Victoria/Tasmania

Mal Pericic (GWA Group Ltd), Caleb Delaney (TurksLegal), Michelle Carruthers (Arma Group), Stephen Langhammer (Robert Half), Maddison Basso (Moula) and Prue Greenfield (Macpherson Kelley).

Presidents Report

Hello members,

Thank you for choosing me to represent Victoria and Tasmania as President. I am so excited and honoured to help drive more member engagement and share credit knowledge across both states.

I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of both new and retiring volunteers because without them we would not be able to deliver the outstanding service we do for our members.

Firstly, I want to recognise the time and dedication that our previous President, Catrina Galanti provided on council. She truly shaped the council that we see today, and I am forever grateful for her guidance during my time on council. Catrina you will be truly missed by all of us.

I’d also like to acknowledge two previous council members Ricky Forster and Amaran Navaratnam. Ricky opened the credit conversation with businesses that had never been a member before and drove the consumer credit focus.

He was the 2021 DUX of CCE and he always put his hand up to help. Amaran was our leader in YCP and he mentored 3 nationals winners – Sunny Sharma, Rebecca Roberts and Daniel Alley. The two of you have left huge shoes to fill.

Today, I am supported by the incredible Mary Petreski, as my Vice President. Mary has a wealth of knowledge in credit and her commitment and passion for educating credit managers has been key to her exceptional work as the CCE portfolio manager. I am also thankful for my steadfast long time council experts, along with Mary you are the backbone to this council – Brian Kay, Robyn Erskine and Lou Caldararo.

We have 6 new council members this year and each of them are already making improvements in their portfolios. Welcome Alex Hawtin, Daniel Alley, Prue Greenfield, Sia Patouras, Rex Cheng and Maddi Basso.

This quarter we held a very eye opening and well received Economic Breakfast at the TurksLegal office in Melbourne. We also held our 2nd WINC luncheon

in Tasmania this month and we raised over $800 for our charity, “Dress for Success”. I’d like to thank our sponsors and our subcommittee, in particular Teena Ryan for helping make this event great!

Finally on behalf of all the councillors, we are all here for our members, so please reach out to anyone on council with your ideas on how to make our division even better. Looking forward to seeing you all at the conference! – Michelle Carruthers MICM

Division President VIC/TAS Mal Pericic (GWA GRoup), Maddison Basso (Moula) and Prue Greenfield (Macpherson Kelley).

Vic/Tas Economic Breakfast

16th August 2022

On Tuesday 16 August 2022, we had our credit update breakfast which was held at Turks Legal office. We had some fantastic panel speakers, Stephen Langhammer, Associate Director at Robert Half Consulting, Mal Pericic, Group Credit Manager at GWA Group Limited, Maddi Basso, Underwriting Team Leader at Moula and Vic/Tas YCP winner and Caleb Delaney, Associate at Turks Legal. Prue Greenfield, Principal Lawyer at Macpherson Kelley, chaired the event.

It was great to hear insights from recruitment, credit management and litigation experts about the challenges and current trends facing the credit industry. With rising interest rates, labour shortages, supply chain issues, insolvencies on the rise and staff retention and recruitment challenges, our panel gave us some insights into how they are dealing with these issues.

Stephen and Maddi gave some wonderful insights into what employees are seeking in their roles and also what employers can do to attract and retain talent. Mal gave some helpful insights into what it’s like on the ground and making the most of what we have and what we can control. Caleb spoke to us about the recent legal updates and in particular the importance of making sure terms and conditions are clear and not too one sided.

It was a great session and all attendees walked away with lots of valuable information to implement in their businesses. Thank you to our sponsors and in particular Turks Legal for hosting the event.

– Prue Greenfield MICM Principal Lawyer, Macpherson Kelly Member in Spotlight

Sam Elamirdache MICM

National Credit Manager at Nutrien Ag Solutions

15 years of Membership Sam has been in the credit industry for over 26 years. He started in a part time role at Ansett Australia while studying at Swinburne University in the late 90’s. We asked him a few questions to get to know him better: Sam Elamirdache MICM

What is your career highlight?

When I was 26, an email went around titled “Long Hot Summer” and it was a job offer to move abroad to Saudi Arabia as a Credit Manager. Initially, I didn’t have the confidence to go for it and then I thought more about it and put my hand up. It was the best thing I ever did.

The good thing about being overseas is dealing with different cultures, expectations and different ways of doing business. The hardest part was being able to adapt to change management and different ways of thinking to be able to get the most out of people and get the job done. For example, in Australia there is a lot more discipline about policy and procedures whereas overseas, especially in the developing countries I was working in, an agreement is made via a handshake or a relationship. The expat community was fantastic, and they really made me feel

very welcome. Subsequently, I worked across other countries and returned to Australia 7 years later.

What do you appreciate more having gone through COVID?

In my current role, I look after a large business where I appreciate the time I have spent rolling up my sleeves, learning and understanding the complexities of the business and being astute to the social, political and economic climate. I’ve also grown a greater understanding of both our external and internal customers. I pride myself in taking time to develop staff members to keep them engaged and motivated. Having a strong team being able to transition into a remote working environment at short notice added a lot of value into what we do.

