UKCCC 2026 Speakers

Adam Fleming

Chief Political Correspondent (BBC)

Adam Fleming is an award-winning BBC news presenter, political commentator, and the co-host of the acclaimed Newscast podcast. He has hosted BBC Newsnight and co-presented Politics Live and the Radio 4 PM programme. He also presents the insightful Radio 4 ‘AntiSocial’ series which takes a deep dive into social media conflict, trends and culture wars.

With over two decades of experience reporting from Westminster and Brussels, he decodes complex political landscapes with sharp wit and analytical clarity.

Session: The political climate and looking ahead

Ashley Armstrong

Chief UK Business Correspondent (Financial Times)

Ashley Armstrong is one of the most respected and recognised names in business journalism. With an impressive career spanning multiple national newsrooms, including being the only journalist to cross directly from The Sun to The Financial Times, she has become recognised for her reporting on some of the biggest stories in business.

Since joining the FT as Chief UK Business Correspondent in June 2025 she has had multiple front pages and broken stories interrogating the ties between business and politics, including the implosion of Peter Mandelson’s lobby business Global Counsel.

As Business Editor at The Sun Ashley brought some of the biggest business stories to life for a tabloid readership, including the Liz Truss market meltdown and cost of living crisis, and invited FTSE 100 chief executives to guest edit her daily page in the UK’s biggest selling newspaper.

Session: UK Economic Outlook 2026

Costas Pittas

Head of Consumer Finance Supervision (FCA)

Costas leads a Supervision Department in the FCA’s Consumer Finance Directorate. He joined the FCA in 2014 and has spent the last 12 years leading teams responsible for regulating various consumer finance portfolios and mortgage lenders.

He is responsible for supervising debt collection, purchase and administration, debt advice, credit reference agencies, motor finance and retail finance lenders and also runs cross-market supervisory projects, focussing on the consumer duty. An Australian-qualified lawyer, Costas has worked in regulation for around 24 years, serving in a range of investigative an regulatory roles. Costas has previously worked at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, the Financial Services Authority, KPMG and Ofcom.

Session: Regulatory Update

Sunil Thakar

Manger, Consumer Finance Supervision (FCA)

Sunil is a Manager within the FCA's Consumer Finance Supervision Division. During his time at the FCA, he has led supervision of the debt advice and credit reference agency sectors and is now responsible for the FCA's portfolio supervision of debt collection firms and the motor finance sector. His work focuses on identifying emerging risks, promoting good consumer outcomes and supporting well-functioning markets through constructive engagement with firms, trade bodies and other stakeholders across the consumer finance sector.

Before joining the FCA, Sunil held a number of senior leadership, risk and assurance roles within major international banking groups in the UK, Singapore and Australia, including Barclays, Standard Chartered and Westpac Banking Corporation. His experience spans the full consumer credit lifecycle, from lending and underwriting through to collections, recoveries and customer outcomes.

Session: AI in collections: how much automation will be tolerated?

Chris Warburton

Founder (RO-AR.com & ROStrategy)

Chris has spent over 15 years in leading transformation and delivering performance improvements in businesses across the UK, Canada and many other markets around the world. His experience spans diverse sectors from financial services, to utilities, telecommunications and public sector, both directly as a leader in the organisations and through advisory roles.

Chris has a passion for new ideas, technology, data and process innovation, trying to demystify and share insights across the industry. Since 2020 Chris has been discussing and mapping developments in the Collections and Recoveries markets with RO-AR.com.

Session: AI in collections: how much automation will be tolerated?

Hans Zachar

Chief Technology & Information Officer (Nutun)

Hans Zachar is a forward-thinking technology executive with extensive experience drivingdigital transformation, AI integration, and large-scale operational modernisations within thefinancial services and credit decisioning sectors. As the CTIO of Nutun, he leads thetechnology vision and strategy, positioning the organisation at the forefront of tech-enabledcollections and customer engagement solutions.

Session: AI in collections: how much automation will be tolerated?

Jim Appleby

Chief Operating Officer (Secure Trust Bank)

Jim Appleby is Chief Operating Officer at Secure Trust Bank, where he leads operational strategy, transformation and large-scale change programmes across the Bank. With more than 30 years of experience in financial services, Jim has built a reputation for delivering complex transformations that improve customer outcomes, strengthen operational resilience and create sustainable growth. He is passionate about building high-performing teams, driving innovation and turning ambitious strategies into practical, measurable results.

