Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
The Industry Leaders list recognises and champions leaders who contribute to positive industry change and are making a measurable difference in their field. They have been identified as influencing the future of credit and collections. The list is compiled upon a set of pre-qualifying criteria, which is then ratified by industry associations that form part of the list’s advisory panel: CICM, CIVEA, CCTA, CCUA, Registry Trust and our latest industry partner Cifas.
The list starts with the Credit Connect team collating information about senior individuals in the credit and collections industry throughout the year which is based on the following criteria: Representation in industry news (setting new agendas and industry change) and engagement with the media, Senior responsibility and oversight for influencing industry enhancement and change, Visually seen to be attending and/or supporting industry events, Presenting thought leadership topics and Industry recognition at association events.
This year saw the launch of the inaugural Industry Leaders Networking Dinner event.
The exclusive Industry Leaders member dinner took place the evening before the Spring Think Tank and Commercial Conference at Eastwood Hall in Nottingham. The event is an opportunity to network with industry peers before the conference. The dinner will include a three-course menu and light entertainment.
Here is a list of the 2026 Industry Leaders list.
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Regulation and Associations
Alan J Smith, High Court Enforcement Officers Association (HCEOA), Chair & Director
Bob Winnington, Money Advice Liaison Group (MALG), Chief Executive Officer
Caroline Sumner, R3, Chief Executive Officer
Chris Dick, Registry Trust, Director of Operations
Chris Leslie, Credit Services Association (CSA), Chief Executive Officer
Eric Leenders, UK Finance Managing Director, Personal Finance
Fiona Hoyle, Finance & Leasing Association (FLA), Head of Consumer & Mortgage Finance
Jason Wassell, Consumer Credit Trade Association (CCTA), Chief Executive Officer
Jim Higginbotham, National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (NACFB), Chief Executive Officer
Mike Haley, Cifas, Chief Executive Officer
Neil Jinks, Civil Court Users Association (CCUA), Chair
Paul Broadhead, Building Societies Association (BSA), Head of Mortgage and Housing Policy
Russell Hamblin-Boone, Civil Enforcement Association (CIVEA), Chief Executive Officer
Sheldon Mills, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Executive Director
Sue Chapple, Chartered Institute of Credit Managers (CICM), Chief Executive Officer
Lending & Credit
Adam Freeman, PDL Finance, Chief Executive Officer
Andrew Marsh, Marsh Finance, Chief Executive Officer
Andy Dodd, Novuna Business Cash Flow, Managing Director
Chris Gillespie, Harvey & Thompson (H&T), Chief Executive Officer
Craig Pennington, Salad Money, Chief Executive Officer
Damon Gibbons, Centre for Responsible Credit, Chief Executive Officer
Dr Jamie Ownsworth, Oakbrook, Head of Data Science
Eleanor Demuth, JaJa Finance, Head of Risk
Gary Carney, Barclays, Senior Product & Proposition Manager
Gemma Dennis, Propel Holdings, Risk & Compliance Manager
Geoff Schwarz, Mutual Clothing and Supply Co, Director
Jacqui Sherrington, The Very Group, FS Manager, Third Party Relationships
James Williams, JPMorgan, Vice President
Jamila Tabrez, NewDay, Senior Manager, Governance & Oversight
Jenny Rothwell, Unity Auto Finance, Chief Operating Officer
John Atkinson, Novuna Business Cash Flow, Head of Commercial and Strategy
Jono Gillespie, Evlo, Chief Executive Officer
Kate Pender, Fair4All Finance, Chief Executive Officer
Faizan Haq, Finance & Leasing Association (FLA), Senior Policy Manager
