Credit Management January February 2022

IN November last year the CICM
East Of England Branch held a
webinar with Paul Bohill as the
guest speaker. Paul Bohill, who
is a former police officer and
TV personality best known for
his role in Can’t pay? We’ll take it away!,
gave fascinating insight into his time as an
enforcement officer as well as discussing
company restructuring and turnarounds –
an area that he has not returned to.
Branch Committee member Andy
Moylan FCICM of EFCIS moderated the
webinar, asking many of the questions
submitted in advance.
According to Paul, the skills required
as an enforcement officer include
emotional intelligence, physical as well as
social awareness, and the ability to listen,
BRANCH NEWS
Day in the Life of a
High Court Enforcement officer
East of England Branch
whilst not being aggressive, and looking
at a problem from all sides. Paul talked
through some of his more interesting
experiences, which include seizing a
racing car worth £1m for a £40k debt!
Like many others, Paul expects to
see a huge increase in insolvencies,
triggered by problems in obtaining
loans. He explained how to spot the
warning signs for vulnerable companies
and also personal debtors before the
courts are involved, as well as touching
on how to get the best from legal action
when it is the only option left to recover
your debt.
Paul believes the court system to be
stacked in favour of the debtor so he warns
against legal action and recommends only
using it as a last resort. He also highlighted
the significant backlog in court cases
at the moment – currently to August
2022.
Paul talked through his new role,
and first love, company restructuring,
saying that the biggest constraint for new
companies at present was the reluctance
of mainstream banks to open accounts for
them.
Overall, this was a highly informative
and engaging discussion which offered
useful insights into enforcement and
company restructuring, and a must watch
for anyone who has an interest in either
subject.
If you missed this session, its available
on the CICM YouTube channel.
Author: Richard Brown FCICM – CICM
East of England Branch Vice Chairman
NetWalking at Wentworth Woodhouse
CICM Sheffield and District Branch
ON a drizzly Sunday morning last October,
Sheffield and District Branch members
and guests met at Wentworth Woodhouse
– one of Yorkshire’s best kept secrets. We
were joined by our guide, David, who gave
us a brief introduction to the house before
we moved out into the hidden gardens
at the rear, just in time for the sunshine
to make an appearance. David guided us
around the many varied areas and told us
all about the Punch Bowl, South Terrace,
Ionic Temple and Camellia House to name
but a few features. I even managed to get a
friendly robin to perch on my finger!
There could have been no better venue
to network with fellow credit professionals
and chat about our experiences of the last
18 months and the road ahead, than in
the gardens of Wentworth Woodhouse,
which have certainly survived their own
turbulent times when open cast mining
came right up to the doorstep of the house.
Congratulations and a bottle of red
went to Michelle Goodman for collecting
the most contacts during the NetWalking.
Many thanks to all attending members
and guests for making the morning a great
success.
Author: Paula Uttley MCICMGrad –
CICM Sheffield & District Branch Chair
The CICM Branch Annual General Meeting season is now upon us,
and all branches are required to hold their AGMs by 31 March 2022.
Please visit the Branch Network page of the CICM website for more information –
www.cicm.com/branches/ or contact governance@cicm.com
Brave | Curious | Resilient / www.cicm.com / January & February 2022 / PAGE 59