Members' Council

The Members' Council (MC) is part of Oikocredit's governance structure. The Members’ Council (MC) is a consultation and advisory body which is broadly representative of Oikocredit’s member organisations. It meets between the annual general meetings (AGM) of members and is elected by the members to reflect and defend their interests. The MC was set up in 2016, initially with six people, with the intention to grow to a total of nine.

Peter Ohligschläger

Oikocredit West German Support Association, Germany Chair

Peter Ohligschläger is an ordained minister of the Evangelical Church of Westphalia, and has worked in the field of international... Read more

Peter Ohligschläger is an ordained minister of the Evangelical Church of Westphalia, and has worked in the field of international cooperation and global partnerships for more than 25 years. He has worked as a lecturer in Southern Africa, as facilitator for global ministries and as head of the Institute for Mission, Ecumenism and Global Responsibility. Since the early 1980s he has been committed to Oikocredit and has served in the West German Support Association as board member and in various other roles, at present as a public speaker.

Anita Clemons

Presbyterian Church (USA) Foundation, USA Co-Vice Chair

Anita Clemons is Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Investments for the Presbyterian Foundation. Anita joined the Presbyterian... Read more

Anita Clemons is Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Investments for the Presbyterian Foundation. Anita joined the Presbyterian Foundation in 2000 and has more than 30 years of experience serving investors. She is responsible for investment relationship management, insight into the management of endowments, and is a link between the foundation's investors and its fund managers. With oversight of impact investment including Oikocredit investment, she encourages other church organisations to invest in Oikocredit. Anita Clemons holds a BSc in medical technology from the University of Louisville, and also accredited credentials in investment fiduciary, and as a wealth management adviser and asset management specialist.

Christiane Riffaud

Oikocredit Franche-Comté Bourgogne Support Association Co-Vice Chair

Christiane Riffaud has been involved with Oikocredit since 2008 as an investor and volunteered as a Franche-Comté Bourgogne Support... Read more

Christiane Riffaud has been involved with Oikocredit since 2008 as an investor and volunteered as a Franche-Comté Bourgogne Support Association (SA) board member. She also served as the vice-president for Burgundy, in charge of the links with Oikocredit International and the French National Support Office. Additionally, over the last 10 years, she has been involved in the collaboration of the French SAs and strongly believes in the power of cooperation and mutual empowerment.

Aglaë Hagg

Katholische Sozialakademie Österreichs, Austria

Aglaë Hagg is vice president of Oikocredit’s Austrian Support Association and  thus was nominated by Oikocredit’s long lasting direct member... Read more

Aglaë Hagg is vice president of Oikocredit’s Austrian Support Association and  thus was nominated by Oikocredit’s long lasting direct member KSOE (https://www.ksoe.at ). She draws on her past work on social impact, sponsoring and micro finance in various countries and uses her communication skills in promoting Oikocredit, in serving equally her support association board as, since 2021, also in the Members’ Council. Aglaë has a recent degree of FS in sustainable finance,  participated in social as well as church related activities for many years out of her commitment to Christian values. Personnally she developed a  rural cooperative for women out of Micro finance activities in Cameroon. Her coaching is used by local organisations in Kenya and Ghana.

Peter Koona Tefo

Lesotho Evangelical Church in Southern Africa (LECSA)

Peter Koona Tefo is an ordained minister of the Lesotho Evangelical Church in Southern Africa (LECSA), a member of Oikocredit. After having... Read more

Peter Koona Tefo is an ordained minister of the Lesotho Evangelical Church in Southern Africa (LECSA), a member of Oikocredit. After having worked for six years as a pastor in Thaba-Bosiu parish, he was appointed by LECSA to head its administration office as treasurer general in 2013. Peter has been involved with Oikocredit since attending his first Oikocredit AGM, in Ghana in 2017. Peter holds a master’s degree in theology from the South African Theological Seminary and is a PhD candidate at the University of Pretoria specialising in biblical studies.   

Malu Padilla

The Netherlands/Philippines Oikocredit Dutch Support Association

Malu Padilla was an Oikocredit International staff member from 2012 to 2021, starting as Capacity Building Programme Officer and later... Read more

Malu Padilla was an Oikocredit International staff member from 2012 to 2021, starting as Capacity Building Programme Officer and later becoming Senior Operations Officer. She also served as chairperson of the Oikocredit Works Council for four years. As chair, she facilitated professional and respectful collaboration with the management in upholding Oikocredit's mission during consultations and negotiations regarding staff welfare and organisational changes. Malu has more than 40 years of experience and accomplishments in the international development sector; on international migration, gender and development; and in the ecumenical movement. She holds a degree in industrial and management engineering and earned credentials as a trainer in diversity management; gender, migration and development; and intercultural communications.

Wilfried Steen

Oikocredit Support Association Niedersachsen-Bremen, Germany

Wilfried Steen is an ordained minister of the of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Saxony. He served for 18 years as Managing Director,... Read more

Wilfried Steen is an ordained minister of the of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Saxony. He served for 18 years as Managing Director, Church Development Service, of the Evangelical Church in Germany and on the Board of Directors of the Protestant Development Service in Bonn (now Protestant Agency for Diakonie and Development, Brot für die Welt, Berlin). Wilfried is involved in the Fairtrade Town movement and has been a board member of Oikocredit Support Association Niedersachsen-Bremen since 2012, chairing the association from 2015 to 2021.

Guido Forsthuber

Fundación Protestante Hora de Obrar, Argentina

Guido Forsthuber leads fundraising for the Fundación Protestante Hora de Obrar in Buenos Aires, which supports social and environmental... Read more

Guido Forsthuber leads fundraising for the Fundación Protestante Hora de Obrar in Buenos Aires, which supports social and environmental projects in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay concerned with gender justice, Indigenous peoples’ rights, education and community development. He has a master’s degree intercultural business studies and has worked for the last 10 years in non-profit organisations in roles involving project coordination, design and monitoring, and fundraising, including six years with Habitat for Humanity International in Argentina.