14 minute read
Victoria/Tasmania
Life Member and past national magazine editor Ian Bartholomew was interviewed by AICM CEO Nick Pilavidis and celebrated at our dinner. Danny O’Neill (CreditorWatch) and Shavantha Mallawa (Credit Source).
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John Li, Andrei Gubin, Zarah Butcher, Mark Mansilla and Chen Mi (all mecwacare).
President’s report
And we finish the year with applause!
It’s been a huge relief for all of our Vic/Tas members to be out of lockdown and out and about once again.
Since we last spoke, we have had the opportunity to run one more event, our Pinnacle Awards.
With a wealth of knowledge, experience and passion, this year’s awards were a tight competition. A huge congratulations to all nominees and to our winners; z Ricky Forster MICM CCE – Credit Manager z Debbie Ryan MICM CCE – Credit
Supervisor Tim Vann, Pauline Mak and Fei Wei (all Jirsch Sutherland). z Spiro Pikoulas MICM – Consultant
I had the honour of playing taxi for one of our longest time on council, it has been wonderful to be a part of serving life members; Ian Bartholomew. Ian joined the an institute that recognises how valuable diversity and institute back when it was still known as “The Institute of inclusion is in the workplace. Credit Men”. We are almost at 50/50 women to men on council at
Looking around the room, he was pleased to see so present and have a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds many women. I know from my own perspective with my and ages. This mix of people ensures we have a
Our Premium sponsors illion out in force: Bree Shankar, Paul Sharp, Jessica Taylor, John Torounoglou, Johnny Ireland, Craig Brooks, Jason Valdez, Farhan Ansari and Shiang Wong.
representative for the majority of our membership base.
Having said that, we are recruiting for sub committees! If you have a brilliant idea you think the AICM should run with, or want to get some experience running events, come chat to us on council. We always welcome fresh faces and fresh ideas.
The 2022 calendar is out now and we are planning a lot more face to face events this year.
Thank you to all of our Sponsors, who have stuck with us through a tough year and our members who continue to support each other and give back to the world of credit. We couldn’t have done this without you.
Have a wonderful festive season, spend time with loved ones, eat too much and we look forward to seeing your smiling faces in 2022! – Catrina Galanti MICM CCE, President Tony Mackwell (Victorian Managed Insurance Authority), Ricky Forster (Councillor), Angela De Fede (Esker), Stephen Moloney (AMPAC), Leigh Garth (Bennetts Petroleum Supplies) and Melanie Donnison (AMPAC),
Spiro Pikoulas (ARMA) with Alex Hawtin (Middy’s Electrical) and Sia Patrouras (CollectAU).
Pinnacles Awards
Thursday 9th December, Crowne Plaza Melbourne
A BIG thank you to our Premium Sponsor illion for making this night spectacular and a great way to end the year. Also, a special mention to Leigh Garth who travelled from Tasmania despite the restrictions placed upon her to go home.
Deborah Ryan (Oji Fibre), Katrina Bromley, John Ngu, Karen Brazier (all Spicers), Julie Watterson (Oji Fibre), Kim Visser (Spicers) and Michelle Dunking (Oji Fibre).
Esker sponsored the Credit Manager of the Year award and Paul Butler – Business Development Manager presented the certificates to our finalists.
The finalists were: z Ricky Forster MICM CCE – GM
Financial Services, Study Loans
Australia. WINNER! z Amaran Navaratnam MICM CCE –
Team Leader Accounts Receivable,
Mecwacare z Leigh Garth MICM CCE – Credit
Manager, Bennett’s Petroleum
Supplies Grace Kulbe (CreditorWatch), Adrian Coughlan (Rinnai), Richard Jear (ATA Distributors) and Alex Nicol (Aitken Partners).
Glen Cockerell (Frameless Glass Systems), Blair Ryan, Sebastian Lobczuk, Elliot Morey, Nish Patel (all Access Mercantile)
CredtiorWatch sponsored the Credit Supervisor of the Year award and Danny O’Neill – Head of Corporate Sales presented the certificates to our finalists.
The finalists were: z Debbie Ryan MICM CCE – Credit
Manager, Oji Fibre Solutions.
WINNER!
z Katrina Bromley MICM CCE – Credit
Supervisor, Spicers Paper.
Jirsch Sutherland sponsored the Consultant of the Year award and Andrew Mattinson – Principal presented the certificates to our finalists.
The finalists were: z Spiro Pikoulas MICM – Business
Development Consultant, ARMA
WINNER!
z Grace Kulbe – Enterprise Account Director,
CreditorWatch z Jeanne McArthur MICM – Managing Director,
McArthur Commercial Recoveries z Johnny Ireland – National Account Director, illion z Sebastian Lobczuk – Head of Sales & Business
Development, Access Mercantile Services.
