Jo Coburn (Times Radio)

Jo Coburn presented BBC Politics Live and ‘Daily Politics’ for nearly 14 years building on her role as a BBC political correspondent, anchoring every Budget and Financial Statement since 2020 and covering eight general elections. She has interviewed most of today’s leading Ministers and Shadow Ministers, with a deep understanding of what makes Westminster and Whitehall tick.

Jo has recently joined Times Radio to present The Times At One.

Session: Political climate and looking ahead

John Wightman, Head of Market Analysis and Policy (FCA)

John Wightman is Head of Market Analysis and Policy at the Financial Conduct Authority. His department has delivered a number of key policy initiatives across the Consumer Finance sector, including Strengthening Protections for Borrowers in Financial Difficulty (PS 24/2), and improvements to the FCA’s consumer credit data collection (PS 24/3 and PS 25/3).

He is leading the FCA’s work to bring BNPL into regulation and its collaboration with HM Treasury on Consumer Credit Act reform. Before joining the Financial Conduct Authority in February 2023, John spent ten years at the Financial Ombudsman Service, where he was Head of Practice for Consumer Credit.

Session: Regulatory update

Dr Linda Yueh CBE (Author, writer and broadcaster)

Dr Linda Yueh CBE is Fellow in Economics, St Edmund Hall, Oxford University and Adjunct Professor of Economics, London Business School. She is an Associate Fellow of the US and the Americas Programme at Chatham House. Dr Yueh is a Member of the UK Soft Power Council. She was the BBC’s Chief Business Correspondent and Bloomberg TV’s Economics Editor.

Her latest book is The Great Crashes: Lessons from Global Crashes and How to Prevent Them, selected as the Best New Economics Books by the Financial Times. Her previous book, The Great Economists: How Their Ideas Can Help Us Today, was The Times’s Best Business Books of the Year, and Newsweek magazine’s Best Books of the Year. 

Session: Economic context

Kiri Adams (Christians Against Poverty)

Kiri has worked in the debt advice sector for nine years, working with financial services, enforcement, utilities and government departments to help secure better outcomes for customers in debt. She currently works as CAP's Head of Policy & Public Affairs; feeding insights from CAP clients into policy decisions, leading on CAP's Public Affairs work and advocating for those in debt and on low incomes. Kiri also chairs the Communications Subgroup, a subsidiary of the Government Debt Management Function's (GDMF) Fairness Group. The Fairness Group was set up in 2016 to recommend improvements to the government’s debt-management practices. It includes representatives from central government, local government, the debt advice sector and industry experts.

Session: Government Debt Collection Policy Issues - interaction and working with central and local Government

Tim Anderton (Data on Demand)

Tim Anderton recently joined Data On Demand as GTM Consultant. With a background in marketing services and a focus on driving customer engagement, Tim is passionate about helping organisations deliver better outcomes for their customers - whether that means supporting people to pay down debt faster or connecting them with the right help during challenging circumstances.

Session: Opening address and update from headline sponsor

Andrew Bartle (Perch)

Session: The future of credit information and what it means for the sector

Frank Brown (GRR Consulting)

Frank is a risk and regulatory expert with extensive experience of advising boards and senior management on how to achieve their strategic objectives while staying within risk appetite and abiding by the rules and principles of the regulators.

Frank worked for Big Four accountants and top UK law firms, advising clients from startups to organisations at the heart of Britain’s financial market infrastructure, including many in the collections sector. He has also acted as a s166 Skilled Person in the credit sector.

Frank has worked extensively on Consumer Duty projects, supporting firms in interpreting the regulatory requirements, and in delivering the necessary changes within the organisations.

Session: Regulation and the growth agenda - what does the sector need?

James Crouch (Opinium)

James Crouch is a partner at Opinium, where he leads on research to understand public opinion and the societal trends shaping both policy and consumer behaviour. With over a decade of experience in polling, he has worked on four general elections, three London mayoral races, and two national referendums.

James’s insights have helped political campaigns, charities, think tanks, and communications agencies navigate complex public sentiment. Opinium was one of only two firms to predict the Leave victory in the 2016 EU referendum and accurately forecast the 2019 general election within a margin of just +/- 0.5%. Increasingly, James’s work supports brands and organisations seeking to understand shifting consumer attitudes and political and societal change.