What do you enjoy about being a member of the AICM?

I enjoy the personal development, reading the magazine and spending time with industry veterans.

What is your biggest piece of advice?

Say YES to every opportunity, especially if it’s to work abroad, the world is a competitive place. The experience you get from working overseas is invaluable in a global economy.

What do you do on your days off?

I enjoy being outdoors going for a ride and spending time with the family, with a couple of young ones there’s always a new activity around the corner. Written by Michelle Carruthers MICM,

Lori Popa MICM

Capital Logistics

How did you get into credit?

Originally, I started off owning 2 beauty salons, so I wasn’t in a finance related role at all! Through running the salons, I learnt all the back-office functions associated with running a business, which was my first exposure to finance. I ended up moving out of the business, and then got an opportunity to work as a Business Development Manager at Commercial Credit Services. This was a challenge and a huge learning curve for me, but I learnt plenty on the job in the 6 and a half years I was there. I then briefly worked at NCI for a few months before moving on to a sales role at National Mercantile. I was there for roughly 18 months before starting my current role at Capital Logistics, which I’m really enjoying. Lori Popa MICM

What is your career goal?

I really enjoy doing sales, my goal is to become a national sales manager.

What are your career highlights?

A highlight would be the relationships I’ve built. I’m most proud of my ability to maintain strong, long lasting relationships with all my clients, as well as to develop a valuable extensive professional network.

What do you enjoy about being with the AICM?

I’ve found the networking opportunities at the AICM events to be invaluable, they’ve greatly assisted in developing my professional network. I’ve also found the events and magazines helpful with keeping up to date with all the latest news and legislation and found the educational resources to be helpful and relevant to my roles.

What do you do outside of work?

Outside of work I have 2 daughters, who I love to spend lots of time with. I spend a lot of time doing renovations, which kept me very busy during the lockdowns. I’m interested in investing, and I’m also in the process of opening a side business that sells tea with slimming and health benefits! I also love travelling and have a holiday in Thailand booked in for September, which I’m super excited for!

Vic/Tas Young Credit Professional Winner and Runner Up

CONGRATULATIONS

Maddi Basso MICM

Underwriting Team Lead, Moula

Vic/Tas Young Credit Professional of the Year Maddi was enthusiastic and loved the opportunity to be in front of the judges. Her passion for credit and responsible lending to help businesses thrive is clearly evident, and her hunger to learn from credit professionals around her early on in her career has served her well in her various roles and recent promotion after just 12 months of employment.

One of the key points when selecting a winner for the judges was how they will contribute to driving industry change, challenge the norms and impart knowledge through ongoing mentorship. Maddi Basso MICM

Maddi demonstrated foresight and a healthy curiosity about how the credit industry is changing. She has firsthand experience of the role of AI, introducing us to ‘Hector’, an AI driven analytical tool that reduced the time it would have traditionally taken to analyze data on a file from 1 hour to 1 minute. Yet acknowledging that such technology wouldn’t ultimately replace humans, just free them from the more mundane tasks so they could make better use of their time.

She demonstrated a clear understanding of credit risk and data science, knowing how to assess and interpret financial data whilst taking into consideration the impact of the external environment and balancing small business hardship. Maddi’s genuine communication style and interest in upskilling her team were demonstrated in her interview and proved she is a great role model for young professionals.

Well done Maddi!

Halle Skews MICM

Client Service Manager, NCI

Tony Mammone Award Winner Halle demonstrated she is a dedicated credit professional who is passionate about improving results for both her business and customers.

She had a really engaging manner drawing the judges Halle Skews MICM in immediately to her passion and commitment, not just for credit, but extending into fitness, health, and fundraising.

Her focus and dedication to environmental sustainability is to be applauded and separate to her role of Client Services Manager, Halle is also the National Sustainability Manager. Halle oversees and manages NCI’s sustainability program company wide. Her interest in climate and environmental impacts will serve her well as climate continues to play a bigger part in credit and insurance moving forward. Halle also had interesting questions for the judges, seeking out our thoughts and insight as part of the interview process which was great!

The Australian Institute of Credit Management welcomes our Partners for 2022 National Partners

Divisional Partners

Official Division Supporting Sponsors

Council Member Changes

The AICM would like to say a special thank you the outgoing council members Catrina Galanti, Ricky Forster and Amaran Navaratnam for their support and contributions to the Vic/Tas council over the years. We are ever grateful for value you’ve added and wish you all the best for the future!

We would also like to welcome in our new council members Alex Hawtin, Daniel Alley, Prue Greenfield, Sia Patouras, Rex Cheng and Maddi Basso to the council, and look forward to seeing the exciting new ideas you’ll bring to your portfolios!

Also, congratulations to Catrina on the birth of her son Matteo.

Our National, Divisional and Professional Partners support and work with the AICM to promote the Institute’s activities, represent the Credit Industry and develop the careers of all Credit Professionals. As these organisations support your Institute and your Industry please consider them when you require assistance.