Francis holds a Master of Science in Management Studies, with a focus on marketing, and a Bachelor of Science in Management with Honours, both from the University of the West Indies. She also holds a Certificate in Project Management and is an International Credit Union Development Educator (ICUDE). At GECCU, she started as an Accounts Clerk in 2002, then moved up to being a Loans Officer from 2007 to 2013, and later rose to Marketing and Communications Manager until her departure in 2026.

Francis’ appointment comes less than a month after she ended her 25-year association with GECCU on September 25.

END