Prior to joining Secure Trust Bank, Jim was Chief Executive Officer of Arrow Global UK, leading the business through a period of significant growth and transformation before its successful sale to Intrum. He also serves as a Non-Executive Director at Copper Street, where he supports the development and continued growth of the Lantern business. Drawing on extensive experience across banking, credit management, lending, collections and recoveries, Jim brings deep expertise in scaling businesses, leading major transactions and delivering operational excellence in highly regulated environments. He is particularly interested in how data, technology and AI can enhance customer experience, improve colleague effectiveness and unlock long-term value.

Session: Debt purchase latest: Creditor attitudes and investment strategies

Andrew Barber

Partner (Dentons)

Andrew is a partner in Dentons' London office and a member of the Regulatory & Investigations practice, with particular expertise in UK consumer credit regulation.

He advises banks, specialist lenders, consumer credit firms and fintechs across the full lifecycle of regulated credit activities, including the regulatory perimeter, FCA authorisation, product design and distribution, documentation, compliance and governance. He regularly advises on the interaction between the Consumer Credit Act 1974, the FCA's consumer credit rules and wider regulatory requirements, including the Consumer Duty.

Andrew has supported clients on significant regulatory change projects and complex consumer credit matters, including large-scale remediation exercises and regulatory investigations. He also advises firms on the development of new credit products and customer journeys and on managing the legal and regulatory implications of changes to the consumer credit framework.

Andrew has extensive experience of working with industry bodies on regulatory change. He led the unsecured consumer credit working group for a UK industry association on implementation of the Consumer Duty, coordinating industry consideration of its application across the credit market.

Session: Reform of Consumer Credit Act: What's coming next

Chris Bennetts

Associate Director (PwC)

A corporate finance professional with over 12 years experience advising on loan portfolio and credit transactions at PwC. Has worked with banks and owners of credit assets across a wide range of asset classes, including consumer NPLs, mortgages, SME, point-of-sale, CRE and infrastructure.

Chris has a sector specialism in the debt purchase/service M&A market and has advised on some of the most significant transactions within the sector, including advising TDR on their acquisition of Arrow Global and advising Intrum in their acquisition of Capquest and Mars UK

Session: Debt purchase latest: Creditor attitudes and investment strategies

Paul Godsmark

Partner (Brabners)

Paul is a specialist consumer credit and lending lawyer (that has also branched out into other areas of FCA regulation), having worked in the sector for around 15 years. His clients are typically non-bank lenders, specialist intermediaries, debt purchase/collection firms, technology providers and remediation support specialists. He works across motor, retail, personal and asset finance. Ha has spent 5.5 years (2018-2023) working in house in legal and operational risk roles, so has a good idea of the view from inside businesses, and the rest of the time he worked in top ranked law firm teams for consumer lending. Paul now leads Brabners’ Non-Contentious FCA Regulatory offering as part of our market-leading Corporate Defence & Compliance Team.

Session: Regulatory attitudes to complaints and redress liabilities (including motor finance redress update)

Laura Holmes

Standards Setting Lead (Insolvency Service)

Laura Holmes is Standards Setting Lead at the Insolvency Service, where she is leading work to implement the Government’s plans to bring the setting of professional standards for insolvency practitioners under the statutory responsibility of the Insolvency Service. With more than 20 years’ experience in insolvency investigation, enforcement and regulation, she has previously led key initiatives to strengthen standards and improve outcomes in the IVA sector, including stewardship of the IVA Protocol and the review of SIP 3.1.

Session: Changing face of insolvency and debt relief policy

Mike Ellicock

CEO (Plain Numbers)

Mike is a social entrepreneur. Following a military career, an MBA and brief stints in banking and maths education, he launched National Numeracy in 2012, building the organisation into a well-respected national charity. Having handed over as Chief Executive there in 2020, Mike launched Plain Numbers in early 2021 and is now utilising his unparalleled knowledge of this largely hidden consumer vulnerability to work with firms to improve comprehension and thereby enable good outcomes for customers.

Session: Adult financial literacy: raising awareness and boosting engagement

Alex MacDonald

Ombudsman Leader (Financial Ombudsman Service)

Alex is an Ombudsman Leader at the Financial Ombudsman Service, with more than 20 years’ experience at the organisation, including around 15 years in Ombudsman and Senior Leader roles.

