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A man on a mission
Philip King, Director General of the Institute of Credit Management (ICM) is a
man on a mission.
In his first year in office he has attended well over 1,500 meetings and
speaking engagements, has visited several ICM Branches across the UK, and has
visited numerous credit and finance institutions across Great Britain and
Europe.
In one year alone, he has clocked up over 50,000 miles.
Add to this the fact that he is a popular press spokesman for the Institute
being quoted in newspapers such as The Guardian and The Times, and most people
with such a workload would be ready to crack.
Not so Philip King, who despite his hectic working lifestyle has a down-to-earth
lively spirit with boundless energy.
When asked how he manages to cope, his answer is simple: "There are 24
hours in a day - I believe in using them all."
The first year
What then has he achieved in his first year in office as Director General of the
Institute of Credit Management?
After 66 years of being the UK's only credit
institute, Philip faced his first challenge when a month into office he found
himself in talks with the Association of Credit Professionals (ACP), a new
organisation seeming initially to be offering itself as an alternative body to
the ICM which is often seen as a sleepy organisation.
In fact, the ICM is far from sleepy.
The Institute handles numerous (24 in each
of the last two years) government consultations for such bodies as the HM
Treasury, the Department of Trade & Industry, the Financial Ombudsman, the
Department of Constitutional Affairs, and the Office of Fair Trading.
As well as
undertaking copious work with industry bodies such as the Money Advice Liaison
Group, the Finance & Leasing Association, and the Better Payment Practice Group.
"Much of the Institute's good work has been going on behind closed doors for
years." explains Philip.
"Every month, we handle consultation papers - with us
being consulted on everything from the rules for the new consumer credit
jurisdiction, though to the implementation of the third Money Laundering
Directive.
"Many of our members still remain unaware of our direct lobbying
activities with Government."
Further development
Mr King continues to drive the development of the Institute. Most recently, the
ICM has signed an exclusive deal with CICCWORLD, the web-based interactive
learning company to develop and promote a range of dynamic online training
services in a series of initiatives being delivered under the new ICM Online
Services (ICMOS) umbrella.
As Philip explained, "Last year, CICCWORLD developed and hosted the ICM Credit
Management survey for Financial Director magazine.
Under the ICMOS brand, the
objective is to deploy a series of web-enabled training modules to give a fully
integrated e-learning centre that will allow us to present exciting
multi-layered content using the latest media broadcast technology to our members
and also to the wider credit profession.
Not only will this add significant
value to the wealth of ICM educational content, but it will provide a
springboard into the lucrative European and North American markets."
"For a long time, the ICM has been the leading voice for credit professionals,
but it is important that we continue to evolve.
Our priority is to give our
members the support they need to progress, to empower them - hence the
Institute's new strapline 'Empowering the credit profession'.
We want to make
the Institute more accessible to both our existing and potential new members."
The Institute revamped its membership grades last year to more fairly and
accurately reflect the qualifications and experience of those working in credit
management in the 21st century.
The review included a new emphasis on the
Affiliate Membership grade for those studying for ICM qualifications or for
those working in fringe areas of credit such as insolvency and accountancy.
It
also saw recognition being granted to those who might have gained academic
achievement in a different sector and had gained experience of working in credit
by allowing them to become Associate Members carrying the designatory letters
AICM
"The ICM has recognised the need to offer all credit professionals a route to
membership, even if they are newcomers to the subject, or have come from a
different background.
A far wider audience now has the opportunity to enjoy the
wealth of advice, information and benefits that the Institute of Credit
Management has to offer.
Working from a solid foundation set by predecessor Peter Rowe, Philip's
management style is the complete opposite to Peter's staid, and often,
arm-length approach.
"I'd wanted to do this job for years," said Philip with a
smile. "I thrive on challenges.
"I like to get out there, right in the thick of
it - it's the only way to find out what really is going on."
With a real entrepreneurial spirit, Philip King is a man who takes calculated
risks - and who is set to reign over the Institute for a very long time to come.
Source:
Credit Control Journal |
