Tell us your MALG Member Stories by completing the form below and read on to hear from our other Members:
Money Advice Liaison Group (MALG) Members say:
“We recently had a client who had been issued with a warrant for arrest for an unenforceable debt. This is something we’d never seen before. Because of relationships built through MALG, we were able to pick up the phone to the creditor, find out how it had happened, and get it resolved quickly.”
Helen Ganney, Relationship Manager, Christians Against Poverty
“Friday Forum is brilliant. Please attend if you can. I’ve attended most of them over 4 years now. Advisors and creditors having open discussions.”
Lynne Craword, Changing Lives
“I am new to MALG meetings. Although my role at London Borough of Barnet does not bring me directly into contact with clients who are in debt and I do not work in debt recovery for Barnet, my manager also manages Barnet Council’s Welfare, Council tax, Business rates and Overpayment recovery teams and has asked me and a colleague from the Quality Assurance team to attend the fortnightly MALG meetings and report back to him on any key issues. I found the topics, speakers at the Regional Members Meeting event useful and very informative and intend to join the Friday Forum meetings as often as I can.”
Laura Rollinson, London Borough of Barnet
“I just wanted to send you a note to say well done for organising such a good conference. I’ve both organised and been to a few of these things in my time and your event is definitely a stand-out success. I was trying to put my finger on why – the organisation and attention to detail was excellent: joining instructions, printed programme in the badge, clear direction on the day, great venue, genuine welcome, good tech and tech-support – all essential components. But I think the standout for me was the authentic content and thoughtful programme; it was refreshing to see.”
Jon Hickman, NED & Co-Founder, Flexys Solutions
“Membership of MALG is very valuable to Experian as it promotes positive discussion and exchange of ideas, along with important opportunities to help people improve their financial future.”
James Jones, former Head of Consumer Affairs, Experian UK
“I appreciate that MALG South West brings together interesting speakers and people from different organisations to share knowledge and experiences.”
Sarah Ford, Money & Pensions Service
“The MALG National Members Meeting in May was really excellent, I enjoyed the speakers very much. The networking was so good, I spoke to some incredible people and made some excellent connections. Thank you for organising such a great meeting.”
Helen Webb, Christians Against Poverty
“Consumers requiring debt advice or debt solutions are dependent upon a vast array of organisational stakeholders. In any particular engagement; creditors, agents, advisors, solution providers, credit reference agencies and government departments are all implicitly linked in the chain of consumer care. For the best and most consistent treatment, all stakeholders need to be informed and aligned. The power of MALG is held by its individual members, each helping to orientate themselves and the wider industry in the provision of consumer care. Membership of MALG means that WPM can share its own experience and provide strategic thinking to the consumer advice space. As a stakeholder in the chain, we can also respond to changes identified by the wider group.”
Martin Prigent, Director, Watch Portfolio Management
“MALG provides a forum to discuss issues which impact on our clients and on the services trying to help them and gives the voluntary sector the opportunity to meet with other parts of the financial sector in a cooperative setting.”
Lindsey Poole, Director, Advice Services Alliance
“We have enjoyed the benefits of being a member of the MALG for some time now and would like to continue the opportunities it brings in terms of partnership working and best practice sharing. Southern Water realises the need to work cooperatively with all of our partners and stakeholders to influence the changes and challenges in meeting the needs of customers who are in financially vulnerable circumstances.”
Jane Crisp, Affordability Lead, Southern Water
“Debt policy changes cannot be developed in isolation – all sectors of the industry need to talk. MALG has a key role in bringing together people to facilitate these discussions. In areas such as the development of the Debt & Mental Health Evidence Form, it has driven the agenda for improvements. It’s good to talk and MALG is a great forum for getting people together. Long may it continue!”
Sara Williams, Debt Camel
“I haven’t made it to the MALG Friday Forum in ages, I’m really glad I got to go along today! It’s a really useful hour, if you’re a MALG member I recommend you go along.”