Session: Public and customer attitudes to collections

Simon Dewhirst (UK Finance)

Simon currently works at UK Finance as a Principal within the Unsecured Consumer Credit policy area. A key focus as a data and industry specialist is to represent members on current industry working groups, along with representation in relation to the CIMS (Credit Information Market study) remedies that will be in development over the next few years. Prior to this he spent nearly 30 years working for all three mainstream Credit Reference Agencies (Equifax, Transunion and more recently Experian) in various Data, Compliance, and Governance roles. Simon has been a representative on the Steering Committee on Reciprocity (SCOR) for nearly 25 years, and whilst he currently represents UK Finance, he has previously represented both Transunion and Experian

Session: The future of credit information and what it means for the sector

Andrew Gething (MorganAsh)

Andrew is the founder and managing director of MorganAsh. He is a highly successful entrepreneur who has taken an IT start-up through growth and profitability to successful acquisition and floated a private computer games company on the London Stock Exchange.

Andrew is a structural engineer graduate, previously a Chartered Structural Engineer, and holds an MBA from Sheffield Business School. He is a recognised consumer vulnerability specialist and champion, is the driving force behind the award-winning digital vulnerability management system, MARS – adopted in the financial services, credit and utilities sectors.

Session: The financial vulnerability landscape

Paddy Gilling (Ophelos)

Paddy Gilling is Commercial Lead at Ophelos, the AI-powered debt resolution platform within Intrum. He leads commercial strategy and partnerships with lenders and utilities, translating AI capabilities into real-world improvements in engagement, vulnerability detection, and repayment outcomes. Paddy writes and speaks about where generative AI helps (and where it harms) in collections, advocating for clear guardrails- explainability, bias monitoring, and human-in-the-loop controls that protect customers while meeting regulatory expectations. His work centres on turning “AI” from a buzzword into measurable gains in liquidation, CX, and operational resilience.

Session: AI frontiers: applications and considerations

Russell Hamblin-Boone (CIVEA)

Russell is Chief Executive Officer of CIVEA. He was previously Chief Executive of the Consumer Finance Association, working with legislators, regulators and consumer organisations to raise standards in the short-term lending industry. He is a proficient commentator and industry spokesman with a strong media profile.

He has held senior positions at the Finance and Leasing Association and the Energy Retail Association (now known as Energy UK). He has worked in the Chief Whip’s Office in Downing Street, as private secretary to the Leader of the House of Lords and to the Attorney General.

Session: Government Debt Collection Policy Issues - interaction and working with central and local Government

Jennifer Hedley (Addleshaw Goddard)

Jen is a Partner in the firm's Finance Disputes team with 14 years of experience in financial services disputes, particularly large-scale thematic litigation for defendant financial institutions. She has extensive experience in trials, ADR, settlements, and advising on high-profile disputes involving reputational, regulatory, and industry-specific issues.

In the last 3-4 years she has managed an increasing portfolio of broker commission claims for a number of key lender and broker clients. This is a high profile and wide scale thematic issue in the motor finance industry with regulatory issues at play. She has also provided strategic advice together with colleagues from Financial Regulation in relation to the impact of the recent Court of Appeal and Supreme Court decisions in Johnson, Wrench and Hopcraft.

Session: The future of the Consumer Credit Act

Clare Hughes (Addleshaw Goddard)

Clare specialises in consumer finance and retail banking. She has 20 years' experience of working with a wide range of clients across all sectors of the retail finance industry including retail banks, credit card issuers, alternative finance providers, asset finance lenders and brokers.

She has helped a number of clients move into regulated credit activities for the first time, advising on legal and regulatory issues and overseeing the team's design and delivery of compliance regimes within those businesses. She also works with clients in relation to the implementation of and compliance with payment services regulation, as well as providing regulatory advice in relation to corporate deals and securitisations involving regulated consumer lending. Clare's work with clients in these areas covers new product development, drafting customer facing documentation, distribution channels, post origination servicing as well as transactional support.

