Curriculum Vitae - Christine Smith BA MICM

A graduate credit manager, with experience in property, distribution, service, health, media, leasing, and professional services. A professional and highly motivated achiever with a tenacious approach, attention to detail and the determination to succeed.

Operating as "Christine Smith Credit Control" for over seven years, providing a credit management service to local businesses: Consultancy, interim management, staff training, practical credit control and special projects.

Achievements:

• Successfully devised and implemented credit control procedures for new property company: administrative, debt recovery and reporting
• Computerised a manual sales ledger with smooth transition
• Established the credit control function of a satellite office linking into head office systems
• Built and trained a team of five credit controllers and administrators
• Managed a Credit Department, achieving and maintaining high collection rates and minimal bad debts
• Completed a successful consultancy project with a construction and service company, which delivered significantly improved collection rates
• Set up a Credit Control Service for businesses in Staffordshire and the West Midlands
• Clients' debtor days reduced, old debts collected, systems implemented, credit control staff trained and performance monitored

Skills:

Basic Credit Control

• Invoicing, cash allocation, account reconciliation, banking regulations and procedures, telephone collection, arrears reminders, effective correspondence, customer contact and negotiation, query resolution, credit referencing, credit limits, accounts analysis, liaison with sales and other departments
• Database management. Management reporting

Enforcement Procedures

• Litigation (through legal advisers)
• Insolvency Procedures
• Law of Distress - bailiff action
• Landlord and Tenant Act - lease provisions and forfeiture

Credit Management

• Formulation of Credit Policy
• Development of systems and procedures
• Credit decision taking
• Director reporting
• Bad Debt provisions and proposals
• Cash Forecasting
• Company induction for non-credit control staff

Team Building

• Interviewing, recruitment and training
• Setting goals and targets
• Performance measurement
• Staff appraisals

Troubleshooting

• Credit management questionnaire - identification of areas for improvement
• Reporting of results
• Presentation of recommendations
• Implementing systems and procedures
• Monitoring performance
• Evaluating results

Other

• Sage Line 50 proficient (Certificate with Distinction)
• Other accounts software inc. Quickbooks, Dimensions, Medax, Vixen
• Pitman Book-keeping and Sales Ledger Certificates
• MS Excel and MS Word. Basic touch typing
• Credit management articles for publication (see below)
• Familiarity with property management and lease documentation
• Full clean driving licence
• Excellent grammar and spelling

Qualifications:

BA (Hons) Psychology, Upper Second Class, University of Reading

Postgraduate Certificate in Education, St. Luke's College, Exeter

A Levels: Mathematics, Economics and Latin

Professional Memberships and Licences:

The Institute of Credit Management, 1997

Stafford Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Consumer Credit Licence

Employment History:

June 2001 - present	Credit Control Freelance (CSCC) - Numerous Clients, details on request
1996 - June 2001	Credit Control Manager - Midlands, Workspace Group plc (Birmingham office)
1987 - 1996	Credit Controller, then Credit Control Manager, Workspace Group plc (London Head Office)
1985 (Jan) - 1987	Credit Controller, The British Film Institute, London
1981 - 1984 (Dec)	Credit Controller, Schroder Leasing Ltd, Harrow
1980 - 1981	Temporary Clerical Assistant, South West Water Authority, Exeter
1979 - 1980	Educational Research Assistant, University of Exeter
1977 - 1979	Housemistress, Stonar School, Wiltshire

Credit Management Articles:

Published by The North Staffordshire and Stafford Chamber of Commerce & Industry in their "Bulletin" and/or posted on their web-site:

"Why Don't Customers Pay On Time?" (Bulletin October 2003)

"Don't Treat All Your Customers the Same" (Web-site)

"Telephone Collection - Plan Before You Speak" (Bulletin February 2004)

"The Telephone Call - Be Successful" (Bulletin April 2004)

"Credit Management in Manufacturing" (Bulletin April 2005)

Interests:

• Fitness training
• Travel