Alex leads the Financial Ombudsman Service’s work in the Debt sector and is also Head of Practice for Quality of Goods, with responsibility for policy development in areas including Section 75 and Car Finance. Alex also leads the organisation’s sectorial work on Consumer Duty and regularly presents externally on this subject, sharing expertise and insight with industry and other stakeholders.

Session: Regulatory attitudes to complaints and redress liabilities (including motor finance redress update)

Sarah-Jane Mulreay

Client Services Director (Advantis Credit)

Sarah-Jane Mulreay is Client Services Director and FCA-approved SMF16, with over 15 years’ experience in the debt collection and credit services sector, including more than a decade in senior leadership roles. She holds executive accountability for both client partnerships and regulatory compliance across complex public and private sector portfolios, combining operational delivery with strong governance and conduct oversight. Sarah-Jane specialises in public sector and highly regulated environments, balancing commercial performance with fairness, vulnerability awareness, and public trust. Passionate about raising professional standards and responsible debt resolution, she led the team at Advantis to successfully achieving the ISO 22458 accreditation and kitemark in March 2023 – becoming the first DCA in the UK to achieve the standard with BSI.

Session: Public sector debt collection and the new Government Debt Management Strategy

John Pears

CEO (Lowell UK)

John Pears is CEO of Lowell UK, the UK’s leading credit management and debt collection business, supporting millions of customers to manage their debts and improve their financial wellbeing. With over 25 years’ experience in financial services, John has a deep understanding of consumer credit, affordability, and the evolving challenges facing households across the UK.

Under John’s leadership, Lowell has championed greater industry transparency around financial vulnerability through initiatives like the Financial Vulnerability Index, the data-led insight report tracking the financial resilience of UK households.

The index highlights regional and demographic trends, helping businesses, policymakers and charities better support those in financial difficulty.

John is passionate about responsible business and financial inclusion, and is well placed to share timely insights on the current state of household finances in the UK.

Session: Vulnerability Latest

Louise Rubin

Director of External Affairs (Enforcement Conduct Board)

Louise Rubin is Director of External Affairs at the Enforcement Conduct Board. Before taking up the role in January 2025, she was Head of Policy and Campaigns at disability charity Scope, and held a number of public affairs, policy and campaigning roles at organisations including Mind, London Councils, and Dignity in Dying.

Session: Vulnerability Latest

Jane Tully

Deputy Director (HM Treasury)

Jane is a deputy director in HM Treasury, leading the Government Debt Management Function (GDMF) which oversees the government’s approach to debt across 40 government departments and arms-length bodies, recovering circa £100m annually. The GDMF ensures government debt is managed efficiently, effectively and fairly by preventing avoidable debt from arising, resolving debt to clear standards and improving government capability.

Prior to working in government, she spent over 10 years in the debt sector - using insights from debt services to lead policy campaigns, shape service design and develop new partnerships.  She also has a background in regulation and local government.

Session: Public sector debt collection and the new Government Debt Management Strategy

David Berry

General Manager (Fieldlocker)

Before joining Field Locker, David spent eight years at Savanta and Clariti, progressing through senior client services and leadership roles and ultimately taking responsibility for the commercial and operational performance of a specialist data collection business.

During his career, he has led large research delivery teams, managed significant client portfolios and helped grow and develop data collection operations across the UK and Europe.

David has extensive experience across online research, CATI, sampling and research operations, alongside broader responsibility for commercial strategy, technology and business transformation. He has a particular interest in how technology, automation and AI are changing the way research is delivered, while maintaining a strong focus on data quality and the respondent experience.

Session: Vulnerability Latest

Mark Fearn

Customer Engagement Lead, Revenue Income Recover & Debt), Walsall Council

Mark has worked within Local Authority Revenues arena for almost forty years and are currently the Customer Experience Lead (Revenues, Income Recovery & Debt) at Walsall MBC. His previous posts have included Revenues Manager at Milton Keynes Council, Head of Revenues at North West Leicestershire DC and Revenue Collection Manager at South Derbyshire District Council. 
Mark is a Council Member of the Institute of Revenues Rating and Valuation (IRRV) and is currently Chair of the institutes Local Taxation and Revenue Faculty Board.

He has been instrumental in Walsall being extremely successfully at the IRRV annual Performance Awards in recent years. They won Revenue Team of the Year in 2021 as well as three Excellence in Innovation Awards in the 2021, 2022 & 2025 awards. 
He is a regular speaker at the IRRV national events had articles published in the Institutes journal and carried out training across the country.

