The Director of a Southampton-based debt collection agency has been appointed to the Executive Board of Trustees at the professional body which oversees the UK’s credit management industry.
Victoria Herd, who has been Director at Hilton-Baird Collection Services since 2017, will commence her period of office at the Chartered Institute of Credit Management (CICM) for two years from Tuesday, 4 September 2018.
As a Trustee, she will work with other industry experts to help shape the future of the UK’s credit industry and provide the Institute’s members with support, advice and career development.
It’s an important role given the challenges businesses currently face with regards to getting paid on time by their customers. Figures from the Federation of Small Businesses indicate that one in three payments made to small businesses are late, with the average value of each late payment coming in at £6,142. The result means that 37% of small businesses suffer from cash flow problems.
With more than 20 years’ experience in credit management having previously held key positions at Premier Foods and Deloitte, Victoria will combine her time on the Executive Board of Trustees with her role at Hilton-Baird Collection Services, where she works with businesses to improve their order-to-collections process, policies and systems.
Speaking about her appointment, Victoria Herd said:
“It is a huge honour to have been appointed to the Executive Board of Trustees. Having worked closely with the CICM since 2012 in a number of roles, I have seen first-hand the fantastic job the Institute does in providing support and mentoring to its members who are facing almost unprecedented challenges when it comes to credit management.
“I am determined to keep helping credit managers to get better at what they do and ultimately assist businesses in getting on top of late payment once and for all.”
Alex Hilton-Baird, Managing Director of Hilton-Baird Collection Services, commented:
“Victoria’s appointment is testament to the superb job she does supporting the credit industry and British businesses with their credit management requirements.
“Many of our clients have already benefited from her expertise through the improvement of their receivables management systems and processes. This has enabled them to recover payment sooner and keep their cash flowing, which is so important to businesses of all sizes in the current climate. Additionally, these improvements ensure they are able to maintain continuity of funding, providing funders with comfort and confidence in the business they are supporting.”
For more information about how Hilton-Baird Collection Services can help your business recover overdue invoices and improve your credit management, please visit www.hiltonbairdcollections.co.uk or call 0800 9774848.