Our Debt Collection Team

Pierre has been involved in all aspect of Credit Management for over 25 years. He has been Director of International Collections at Credit Limits Ltd (1992-2005), Director of Collections at STA Graydon (2005-2007). During his time at STA Graydon, Pierre became involved at industry level and took on the role of Director of Foreign Affairs of the Credit Services Association Ltd (UK), the only professional association for debt collectors in the UK, following which he was appointed to represent the UK Debt Collection industry at the Board of FENCA (Federation of European National Collectors Association), the umbrella organisation for all European Debt Collection Agencies. He is also largely responsible for compiling the first European Code of Practice for the Debt Collection Industry. Pierre is a member of the “CICM” (Chartered Institute of Credit Management) and has been serving on the Committee of the Kent Branch of the CICM between 2009 and 2018. He is regularly contributing to professional magazines and giving talks on a variety of credit related topics to various audiences and at Industry Conferences in several countries, both in English and in French.

Claire is a qualified librarian who had specialised in the corporate sector. She has worked in a variety of industries such as real estate (Jones Lang Lassalle), accountancy (Ernst & Young, Baker Tilly) and funds management (Phillips & Drew), as well as in the education and medical sectors. After an intensive accountancy course she moved on to look after all aspects of Credit Limits International’s financial functions. She also takes care of HR and client accounting. When you ask Claire about her second career, she says: “it’s the best job I’ve ever had”.

Graduating in 2014 from the University of Kent, Laura went on to manage global retail design projects for large companies before joining Credit Limits International in 2018.

Laura is a great communicator and extremely well organised. She is a fast learner and very passionate about the data used in making the appropriate decisions. She is able to handle vulnerable situations with due diligence as well as identifying any processes which can be improved.

In 2019 Laura sat her exams with the Chartered Institute of Credit Management (CICM) , taking just 8 months to achieve her Level 3 Certificate. In 2020 she spent another 8 months sitting her Level 5 management exams, gaining her MCICM (grad) Credentials.

Since then, she has written articles for the CICM Magazine and sits on two boards, overseeing the quality of education and ensuring the continuity of best practice and compliance throughout.

Member of the Debt Collection team, Imed’s initial background is in tourism. In the mid 80’s he started up a Tour Operator in London offering Tours in Morocco & Tunisia, where he comes from. In 2000, during his time at the head office of J. Sainsbury’s Plc, he obtained AAT & ACCA qualifications. But Imed is an entrepreneur at heart and he moved on to create and successfully develop a couple of businesses in the catering industry which he sold as going concerns. His negotiation skills are second to none which is exactly what you need when collecting from debtors based in the Middle East and Africa. As a Tunisian native, Imed also speaks Arabic and French.

Ken has a degree in foreign languages and speaks English, Italian and French fluently. He has lived in France and spent 8 years in Ancona (Italy) where he worked in Customs for the Ancona Port Authority. As a specialist in fraud detection, he coordinates CLI’s trace & investigation activities. He is also managing special projects. Ken is a talented negotiator and is also involved in Franco-British and Anglo-Italian debt collection matters. He is country manager for the Italian market.

Member of the Debt Collection team, Ian’s background is in insurance. He has work on insurance claims for insurance companies and insurance brokers as well as a firm of Solicitors. He has done it all: from claim handling, processing and negotiating to inspections, investigations, damage & personal injury assessments and even fraudulent claim and staged accident detection! Ian’s investigative brain and eye for detail bring great skills to the CLI team. Ian is patient, precise and very reliable. He is actively involved in staff induction training.

Valeria’s fine negotiation skills come from her 20 years’ experience as sourcing Director in her family construction and hardware business in Puglia, Italy. She also spent five years working as a claims investigator for insurance company Generali. She speaks fluent Italian and French (mother tongue). She lives in England since January 2014 and has proved a great addition to the CLI team.