Helen Addis, Bristow & Sutor
“MALG will help us to deliver better customer outcomes and provide us with informed solutions to challenges we face in achieving this. We are committed to working with MALG to enhance our knowledge and ability to deal with customers and ensure they are treated fairly and provided with the highest standards of competence and professionalism.”
Patrick Rowell, ARC (Europe) Ltd
“MALG has performed a unique role in bringing the sector together through the years. MALG has been instrumental in developing good practice in the areas of vulnerability and in mental health through the work of the Mental Health Working Party which I was happy to chair. We look forward to working together in the future to develop good practice in a range of other important areas.”
Joanna Elson OBE, Money Advice Trust
“I’ll never forget the first time I attended a MALG event and found myself surrounded by like-minded professionals absolutely dedicated to helping people in problem debt. I loved that MALG REALLY brought people together – financial services, government, charities, social enterprises, trade bodies, advisers, fintech’s, regulators and more – to work on solutions, to collaborate and to share best practice.
“There are always considerable challenges to overcome for vulnerable customers when it comes to debt, but working together means that we have a much better chance of tackling problems and finding solutions that work for everyone. MALG has the potential to bring together industry experts from every conceivable area of money advice including creditors, debt advice agencies, government departments, welfare services think tanks, fintech companies, financial capability champions, financial inclusion experts and service users. This is truly unique.”
Lee Healey, Founder, IncomeMax
“MALG adds value as it brings together all the main players involved in debt and money advice and it provides a safe haven for broad discussion.”
Yvonne MacDermid OBE, former Chief Executive of Money Advice Scotland
“The work of MALG is vital in raising awareness of the sector as a whole and allowing different organisations to work together for the common good. Meetings are ideal for understanding better the work of other charities, service providers, regulators and government agencies.”
Joseph Surtees, StepChange Debt Charity
“MALG ‘s forward thinking approach on age old problems and new issues enables members to be on the front foot on how they manage and deal with their clients’ needs and demands. MALG’s ability to showcase the social and stigmatic problems consumers face when in debt has helped member organisations better equip and prepare themselves. MALG’s continuous efforts to forge synergies has helped improve better relations between the advice and creditor sector, making the consumer a direct beneficiary.”
John Fairhurst, PayPlan
“MALG facilitates the sharing of expertise and best practice and provides a forum for joined up thinking and new ideas. This is beneficial to continuously developing our understanding of customer’s debt issues, enabling us to deliver a flexible and tailored approach to collections which meets the needs of the customer and the creditor.”
Carole Kenney, CDER Group
“MALG has been a fantastic forum for me to be a part of – It’s provided a platform to highlight the daily struggles of clients and enabled me to hear regularly from other advice agencies and creditors as well.”
Jonathan Shaw, Sigma Connected Group (ReachOut)
“MALG gives us the opportunity to be in the centre of debate about helping people in debt, to listen to the widest possible range of views from people with wide-ranging expertise and to make our views known in an environment where all share the common objective of helping solve Britain’s personal debt problem.”
Andrew Smith, External Affairs Advisor, Debt Resolution Forum
“MALG provides our organisation with valuable insights into the service we are providing to customers, and the creditors on whose behalf we act. MALG also gives us a greater understanding of the broader environment we’re operating in, and other experiences of our customers and creditors. All of this helps to inform our own approach. The constructive approach taken by MALG to bringing together different parts of the money advice, credit and debt industries is to the benefit of all who participate in the opportunities for engagement it provides.”
Pamela Mulcahy, Public Affairs Director, Marston Holdings
“It is very important as an industry trade body to engage and work alongside MALG and other industry stakeholders to learn and be kept up to date on money advice sector matters so that we can share these learnings with our member companies.”
Claire Aynsley, Head of Regulatory Compliance and Standards, the Credit Services Association
“MALG allows us to obtain a deeper understanding of client and customer needs. It also helps us horizon scan and build strong and meaningful relationships with key stakeholders in the money advice sector.”
Partner, Walker Morris