Young Credit Professional of the Year
WINNER: Daniel Alley MICM
Senior Credit Analyst at Reece Group
Thanks to Daniel we have kept the YCP trophy in Vic/Tas for the 3rd year in a row. Also, a huge thank you to the event’s sponsors, CreditorWatch and ARMA, whose dedication to supporting young people is greatly appreciated. We asked Daniel a few questions about YCP and here is what he had to say:
Why did you choose to apply for the YCP?
I didn’t even really know about the YCP award until my manager Malani, heard me mention that I am 28 years old – she thought I was at least 30! She explained what it was and suggested I apply; both herself and her manager Rhys have been involved for many years and have been judges in the past. Some other Reece staff have previously applied for the award as well. I saw it as a fantastic opportunity and went for it!
What did you learn during the process?
I learned that maybe I can achieve more than I thought possible, and that perhaps even though I have much more to learn, my skills and experience so far are still valuable and I can have an impact on the credit industry, even in a small way.
What would you say to other young professionals thinking of applying for YCP?
I would say “what have you got to lose?” Regardless of the outcome, it’s a fantastic way to improve your confidence & personal development, grow your network and gain industry recognition. Give it your best shot!
Play to your strengths, and to what you’re passionate about. Credit has so many facets and each one of us has some unique insights to offer. My topic was on Technology in Credit, which I chose because I initially started my career in IT and have seen how innovation can positively impact credit. I hoped to inspire my audience to think about the ways they can utilise technology in their own businesses for the benefit of customers and staff.
How did your company receive the information about your win?
My team at Reece were incredibly supportive! Leading up to the big day they were all so encouraging and even nervous for me. They sat with me in a meeting room while we waited for the results with others watching online from home.
They gave a huge cheer when I won and popped some champagne afterwards. Malani and Rhys had given me feedback on my presentation and supported me throughout the entire thing and I want to thank them both in particular for everything!
Anything else you would like to add?
I’m not naturally a person who loves the limelight and it took a lot of willpower and courage to step out of my comfort zone and really engage in the process for the YCP award. To me, that is one of the most valuable parts of the whole experience, win or not.
Anyone considering giving this a go should definitely do so; the AICM is a fantastic organisation and with the support of the sponsors they run a brilliant event, so do your best and you won’t regret it!
CCE DUX of the Year
Ricky Forster
Study Loans MICM CCE
Why did you choose to do your CCE?
Completing my CCE was really the next step in gaining acknowledgement of the experience and knowledge I have in the credit industry. It provided me with validation of the knowledge, skills and experience I have gained over my career to date and allowed me to demonstrate the strengths across a number of different credit related focus points. It has been an amazing opportunity to really validate what I have accomplished so far and resonated with my commitment to integrity and high standards of my performance and commitment to the industry.
What did you enjoy about the process?
The part I enjoyed most about the process was being able to demonstrate my broad skills and capabilities across multiple credit industry areas. The ability to collaborate those learnings across a number of different testing methodologies allowed me to provide the level of detail on areas of credit that I am most passionate about.
The support and encouragement was second to none from other credit professionals, which made the experience so much easier.
What was your topic and how did you choose it?
The topic I chose was an essay on the ‘Absence of Financial Hardship Frameworks’. I wrote about this topic as I am passionate about customers in credit and very aware of customer hardship and vulnerability, especially during the global pandemic. The reason I focused on this issue was to demonstrate the importance of having solid financial hardship and customer vulnerability frameworks and the importance of working closely with customers to ensure you support them based on their unique situation, rather than applying a one size support option. I chose the topic because it is important to raise awareness.
What advice would you give someone who was thinking about doing their cce?
This is the most rewarding experience and I encourage everyone to take this journey. It’s a wonderful process to validate your experience, skills and expertise in the industry. The journey is not scary, the support of the CCE Chair Members is amazing and it’s something once you have achieved it – you will wish you had of done it sooner.
Ricky Forster.
Retirement congratulations!
Michael Mann from the Department of State Growth, Tasmania has been a member of the AICM since 1991 (30 years) and we would like to honour his career and share some of his parting wisdom.
How did you get into finance/credit?
It basically arose after a couple of years as a junior clerk at BP Australia in Hobart and I was given the opportunity to undertake credit control in late 1973. I was at BP for 8 years and then accepted a position in finance at the Agricultural Bank of Tasmania, where I have been ever since (43 years), albeit there has been several name changes.
Tell us about your career in the credit industry.