James has strong IT and Social media skills but his real passion is in collecting debts. In a previous role, he was delivering the whole suite of outsourced administrative and accounting business services to SME clients all over Kent. Frustrated by the fact that cash collections rarely featured on his daily task list, he looked for a new challenge and found CLI. His excellent, positive and professional customer service skills are exactly what some of our large consumer debt collection projects required. He is meticulous and pays attention to detail whilst being able to handle large volume. Great time management!

Andrew’s litigation experience was gained in the debt recovery department of T G Baynes Solicitors where he spent 8 years. Andrew has experience in all aspects of debt collection including negotiation, drafting and serving of Court proceedings, obtaining judgements and handling enforcement action. Prior to that, he had spent 5 years at DHL where he learnt the importance of data accuracy and validation. Andrew is a member of CICM (Chartered Institute of Credit Management) and is currently studying towards additional qualifications.

Member of the Debt Collection team, Edem holds a degree in Business Studies from Kensington College of Business which is part of University of Wales. After a stint in the Customer Service department of large organisations including Eurostar, he has joined CLI to make full use of his excellent communication and interpersonal skills. He is ambitious and is quickly developing a 6th sense for debt collection. Edem speaks French and English fluently. Originally from Ivory Coast he is a great asset for Sub Saharan Africa debt recoveries.

Member of the Debt Collection team, Hannah’s skills are in Information and Communication Technologies but she wants to be an accountant. She has been studying hard through a government funded scheme since she started with CLI in September 2015. She has successfully obtained AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) qualifications at Canterbury College. Hannah is taking on additional responsibilities in CLI’s busy Accounts Department.

Gary first began his experience in debt collection in the mid 1980’s, now 30+ years later, his experience and knowledge within the Credit Management industry includes 22 years in Credit Insurance. 14 of those years were as a specialist credit insurance broker, having to source and negotiate the best deals for his clients.  He is a very conscientious and professional executive holding many senior positions throughout his outstanding career with extensive experience in maintaining customer satisfaction. Gary is also a member of CICM (Chartered Institute of Credit Management).

Member of the Debt Collection team, Elsie holds a Law LLB (Hons) from Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford. She studied Law of Business Associations, Contract Law, European Union Law and Equity and Law of Trusts. Elsie’s career started in Credit Management and she quickly built a strong experience in all aspects of Credit Control including legal and insolvency proceedings. With the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims coming into effect on 1^st October 2017, Elsie was an ideal addition to CLI’s legal team. She is sharp, focussed and loves learning. She may well become our next CICM graduate, who knows…?

Ben started his working career as a customer service assistant. After 3 years of face to face dealing with customers in the retail trade, he wanted to explore an office-based environment. He is a keen learner and he is working towards his Business Administration Qualifications at Canterbury College through a government funded scheme. Ben is very sociable but also focused and he prides himself on his ability to improve any system if this can help completing tasks more effectively.

Jamie joins the CLI team with 30 years’ experience in Credit Management & Debt Recovery. Jamie started his career as a field collector for a firm of Bailiffs. In the late 1980s, he set up one of the first fully automated outsourced credit control companies in the UK. Jamie is also a seasoned business networker. He likes to get involved with web development and social media communication. He is so organised he even has his shopping list in excel ! In his spare time Jamie presents a Jazz/Funky radio show and you can listen to him here “https://www.channelradio.co.uk/one/shows/jamies-jazz-show/

Katie is a fully qualified Member of the Association of Accounting Technicians. After 15 years in the travel industry dealing with complex travel arrangements for top executives of large corporations, Katie decided to make a career change and started studying accountancy with a view to acquire full MAAT status, she has been working in accounts since 2009 and fully qualified as an accountant in 2014. She worked for various Kentish SMEs in the transport, leisure and catering sectors before she found the position she was looking for, at CLI, in January 2019. Katie has learnt fast and she is now heading the Accounts Department managing all aspects of general accounting, clients funds management, currency contracts and management financial reporting at CLI.