INTERVIEW AUTHOR – SEAN FEAST (to be Chief Executive of the Banking Code Standards Board - now the Lending Standards Board), she moved to the Money Advice Trust as Chief Executive. “I had just had my third child, so the timing was not ideal.” she says, “but after being interviewed and offered the job, I simply threw myself into it. It combines two things that are important to me: tremendous job satisfaction and the opportunity to make a real and positive difference to peoples’ lives.” MISSION AND VISION Joanna describes her role at the Money Advice Trust as being much like the conductor in an orchestra, making sure everything is happening in tune and at the right time. The Money Advice Trust’s vision is to help people tackle their debts and manage their money with confidence. It does so directly, through services like National Debtline (and its business equivalent, Business Debtline) and through the training and support of businesses and charities (including the free debt advice sector) that come into contact with people in debt or in financial difficulty. “National Debtline is an ‘assisted selfhelp’ service,” Joanna explains, “giving customers the help and support to manage their debts with confidence; we work closely with other charities like Citizens Advice and StepChange to get people in need to the help they need as quickly and effectively as possible.” The figures are certainly impressive. Statistics for 2017 showed that National Debtline and Business Debtline provided help to more than 220,000 people by phone or webchat, with around 1.4 million visits to its sites. It also provided training to more than 160 creditor organisations on identifying and supporting customers in vulnerable circumstances. Joanna is very aware, however, that there is still much to be done. She sees real advantage in working collaboratively with other organisations and associations, across a range of sectors to find common ground and influence for good (“Good people make things happen,” she adds), and she is encouraged by how far such organisations and their members have come in recent years, particularly in the area of vulnerability. SUPPLY AND DEMAND She would certainly like to see the Government doing more: “Consumers need to be able to get help and find help when they need it, and that is often a factor of resource. Demand is not the issue; there is not enough supply. We saw a 14 percent rise in the number of calls to National Debtline in 2017 compared to 2016. Customers need to be able to seek help early, and Government needs to ensure that such help is available. “Government – including local government - also needs to get its own house in order. We have seen the increased and, in my view, over use of bailiffs by Local Authorities (see report December 2017 issue of <strong>Credit</strong> <strong>Management</strong> page nine). It does not take much for an individual who is struggling to then fall into debt, and the public sector needs to catch up with the private sector, and learn from them as to the best ways of managing vulnerable people in debt. We need to look at regulation. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulates debt collection, but not enforcement and in certain areas, regulation needs to be better. “Also,” she continues, “we need to look at regulation. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulates debt collection, but not enforcement and in certain areas, regulation needs to be better.” Joanna says this includes looking at how commercially-based debt advice providers present themselves online: “If you type ‘National Debtline’ into Google, we are not necessarily the first name to appear, and this causes confusion for the public with other names that look similar, but are actually private sector organisations masquerading as charities. The Money Advice Trust was founded in 1991 as an independent charity with the support of the Government, creditors and the advice sector more widely. One of its original aims was to work with partners to channel financial contributions from the creditor sector towards the funding of debt advice. By setting common standards and creating materials and courses, the Money Advice Trust and its partners have been at the forefront of ensuring quality and consistency of advice to people with debt problems. The Trust went on to run National Debtline, Business Debtline and to coordinate training across the sector through Wiseradviser. With demand for money advice consistently outstripping supply, finding more efficient DEFINING SUCCESS So what will success look like for Joanna and her team? “Like many charities, we should be aiming to put ourselves out of business,” she confides. What it looks like in the short term, however, is to help more people in the most effective way, making steady, incremental improvements, stopping the wholesale use of bailiffs by Local Authorities, and giving consumers breathing space so that debt is not something to fear, as help is always available. The Money Advice Trust’s services have never been more in demand and, not surprisingly, Joanna’s energy and experience is also in demand. As well as being Chief Executive of the Money Advice Trust she is also on the Board of UK Finance as the consumer representative, a member of the advisory panel of the Commission for Financial Inclusion, the ABCUL/Lloyds Banking Group Grants Committee, H M Treasury’s Home Finance Forum, the Advisory Board at Birmingham University's Centre on Household Assets and Savings <strong>Management</strong> and served as the Chair of the BBA’s Financial Services Vulnerability Taskforce. She is also a Vice-Chair of the Friends Provident Foundation and a Chartered Director. With so much on, it is a surprise that Joanna has any time for a life outside of work, but since her days as a teacher, she has learned to leave most (though perhaps not all) of her worries at the front door. She is a keen walker, runner and cyclist, and likes nothing better than to be out with her husband, a head teacher, and their three children: “I guess I am an outdoors sort of person living a largely indoors sort of life,” she smiles. “Being outside keeps me on track.” ways of helping people with debt problems is core to the Trust’s work, such as the development of sector tools such as the Standard Financial Statement, CASHflow and free self-help packs for the advice sector to use with its clients. At the heart of the Trust’s approach is a belief that the best way to help people in debt is to empower them to help themselves. This assisted self-help approach allows people to control their own debt situation, resulting in better long–term financial health. The Trust’s head office is in Garlick Hill, London and its advice services are run from Tricorn House in Birmingham. The Trust employs c200 staff. The Recognised Standard / www.cicm.com / <strong>March</strong> <strong>2018</strong> / PAGE 24
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