Fiona Hoyle, Head of Consumer & Mortgage Finance and Inclusion at the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA), has been appointed as the new Chair of Money Advice Liaison Group (MALG).
Fiona has been on the Board of MALG, the not-for-profit membership organisation covering the whole of the debt landscape in the UK, for four years. She replaces former MALG Chair Paul Smee, also a member of the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission, who is stepping down after five years.
Paul took over as Chair of MALG from Liz Barclay (former UK Small Business Commissioner) in late 2019 and has chaired the organisation through a global pandemic and cost of living crisis. During this time, MALG has adapted to a hybrid events model combing virtual and face-to-face meetings and conferences, and significantly grown its membership to encompass the enforcement, collections, fintech, utilities and other sectors.
Fiona Hoyle commented:
“It is my absolute pleasure to take on the role as Chair of MALG, an organisation of which I am a great supporter. As a Board Member for a number of years, I have seen what a fantastic job MALG has done in building its profile, relevance and impact, as its aim of ‘working together to improve the lives of people in debt’ becomes ever more important. I am looking forward to working with the MALG Board to support its further growth and impact.”
MALG CEO Bob Winnington, added:
“We are all sad to see Paul go. He has been a fantastic support to the MALG team over the last five years and I have valued his contributions greatly. I am delighted that Fiona has accepted the offer of stepping up into the role of Chair of the MALG Board. As both an industry expert and someone who has been a key part of our growth journey in recent years on the Board, Fiona is the perfect person to lead us forward in turbulent but exciting times.”
Peter Wallwork, former CEO of the Credit Services Association, and James Jones, former Head of Consumer Affairs at Experian, have also stepped down from the MALG Board after six years and seven years respectively. Carole Kenney, Director of Welfare, Road Traffic & Road User Charging at CDER Group has been appointed to the Board and further announcements will be made in due course.
MALG Membership is open to all public, private and third sector organisations which have an interest in matters relating to personal debt, from financial capability and lending, through to debt collection and money advice. There are eight MALG Regional Groups across the UK. The 38th MALG Conference 2025 will be held at Aspire Leeds on Thursday 13 November.