Session: Breaking the Myths - Innovation and partnership in public sector debt collection

Chantelle Clarke

Head of Content (Financial Times Financial Literacy & Inclusion Campaign)

Chantelle Clarke is Head of Content at FT FLIC (Financial Times Financial Literacy and Inclusion Campaign), a charity dedicated to improving financial literacy and inclusion.

Chantelle led the curation of FT FLIC's multi award winning youth curriculum, now distributed across hundreds of schools throughout the UK, equipping young people with foundational financial skills from an early age.

Her work spans the full content lifecycle, from scripting and production to programme operations. She leads the development of multi-media educational resources, including workshop materials and video content, alongside social media campaign communications that make complex financial topics accessible to a wide range of audiences, from NHS staff navigating pension decisions to freelancers managing tax and self assessment for the first time.

Session: Adult financial literacy: raising awareness and boosting engagement

Dawn Cummins

Regional Manager (Money and Pension Service)

Session: Adult financial literacy: raising awareness and boosting engagement

Vanessa Buehler

Behavioural Architect Manager (Cowry Consulting)

Vanessa applies behavioural science and strategic thinking to help organisations tackle complex challenges in clear, human ways. She turns insights into compelling stories and practical solutions creating meaningful change.

Passionate about bridging theory and practice, she combines behavioural models with tools like AI to improve how products and services are designed always keeping people at the heart of the process.

She has led high-impact projects for clients including Phoenix Group, Tesco, Primark, Vitality, and Nationwide Building Society. Her award-winning work in customer vulnerability has been recognised as a leading example of B2B marketing innovation.

Session: Decoding misinformation: The science behind consumer behaviour in financial service

Rachel Duffy

CEO (Payplan)

Rachel Duffey is Chief Executive Officer of PayPlan, one of the UK's leading debt advice providers. Having spent more than 26 years with the organisation, she has dedicated her career to helping people overcome financial difficulties and access the support they need to regain control of their finances. Throughout her time at PayPlan, she has witnessed first-hand the impact debt can have on people's lives and has been instrumental in shaping the organisation's approach to delivering accessible, compassionate and effective debt advice.

Passionate about improving financial wellbeing, Rachel is a strong advocate for challenging the stigma surrounding debt. She believes debt should be viewed as a chapter in someone's life, not something that defines them, and is committed to ensuring people feel empowered to seek support when they need it. Throughout her career, she has focused on helping individuals move forward with confidence, demonstrating that seeking debt advice is a positive step towards a better financial future.

Session: The changing face of insolvency and debt relief policy

Vikki Brownridge

CEO (StepChange)

Vikki joined the charity in 2005 and was appointed CEO in 2023. Prior to this, she led the charity's operational teams which provide debt advice and ongoing solution service provision for our clients across the UK. Previously, she has held several senior leadership positions within the charity including Head of Debt Advice where she was instrumental in the launch of the sector's first online debt advice service, and Director of Client Experience where she was responsible for the charity's strategic relationships, business development and funding.

Over the years Vikki has also played an active role in shaping and defining the sector working alongside the Money and Pensions Service, financial services partners and other debt advice organisations. Vikki is also a member of the Credit Strategy Women and Diversity in Credit Steering Committee, and a board member and Chair of the Finance and Risk Committee at the Money Advice Liaison Group.

Session: The changing face of insolvency and debt relief policy

Ian Worthington

Senior Recoveries Strategy Manager (Lloyds Bank)

Ian is a highly experienced financial services leader with more than 25 years of expertise in credit risk, recoveries and operational transformation. As a Senior Manager in Lloyds Banking Group's Credit Risk division, he leads the Group's debt sale programme, shapes recoveries strategy across consumer lending portfolios, and oversees Bounce Back Loan recoveries for the commercial business.

Having held senior leadership positions at Lloyds Banking Group, MBNA and Bank of America, Ian has led major initiatives across credit operations, risk management, outsourcing and international expansion. Recognised for combining strategic vision with operational delivery, he has a proven track record of driving commercial performance, strengthening governance, and delivering positive outcomes for both customers and stakeholders.

Session: The changing face of insolvency and debt relief policy

Daniel Calcott

CEO (The Digital DRA)

Session: Utilities and energy collections: Working with regulators

Jemma Baker

Deputy Director (Ofgem)

Session: Utilities and energy collections: Working with regulators