Clare has extensive experience of advising clients in redress and remediation projects in the consumer finance space across running account and fixed sum lending products. Clare has spent time practising as a barrister and formerly worked as a consumer lawyer at the Office of Fair Trading. She is recognised as a leading expert in the Consumer Finance field, being individually ranked in Chambers & Partners for many years.

Session: The future of the Consumer Credit Act

Jackie Keogh (IWG & CIGB)

Jackie is the independent Chair of the Interim Working Group, an industry construct created to respond to the FCA market study on the Credit Information industry. The IWG was responsible for the issuance of a set of recommendations to design, implement and operate a new Credit Information Governance Body (CIGB). She is one of two founding directors of CIGB Limited.

Jackie is also a non-executive board member at UK Export Finance, the UK government’s export credit agency and RTGS/CHAPs Board, part of the Bank of England. She previously held roles as a Senior Advisor for the FCA, a Bank Supervisory Board Member, subjected to the FMA, and Board Director of Custom House Financial (UK) Ltd, subject to approval from FCA and HMRC.

Former Non-Executive Director of Idea Group, business systems company. Her 35+year financial industry experience spanned government, regulator, banks, network provider and payment institution including NatWest Bank, SWIFT, Standard Chartered Bank, Lloyds Banking Group, Western Union and Financial Conduct Authority.

Session: The future of credit information and what it means for the sector

Andrew Lincoln (MaPS)

Andrew is Policy Manager at the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), where he leads creditor policy with a focus on utilities. He brings regulatory and consumer expertise from roles at the Competition and Markets Authority, Ofwat, and the UK Regulators Network, alongside a background in government policy and research.

Session: Utilities and Energy collections - Latest developments

Ian Ma (EY)

Ian is a Director in EY’s UK FS Strategy and Transactions team, with 15 years of banking experience. He is the lead author for EY’s European debt purchase and collection market quarterly report and has worked on a number of projects covering M&A, financial due diligence, balance sheet optimisation in the sector.

Ian is also a portfolio transaction expert covering asset classes including equity investments, performing/non-performing commercial and retail loans.

Session: Debt purchase market - investment opportunities

Jaime Nuwar-Graham (Cabot Financial (Europe) Limited)

Session: Public and customer attitudes to collections

Katie Orme (Octopus Energy)

Katie qualified as a social worker in 2013 and remains in this front line practice today for local authority whilst also working for Octopus Energy as Head of service for social work since May 2023.

Katie is a dual practice social worker with systemic training working in both the adult and children's sector which provides a good knowledge base and understanding of how best to support vulnerable customers in a holistic approach at Octopus Energy.

Sessions: The financial vulnerability landscape & Utilities and energy collections - latest developments

Nick Parkhouse (Interpath)

Nick heads the UK Financial Services Transactions team at Interpath in addition to leading Global Financial Services strategy. He has a unique background in the advisory world having spent over 20 years as a structured finance and M&A professional focusing in particular on the securitisation markets including leading on high-profile mid-market financial services transactions such as Octopus Electric Vehicles’ £500m inaugural warehouse, the management buyout of MT Finance; the sale of Aldermore Bank’s working capital division to Bibby Financial Services; and the sale of BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions UK’s contract hire business to Novuna.

This varied experience gives Nick significant insight into looking at transactions from multiple angles in addition to a strong and deep market network.

Session: Utilities and Energy collections - Latest developments

Lukasz Piotrowski (Intrum)

Lukasz Piotrowski, Head of Engineering at Intrum UK, brings over two decades of technology leadership, with more than ten years dedicated to Financial Services spanning credit cards, loans, investment banks, debt management and related sectors.

At Intrum, he is accountable for the inception, design, delivery, and quality of mission-critical services - including payments, communications, and telephony - used both by clients and internally. His approach ensures that technology initiatives are tightly aligned with business objectives, driving measurable improvements in service reliability and operational efficiency.

Lukasz is a strong advocate for leveraging technology as a catalyst for business success, emphasising that tools like AI, when implemented with foresight and robust governance, can unlock transformative opportunities previously out of reach. From a governance perspective, his leadership ensures that innovation is balanced with risk management and compliance, supporting sustainable growth.

