CSA appoints Desmond Hudson as new CSA Chair

The Credit Service Association (CSA), the UK trade body for the debt collection and purchase industry, recently held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and has appointed Desmond Hudson as new independent chair. 

Desmond Hudson's career spans several high-profile positions, including Chief Executive of the Law Society of England & Wales and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. His tenure in these roles was marked by initiatives that advanced regulatory frameworks and enhanced professional standards. He has also led significant projects such as securing public credit ratings and launching bond issues on the London Stock Exchange while achieving ESG accreditation for housing associations.

Commenting on his appointment, Hudson said, “It is a great privilege to be appointed to this role. Working with my board colleagues I am looking forward to the next phase of CSA’s work to support our members as they play their part in an efficient credit sector.”

Hudson will be replacing Lord Tom Chandos, who was initially appointed as CSA Senior Independent Director (SID) in 2014 and then in 2020 appointed as Independent Chair to the CSA board. 

Chris Leslie, CSA CEO, commented on the appointment, “Desmond’s appointment comes at an important time for the association. With the Government and regulators now realising that economic growth must be at the heart of new policies, we have an opportunity to emphasise how credit availability – for which a well-functioning collections process is integral – must be front and centre of their thinking. The CSA represents our sector but also supports member firms with services, networking and new policy thinking. Des will be a great asset in this endeavour.”

“I also want to thank Tom Chandos, who has been on the CSA Board for a decade, and who brought with him a wealth of experience, impartiality, and proven business acumen. His support for the Association and the wider board over his long tenure will be sorely missed.”

At the AGM, CSA members also voted in new Deputy Chair, Kathryn Morgan, succeeding Nick Cherry of Phillips and Cohen Associates after 12 years of service initially as a board member in 2013 and then as Deputy Chair since 2017. Kathryn Morgan is Managing Director of Lowell and a current CSA Board Member. 

There were six board positions available for election at the Association’s 123rd AGM, and of those positions, one current board director, Frank Horvath, Managing Director at Link Financial Outsourcing, was re-elected. Frank has been working for 37 years in financial services and specifically in debt collection since 1999, with HSBC, Barclaycard and now Link Financial.  

Five other CSA board director positions were elected as follows;

Claire Moore, Chief Risk Officer at Azzurro Associates, is a specialist in the purchase and management of business and consumer debt, with a career that spans leadership roles in collections and recoveries across auto finance, unsecured lending, energy, and SME sectors.

Susan Bain from Zinc Group Ltd brings over 25 years of experience working in the collections and recoveries and has worked extensively in senior operations roles before moving into compliance and risk in 2011. In 2023, Susan was appointed to Zinc Group Ltd.'s main board as Director of Compliance and Risk.

Sam Barnard is Commercial Director at Lantern Group and has been in the Financial Services industry since 1990 and moved into Debt Purchase in 2008.

Stuart Webb is UK Site Director at Phillip and Cohen Associates (PCA) and has been involved in the debt collection industry for over 30 years on both the creditor and servicer side having worked for several large banks and now a privately owned debt collection agency in PCA.

Jaime Nuwar–Graham has worked in the collections and recoveries industry for 23 years holding several senior roles in leading UK retail banks before moving to his current role as Chief Operating Officer at Cabot Financial in 2021.

Commenting on the appointments, Chris Leslie added, “Our CSA Board is drawn from across the collections and debt purchase sector, elected democratically at our AGM from among our member firms, and they will ensure the voice of the sector is heard clearly and our work truly represents the real-world issues in collections and recoveries.”