Credit Management January February 2020

CMNEWS
A round-up of news stories from the
world of consumer and commercial credit.
Written by – Sean Feast FCICM
CICM Chief appointed interim
Small Business Commissioner
PHILIP King, Chief Executive
of the Chartered Institute of
Credit Management (CICM), has
accepted the role as interim
Small Business Commissioner
(SBC), a government-appointed position
to give small businesses the support they
need to thrive and grow.
During the recruitment of his
successor, Sue Chapple, who is currently
Director of Strategic Relationships,
will assume the role of interim Chief
Executive.
In a career spanning 40 years, Philip
has held senior credit management roles
in the high-tech and communication
sectors, in distribution and retail,
including spells at Olivetti and Vodafone.
He was appointed Director General of the
ICM in 2005, and later Chief Executive,
and was behind the Institute’s drive to
become a Chartered body (to become
the CICM) in 2015. As the architect of the
Prompt Payment Code, and author of
the Managing Cashflow Guides, Philip
has worked closely with successive
governments in championing bestpractice
credit management and
supporting small business.
Philip said he was delighted to have
been appointed interim Commissioner:
“The CICM has worked tirelessly with
government agencies to support small
businesses and change attitudes to late
payment,” he said. “Whereas I am sad to
be leaving the CICM after over fourteen
years at the helm, that is tempered by
the privilege of directly supporting the
government industrial strategy and
giving small businesses the support they
need to prosper and grow.”
The Small Business Commissioner
and his team are tasked with providing
general advice and information to
small businesses on matters such as
resolving payment disputes, including
signposting them to existing support
and dispute resolution services,
which will be delivered through the
commissioner’s website. His priorities
Philip King FCICM
Chief Executive of the CICM
reflect his expertise in professional credit
management, not only understanding the
need for positive cashflow and getting
the basics right, but also understanding
the challenges of all businesses in the
supply chain.
“Recognising the needs of all
businesses both large and small is an
essential part of resolving potential
conflict and preventing issues from
occurring in the first place,” he continues.
“Poor behaviour should be identified and
called out, and I would actively encourage
small businesses to engage with the
Commissioner’s office at the earliest
opportunity if there is a problem, but it is
important too that we highlight examples
of best-practice to which others should
aspire.”
Peter Whitmore, Chair of the CICM
Executive Board, thanked Philip for his
service: “Philip has played a vital role in
projecting the work of our professional
members in enabling the success of
their own businesses and supporting the
wider business economy,” he said. “His
appointment reflects the importance of
keeping the cash flowing.
“In his time leading the CICM, Philip
has helped transform the Institute to
achieve Chartered status and elevate the
critical importance of best-practice credit
management and professional credit
managers in the minds of government
and other key influencers, including the
media. We wish him well.”
The CICM became particularly
prominent during the 2008 financial
crisis, with the publication of the
Managing Cashflow Guides (of which
there have been almost 600,000
downloads) and the launch of the
Prompt Payment Code which it
continues to administer on behalf of the
Department for Business, Energy and
Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Philip was also
a board member of the Start-Up Loans
Company (the Company has delivered
more than 50,000 loans worth almost
£340 million), a Red Tape Champion for
Insolvency and the first ever lay Chair of
the Joint Insolvency Committee.
Under his leadership, the CICM
launched its now well-established
Quality in Credit Management
programme (now re-styled as CICMQ),
accredited the first CICMQ Centres
of Excellence and revitalised its
commercial and communication
operations. This has included
introducing a new Corporate
Partnerships model, creating Learning
Partnerships, and relaunching its Credit
Management magazine to become the
leading publication in its field.
He was behind the launch of the
British Credit Awards (being held
next month) and introducing other
initiatives to support CICM members
including the Knowledge and Mentor
Hubs. He is also an active champion
of Apprenticeships and the globally
recognised CICM Qualifications, and
in 2016 completed a strategic review
culminating in the publication of
‘Tomorrow’s CICM’.
Philip will assume his new role
later this month while the search
for a permanent replacement as
Commissioner begins. The previous
Small Business Commissioner, Paul
Uppal, resigned in October 2019.
Advancing the credit profession / www.cicm.com / January/February 2020 / PAGE 6