Session: AI frontiers: applications and considerations

Alex Scott, Director (Quilam Capital)

Alex Scott is a Director at Quilam Capital, a specialist growth investor and senior debt provider in the Speciality and Alternative Finance market. Alex has ten years experience across debt, equity and sponsor backed transactions in the Specialty Finance market, including the debt purchase, collections and credit services sector.

Session: Debt purchase market - investment opportunities

Lauren Smith (KPMG)

Lauren is a Senior Manager in KPMG’s Risk and Regulatory Advisory team, specialising in FCA conduct regulation across the Consumer Credit and Retail Banking sectors.

Lauren lends her SME expertise across a number of conduct areas; including regulatory compliance, outcome testing, arrears and collections, responsible lending and vulnerable customers.

She has led multiple regulatory reviews and investigations across collections and recoveries for a range of Banks, Building Societies and retail finance providers.

Session: Regulation and the growth agenda - what does the sector need?

Jim Taylor (Glenbrow Consulting Limited)

Jim qualified as a solicitor some 27 years ago and has worked in debt and financial services litigation for his whole career, dealing with consumer and commercial secured and unsecured lending products. He has worked with a wide range of creditors to navigate an increasingly regulated environment ensuring a commercial and reputational focus for all his clients.

Jim was a partner at Shoosmiths for 15 years, leading the Consumer Recoveries operation from 2018 to 2021. He was managing director of Equivo's legal services division until April this year when the division was acquired by Solaris Law Limited.

Jim, through Glenbrow Consulting Limited, is now leveraging his extensive experience to support debt recovery businesses, law firms, lenders and other creditors in delivering best-in-class recoveries operations that meet and exceed commercial and regulatory standards.

Session: FOS reform and regulatory considerations for complaints and client deadlock

Jane Tully (HMT)

Jane is a deputy director in HM Treasury, leading the Government Debt Management Function (GDMF) which oversees the governments approach to debt across 32 government departments and arms-length bodies. The GDMF aims to achieve Fair Debt Outcomes for All in line with the Government Debt Strategy, and convenes the Fairness Group - a cross-sector partnership bringing together the public sector, private sector and charities to ensure consistency in how people in debt are treated.

Prior to working in government, she spent over 10 years in the debt advice sector - using insights from debt services to lead policy campaigns, shape service design and develop new partnerships. She also has a background in regulation and local government.

Session: Government Debt Collection Policy Issues - interaction and working with central and local Government

Peter Wallwork (Non-exec director)

Peter has spent 40-plus years in the financial services industry including branch banking, secured and unsecured lending and collections, and was Chief Executive of the Credit Services Association between 2010 and 2020.

During that time and since then, he has held a number of non-executive roles and directorships and is currently Interim Chair of the Steering Committee on Reciprocity (SCOR).

He also advises on strategy, governance and external messaging for Trustfolio, a SaaS company, dedicated to digitising debt solutions, improving communication in the debt advice arena and the way debt solutions work for all stakeholders.

Sessions: The future of credit information and what it means for the sector

Dan Weir (Money & Mental Health Policy Institute)

Dan is the Research and Policy Manager at the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, leading their research team. Previously he ran the Research and Insight team at PIB Insurance. He is passionate about ensuring the lived experiences of people with mental health problems feature in collections processes and strategies.

Session: The financial vulnerability landscape

Caroline Wells (Caroline Wells Consultancy)

Caroline's background has always been in customer service - and over the last 35 + years (with 20 of those at the Financial Ombudsman Service), she has significant experience in dispute resolution, senior operational leadership, consumer vulnerability and customer experience. Caroline runs her own consultancy business, working directly with firms and organisations across the private and public sector on all things customer service related.

As well as holding a number of appointed and senior advisory roles, she also works in partnership with trade bodies to bring her real-life and current experience to members, from practical training for frontline staff to strategy-focused sessions for those overseeing customer service and complaints functions.

This year Caroline was recognised in the 2025 Industry Leaders List; for her contribution to positive industry change and making a measurable difference to dispute resolution in debt recovery and enforcement.

Session: FOS reform and regulatory considerations for complaints and client deadlock