Kirsty Dawson, NBrown, Head of Portfolio Risk and Collections
Lee Gerrard, Snap Finance, Head of Operations
Mag Charles, NewDay, Head of Digital
Mark Fiander, Gain Credit, Group Chief Executive Officer
Matt Cochrane, Fairlo, Chief Operating Officer
Mike Deans, Borderway Finance Managing Director
Naveed Asif, Consumer Credit Trade Association (CCTA), Head of Policy & Advice
Neil Kadagathur, CreditSpring, Chief Executive Officer
Peter Kenyon, Ramsdens, Chief Executive Officer
Rachel Meehan, Payl8r, Marketing and Communications Manager
Richard Hoggart, DSG Finance Group, Group Chief Executive Officer
Richard Sharp, Payment Assist, Chief Operating Officer
Rizwan Khalid, Vanquis Banking Group, Senior Manager Credit Risk & Analytics
Robbie Lambert, Bumper International, Chief Operating Officer
Ross McDougall, Novuna Consumer Finance, Corporate Risk Analytics Manager
Sheraz Afzal, Quint Group Legal, Risk and Compliance Director
Shiona Crichton, Moneyline, Chief Executive Officer
Simon Bayley, Billing Finance, Chief Executive
Simon Dukes, Fair for You, Chief Executive Officer
Simon Green, Chase JP Morgan, Credit Officer
Stefan Hodgson, Next, Credit Risk Manager
Vulnerability
Dominic Maxwell, TellJo, Co-Founder and Director
Emma Gibbons, PayPlan, Vulnerability Lead
Helen Undy, Money and Mental Health, Chief Executive Officer
Lee Healey, IncomeMax, Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Muna Yassin, Rooted Finance, Chief Executive Officer
Sebrina McCullough, Money Wellness, Director of External Affairs
Steve Vaid, Money Advice Trust, Chief Executive Officer
Stewart McCulloch, Christians Against Poverty, Chief Executive Officer
Vanessa Northam, StepChange Debt Charity, Partnership Director
Consumer Collections
Ajay Mitha, Interbridge, Senior Mortgage Administrator
Alasdair Skeoch, BPO Collections, Managing Director
Ash Freestone, So Energy, Head of Payments and Collections
Ashleigh Niamir, Liberata, Director of Debt Recovery
Asif Nadeem, EVLO, Chief Transformation Officer
Ben Calvert, COEO, Commercial Director
Caroline Mills, Onmo, Chief Operations Officer
Charlotte Crane, Southwark Borough Council, Operations Manager, Income
Charlotte Manley, EDF, Senior Manager of Collections
Chris Laverick, Natwest, Customer Journey Manager (Manage My Debt)
Claire Aynsley, Credit Services Association (CSA), Head of Membership & Compliance
Clare Hughes, Addleshaw Goddard, Partner
Craig Hinchcliffe, Perch Group, Chief Executive Officer
Craig Walker, Zopa, Head of Collections
Daniel Calcott, The Digital DRA, Founder
Daniela Ferrer Francisco, NCO Europe, Conduct and Risk Manager
Danielle Duke, Utilita, Head of Credit Management
David Large, Resolvecall, Head of Commercial
David Murphy, Sigma, Director of Contracts & Public Sector Support
Debra Iredale, British Gas, Third Party Supplier Manager
Ed Horton, Hoist, Chief Executive Officer
Eddie Harrison, DCB Legal, Managing Director
Elliott James, HM Treasury, Debt Policy and Strategy Lead for the Government Debt Management Function
Emma Price, British Gas, Debt Strategy Manager
Emma Winter, Vanquis, Senior Manager Debt Sale & Recoveries
Gary Grey, Ecotricity, Head Debt Information & Risk
Gary McCready, Carphone/Currys/ID Mobile, Commercial Manager
George Badejo-Adegbenga, Ethica Resolve, Chief Executive Officer
Helen Patterson, Northumbrian Water, Collections Strategy Manager
Joe Goddard, Azzurro, Chief Analytics & Data Officer
John Donnelly, Atom, Head of Loan Originations and Collections and Recoveries
John Hegarty, OVO, Head of Recoveries
John Pears, Lowell, Chief Executive Officer
John Ricketts, Ardent Credit Services, Managing Director
Jonathan Donnelly, HSBC, Collections Strategy & Risk Manager
Joseph Surtees, HM Treasury, Head of Debt Standards and Continuous Improvement
Julian Winfield, Advantis, Managing Director