Well, I can honestly say, there was never a dull moment and I never regretted moving from the private sector to state government. I enjoyed the variety of work, from dealing with a distressed housing client in the morning, to financing an irrigator for a farmer at midday and finally chasing a fisherman for a loan repayment in the afternoon.
One interesting loan type created in the last 8 years, was a scheme to assist the Arts sector. Loans were provided at no interest to approved Australians in any state, to purchase Art produced by a local Tasmanian artist. The purpose was threefold – increase the awareness of Tasmanian art within the Australian community, stimulate throughput in art galleries etc and provide the public with the opportunity to own some Fine Art.
The loans were offered over 12 months, repayable by a monthly Direct Debit on an approved financial institution bank account only. Usual credit checks were undertaken and whilst there were the inevitable monthly dishonours, overall the default on final repayment of a loan in full was extremely minimal.
My role only basically changed over the years, as I progressed through management and at the time of my retirement, I was responsible for a significant, but extremely varied, loan portfolio.
Credit fundamentals have not changed too much, but increased available information has assisted our decision making.
What was your career highlight?
I have always believed that all possible avenues for recovery should be pursued. I recall having success in chasing down a parent company in Canada, who had provided a guarantee. The company sold 3 times, when I commenced action. In each case, the contingent liability had not been declared at the time of each sale. Repayment of the debt was actively pursued. A court date had been determined, and as usual, at the 11th hour, a mutually acceptable compromise was agreed, seeing just over 50% of the debt being offered. The disappointing aspect was that the final return would have been a bit higher, except for a significant variation in the exchange rate on the settlement date.
What advice would you give the younger generation of finance managers coming through?
If you are in a situation whereby administrators and liquidators are involved, be part of the conversation and go to the creditors meetings and depending on the value of your debt compared to the overall debt, consider being part of a Committee of Creditors, as this allows you to understand the overall situation of the affected entity and potential outcomes.
Get involved with the AICM – read the relevant magazine articles, consider getting actively involved with your local council, as well as encouraging your fellow peers to consider applying for membership, particularly any younger employees should strive to participate in the Young Credit Professional Awards.
Be connected with other credit managers, particularly those in your specific industry or similar
What did you enjoy about the AICM?
Basically, the interaction with fellow members, both within Tasmania when we were a separate branch, but also the availability of talking with others from other states, and benefits from attending seminars, webinars and in particular, the conferences.
I also had the opportunity to serve as a Director on the Board, whilst I was elected as the President of the Tasmanian branch.
This provided a further sound understanding of the ‘bigger picture’ of issues facing the credit industry in Australia and enabled me to provide input into potential changes in legislation as well as providing a perspective on way to improve membership experiences and values.
What are you most looking forward to about your retirement?
I have been an active member of the Australian Navy Cadets (ANC) since joining at 13 in 1965 and on being rejected by the RAN in 1970, for entry as a Midshipman with the view of becoming a Navigation Officer, on the grounds of a medical condition, I subsequently was appointed as a Staff Member of the ANC in 1973.
Some 48 years later, I am still actively involved. Knowing of my intention to retire in 2021, I sought appointment as the Financial Compliance Officer for the whole of Australia. This involves the desktop audits of the financials of some 85 Units, 9 Flotilla HQ’s where applicable, some 50 associated Unit Support Committees.
I would also like to get reinvolved in fly fishing for trout in our well known lakes and streams.
Your Vic/Tas Councillors at the end of year Pinnacles: Amaran Navaratnam, Brian Kay, Michelle Carruthers, Catrina Galanti, Mary Petreski. Missing Lou Caldararo, Robyn Erskine, Farhan Hossain and Alan Izra.
Council discussion – food for thought
On the second Thursday of every month the Vic/Tas council team meet to not only discuss upcoming events, but also industry updates where we have a collaborative discussion from all different perspectives – credit managers, lawyers, insolvency, insurance, Risk, fraud and credit bureau.
This month Brian Kay asked whether or not we should start collecting Director Identification Numbers (Director ID) in our credit applications? Robyn Erskine also mentioned that there is a review on insolvency laws around trusts.
The Australian Institute of Credit Management welcomes our Partners for 2022
National Partners
Trusted Insights. Responsible Decisions.
Divisional Partners
Membership milestone recipients
5 year anniversary
z Paul Sharp MICM – illion z Craig Brooks MICM – illion
10 year anniversary
z Katrina Bromley MICM CCE – Spicers Australia z Deborah Ryan – Oji Fibre Solutions Pty Ltd
20 year anniversary
z Vaios Kortikis MICM CCE – Middy’s Data & Electrical
25 year anniversary
z Nunzio Settinelli MICM – MM Electrical Merchandising.
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