Credit Management July and August 2020

OPINION
AUTHOR – John Ricketts FCICM
‘outstanding’ achievement in the CSA’s
first first assessment. Silver was retained
in 2019 with our accreditation now in its
second year.
This year also saw several board
discussions around the CSA’s direction of
travel and fitness to represent a rapidly
maturing and changing industry. These
deliberations resulted in the appointment
of two, full-time senior management
positions within the Newcastle
Head Office, appointments that also
represented a significant financial
investment by the Board in the CSA’s
future. The first of these appointments
was Henry Aitchison, who started at the
beginning of 2019 in the new role of Head
of Policy. With a background including
the OFT, FCA and FLA Henry took on a
broad role supporting the CSA executive
team in identifying key policy issues and
developing a clear strategy to support the
CSA’s principal aims objectives. Henry
also took over representation of the CSA
on the FENCA board later in 2019.
OPERATIONAL DIRECTION
The second appointment was not finalised
until late in 2019 with the arrival of Peter
Hayle to the newly created role of Director
of Finance and Operations. By having a
senior team player overseeing finance and
operations, the CSA was able to free up
the CEO and the Board to focus on critical
areas of lobbying, strategy and policy.
This in turn resulted in the development
of a clear position on the Association’s
three primary roles:
• Engage – to represent members at the
highest level with external stakeholders
to enhance the reputation of the
industry
• Promote – to promote excellence and
integrity in standards and culture
across the industry
• Support – to facilitate a collaborative
environment to share best practice for
the further improvement and ongoing
professionalism of the industry
I am happy to say that the CSA continues
to fulfil these obligations into 2020 and
beyond.
CHANGE IN GOVERNANCE
The CSA is governed by a non-executive
Board of 13 directors (the Board), 10
of whom are practitioners from CSA
member companies and elected by
the members. During the earlier
years, the CSA relied heavily on the
practitioner Board Directors to use their
own time to do work representing the
industry.
The governance of the CSA changed
in 2019, and with it went the title of
President to be replaced by the more
recognised ‘Chair’. Also disappearing
were the personal responsibilities of
each Board Director for an area of the
CSA’s business (or portfolio), replaced by
committees, with responsibilities spread
across a number of directors.
CONSUMER CAMPAIGN
Arguably the biggest event outside of the
CSA’s internal re-positioning and refocus
was a major consumer-facing campaign
entitled #heretohelp. This campaign,
focused on a single key message, one
of early engagement by customers and
members, and it was well-received by
members, stakeholders, government and
consumer groups.
In early 2020 it further refined
its governance arrangements and
announced a new, independent ‘Chair’
in Lord Chandos. The key word here
is ‘independence’, and for now and
in the future, the new appointee will
intentionally not be a current practitioner.
We exist in a part-regulatory and
in some respects multi-regulatory
environment for debt collection in the UK
and one of the key external aims over my
three years was to lobby and work closely
with industry regulators, government and
other stakeholders to strengthen the CSA
Code of Practice and see it recognised
as the common denominator. Progress
has been frustratingly slow, but we are
taken far more seriously as a sector than
we ever did, strengthened by our data
gathering initiative (DGI) showing that
CSA members return £4bn to the economy
each year and contribute over £30m in
voluntary Fairshare contributions to
money advice. We have a voice now and
it is heard.
I look back on the last three years
with a mixture of pride and satisfaction.
I am proud, for example, that we’ve been
able to keep membership fees low, with
no increases in some years and only
inflationary increases in others, whilst
still being able to fund change. But my
time has also been tinged with an element
of frustration too. However much you
achieve, there is always more you want
to do. As for me, I am staying on for a
final three-year term as a non-executive
director on the ‘back benches’ supporting
Viscount Chandos as he takes over as
Chair.
I somehow doubt, however, that ‘Lord
Tom’ will need much help.
John Ricketts FCICM is Managing
Director, Ardent Credit Services Ltd and
Non-Executive Director of the Credit
Services Association
Advancing the credit profession / www.cicm.com / July & August 2020 / PAGE 23