Kat McIntosh, Sky, Collections Agency Manager
Lois Anderson, Birmingham City Council, Revenue Operations Manager
Maxine Pritchard MBE, HSBC, Head of Financial Inclusion
Michelle Brewins, Addleshaw Goddard, Compliance Director
Mick McAteer, Registry Trust, Chair
Natalie Bunyer, Arc Europe, Sales Director
Nick Cherry, Phillips & Cohen, Chief Operating Officer
Nina White, Thames Water, Director of Household and Wholesale Income
Paul Harbron, Natwest, Supplier Relationship Manager
Paul Jenkins, Wescot, Chief Operations Officer
Paul Mason, Lantern, Group, Chief Executive Officer
Paul Rogan, BT, Recoveries Strategy Manager
Phil Henney, Intrum, Sales Director
Pritesh Kothary, Talk Talk, Senior Operations and Relationship Manager
Rachael Withers, BW Legal, Chief Executive Officer
Rebecca Wilson, Virgin Media O2, Head of Credit
Richard Fenton, The Zinc Group, Director of Business Development
Sam Barnard, Lantern Group, Commercial Director
Sam Challenger, Billing Finance, Director of Operations
Scott Innes, Hutchinson 3G/Vodafone, Partner Manager Collections
Scott Woolveridge, GAIN Credit, Operations Director
Simon Bell, Octopus Energy, Head of Credit Risk and Collections
Siobhan Williams, South East Water, Collections Manager
Steven Craske, JaJa Finance, Head of Collections and Recoveries
Steven Fendick, Restons, Team Manager
Tamas Kopanyi, Monzo, Director of Financial Health
Tim Kirk, PRA, County Operations Manager
Tim Tomlinson, Sopra Steria, Executive Client Director
Tracey Smith, EON Next, Escalated Debt Super Family Manager, Risk
Debt Recovery & Enforcement
Amy Collins, Rundles, Managing Director
Carole Kenney, CDER Group, Director Welfare. Road Traffic & Road User Charging
Caroline Wells, Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB), Founder Director
Emma Cowan, Marston Recovery Group, Managing Director, Enforcement
Jim Taylor, Glenbrew Consulting/Civil Court Users Association, Managing Director
Jo Davis, Auxillias, Partner
Justin Coley, Flint Bishop, Head of Technical Operations & Client Services
Laura Anne Smith, Excel Civil Enforcement, Director of Client Relationships
Lisa Keating, Civil Court Users Association (CCUA), Vice Chair
Mel Chell, Solaris Law Chief Executive Officer
Michael Line, JTR Collections, Managing Director
Paul Caddy, Court Enforcement Services, Managing Director
Rob Thompson, Brachers, Partner
Russell Kelsall, Walker Morris, Partner, Head of Consumer & Motor Finance
Sarah Naylor, Dukes Bailiffs, Sales Director
Tracey Stone, Welfare Together, Director
Commercial Credit & Insolvency
Allister Manson, Opus Business Advisory Group, Executive Partner
Andrew Ambler, Iwoca, Head of Collections & Legal
Antony Cole, Liberis, Global Head of Collections
Arvind Kumar, Country Style Foods, Credit Control Manager
Atul Vadher, Sefe Energy, Head of Credit and Collections
Bernadette Stephens, Intertek, Finance Manager, Collections & Working Capital
Brendan Clarkson, Opus Restructuring & Insolvency, Partner – Head of Client Services
Brett Ross, Carlsberg Britvic, Collections Manager
Brian Lewis, CPI EuroMix Mortars, Credit Manager
Carla Lourenco, Arkle Finance, Head of Credit
Carrie Duggan, M Group, Head of Finance
Charles Mayhew, Global Credit Recoveries, Director
Chris Bowers, Forbes Solicitors, Partner and Head of Insolvency and Debt
Christina Renshaw, Yu Energy, Head of Debt
Claudia Crossland, Acuity Care Group, Accounts Receivable & Credit Manager
Clive Jacobs, AstraZeneca, Global Credit Risk Manager
Darren Fowkes, Biffa, Credit Manager
Darren Howe, Rubix UK, Group Head of Credit Control
Darren Whitmarsh, CCH Group, Head of Credit Control
David Payne, RS Group Head of CI, OpEx & Technology Optimisation
David Snookes, Schneider Electric, Credit Manager
Denise Padachi, British Standards Institute, O2C Tower Lead
Diane Hull, Best Food, Logistics Finance Manager
Fadime Kaya, Gilbarco Veeder-Root, Head of Credit Control EMEA & SEA Region
Gavin Jones, Imperial College, Head of Income
George Kerr, AAH Pharmaceuticals, Senior Credit Manager
George Miles, Paladin, Founding Director
Gurpit Singh Gujral, LoanTube, Chief Executive Officer
Ian Leslie, Marsh McLennan, Managing Director, Trade Credit
Ian Strangward, Karndean, Credit Manager
Jade Owen, Peri, Head of Credit
James Burgess, Atradius UK, Head of Commercial and Insolvency
John Atkinson, Novuna Business Cash Flow, Head of Commercial and Strategy
Julia Bitters, Jewsons, National Credit Manager
Karen Ryan, Clear Business, Head of Customer Transitions
Kirsty Dear, Yusen Logistics UK, Order to Cash Working Capital Manager
Kulvir Ranu, Lavazza, Credit Manager
Laura Brown, St Gobain, Head of Credit Risk
Lisa Mckenzie, Tarmac, Senior Manager Collections
Lucy Stagg, Atradius Collections, Country Manager
Mark Porter, Capital On Tap, Head of Collections
Mark Taylor, Wilkin Chapman Rollits, Partner
Martin Kirby, Batt Cables, Head of Credit Risk and Collections
Matthew Mitchell, Careline365, Senior Credit Control & Billing Manager
Mihaela Olaru, Ocean Network Express, EUA RHQ Credit Control Manager
Mike Randall, Simply Asset Finance, Chief Executive
Neil Rudge, Shawbrook, Chief Banking Officer
Nick King, Radius, Director of Underwriting and Debt Management
Nicola Hannant, Cemex, Credit Manager
Oliver Bridges, Nucleus Commercial Finance, Head of Collections & Recoveries
Paula Swain, KLS Group, Managing Solicitor and Head of Litigation & Recoveries
Peter Gent, Marston Recovery, Sales Director
Peter Whitmore, Weston, VP EMEA, Credit, Vendor & Financial Services Manager
Rebecca Jackson, Stark Building Materials, Credit Control Manager
Rebecca Sutton, Shoosmiths, Credit Manager
Sara Souyave, Silverback Commercial Law, Services Director and Head of Commercial Services
Sean Jones, UK Plumbing Supplies, Credit Manager
Sean Kelly, Univar Solutions, Credit Manager
Shahina Choglay, Savills Associate Director, Head of Credit Management, London
Sharan Bhachu, Deliveroo, Credit & Billing Manager
Stephen Bale, Funding Circle, Director of Collections, Recoveries, Litigation & Complaints
Stephen Holmes, Novuna, Senior Corporate Risk Manager
Steve Kershaw, Fleetmaxx Solutions, Head of Credit
Steven Radley, Turnbull, Finance Manager
Sukh Jutley, Bunzl, Head of Credit
Tim Borst, Conair, Financial Controller
Tom Russell, R3, President
Tony Groom, K2, Business Partner Director
Venkatesh Kailasam, HSBC, Senior Manager Group Collections
Fraud Prevention
Anna Rowe, LoveSaid, Co-Founder
Chris Ainsley, Santander, Head of Fraud Risk Management
Dr Elisabeth Carter, Kingston University, Criminologist and Forensic Linguist
Hilary Berg, One Planet Communications, Founder
Liz Ziegler, Lloyds Bank, Director of Fraud
Mark Courtney, Cifas, Chief Product Officer
Nick Perkins, NatWest, Director of Fraud Prevention
Nick Sharp, National Economic Crime Centre, Deputy Director
Stuart Daniels, Freemans Grattan Holdings, Chief Credit Officer
Tony Sales, We Fight Fraud, Co-Founder
Industry Consultants
Amir Ali OBE, Remote Court Users, Founder
Chris Warburton, RO Strategy, Director
Dan Walker, AI For Business, Co-Founder & Director
Debbie Nolan, CICM/Carmelite Consulting, Head of Professional Development/Director
Dee Gallagher, AMP Corporate Communications, Founder
Denise Crossley, Independent Consultant, Director
Jason Pallister, DCS Credit Management, Founder
Jon Timmis, BTR Future, Chief Innovation Officer
Kathy Cox, Independent Consultant, Director
Maria Harris, Digital Cat Consultancy, Director
Sarah Cryer, Independent Consultant, Director
Steve Williams, Continuum Advisory Partners, Director
2026 INDUSTRY LEADERS LIST & NETWORKING DINNER WAS SPONSORED BY:
Atradius Collections is a worldwide B2B debt recovery provider known for delivering effective, amicable, and legally supported collection solutions across diverse markets, time zones, and regulatory environments. Their multilingual specialists, positioned across the globe, draw on strong local insight and a highly integrated international IT network to optimise recovery outcomes while safeguarding customer relationships. Alongside their collection services, Atradius also delivers a broad range of credit management solutions designed to strengthen cash flow, enhance receivables oversight, and mitigate payment risk.
My DSO Manager is an AI-powered SaaS platform dedicated to credit and collections management, designed to sit on top of any ERP and give finance teams full control over receivables, credit risk, and cash flow. Used by 2,500+ companies in 95 countries, the platform helps organisations reduce DSO, strengthen credit decisions, and streamline the entire credit management process across complex, multi-entity environments. Fully interoperable with all ERP, CRM, payment platforms, credit insurers and financial data providers, My DSO Manager centralises credit management activities in one collaborative environment.
Key capabilities include credit risk and credit limits management, customizable dunning workflows, dispute tracking, real-time receivables monitoring, advanced analytics, and automated collection prioritisation. Built by experienced credit managers and supported by a dedicated in-house technology team, the platform reflects the realities of operational credit work while enabling collaboration between finance, sales, and customer service. With MAIA, its generative AI assistant, users receive intelligent recommendations to improve performance across the entire order-to-cash cycle.
DRINKS RECEPTION SPONSORED BY:
Opus Business Advisory Group is an independently owned advisory firm that assists clients to achieve their objectives, enhance value and attain the best possible results. Specialist teams within each division work together to deliver a seamless solution that addresses all of the clients’ needs through one team. The Group provides fresh thinking combined with specialist skills to facilitate the next steps of the client’s business journey.
The Group contains the largest independent restructuring and insolvency firm in the UK, with a headcount of over 150 and 38 Partners across the Group’s 15 UK offices, and an office in Bermuda. Opus is a member of GGI (a worldwide association of experienced professionals to support companies on a global scale). Group divisions also include strategic advisory, forensic accounting, growth equity, wealth management and capital partners.
2026 ADVISORY PANEL PARTNERS:
NEW PARTNER FOR 2026:
PLAN FOR 2027
The key elements related to eligibility for individuals to be included on the list are available on request. At the beginning of 2027, individuals will also be allowed to nominate to appear on the 2027 list.
If you wish to be considered for nomination on the 2027 list, please submit your request to marketing@credt-connect.co.uk
*Once the Industry Leaders have received an invite, attendees can book a space at the dinner in 2027. Details will be shared soon. A limited number of bookings will also include access to the Think Tank and/or the Commercial Conference. Leaders will also receive their 2027 physical badge when registering at the event.
INDUSTRY RECOGNITION HALL OF FAME
2025: Malcolm Hurlston
2026: Philip King
As this is a digital list, it will remain fluid throughout the year. Credit Connect reserves the right to remove individuals should they move roles or should we become aware of any alignment and/or bias towards technology suppliers outside their day-to-day role.