Speaker Profiles

Chris  Warburton has spent over 15 years in executive roles, leading transformation and delivering performance improvements in businesses in the UK, Canada and across many other markets around the world.

With a passion for new ideas, technology and process innovation, he helps teams find new ways of working to improve performance. Chris frequently speaks at events and conferences. He is always keen to look ahead of the curve, demystify and share experience with a wider audience.  For him, it is all about helping create great conversations in order to generate great solutions.

Data minded and people orientated his experience spans sectors from financial services, telecommunications and more recently in an advisory role in consultancy. He has specialist knowledge across the customer lifecycle, from Account Origination to Fraud, Account management, Collections and Recoveries. He is currently working on a series of videos exploring the latest ideas, innovation and technology in Credit and Collections.  The conversation is available at RO-AR.com.

Sarah Naylor, LLB, IRRV (Tech) – An experienced enforcement professional, Sarah has drawn on her own deep roots in the sector to provide impactful industry leadership.  A strategic thinker and advocate of technical innovation, she’s modernised enforcement practices at both company and industry level, balancing effective debt recovery with fairness and compassion for vulnerable individuals. A Management Board member and Sales Director at her family’s business, Staffordshire-based Dukes Bailiffs, which she joined in 2015 after completing a law degree, Sarah has built on the company’s longstanding ethical foundations. She has further strengthened Duke’s position as a trusted provider of ethical enforcement, with notable industry recognition for its data-led technological innovation.

As President of the trade body, the Civil Enforcement Association, CIVEA, she both sets direction for, and represents, the industry.  A recent interviewee on BBC Breakfast and Radio 4’s You and Yours, Sarah, channelled her characteristically calm and reasoned professional approach to help viewers to distinguish genuine enforcement officers from scam bailiffs. As a young female leader in a traditionally male-dominated industry, Sarah’s fresh and relatable voice makes her a much sought-after speaker at industry events and an apt Co-chair of Women in Revenue Enforcement (WIRE).  Her tireless work to dispel negative stereotypes was rewarded with a 2024 shortlisting for the Women in Enforcement Award.

Elliott James is the Debt Policy and Strategy Lead for the Government Debt Management Function Functional Centre, based in HM Treasury. Since the Function’s move from the Cabinet Office to HM Treasury in 2023, James has continued to play a pivotal role in the management of debt owed to government. During his tenure at the Cabinet Office, he was instrumental in developing the 2023-26 Government Debt Strategy and the inaugural Government Functional Standard for Debt. His career also spans 22 years at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), where he held diverse roles in digital teams, commercial teams, project teams, and frontline debt operations.

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Samuel has 18 years’ experience spanning Credit Risk, Collections, Analytics, Risk, Compliance and Governance in Regulated Retail Lending. He has a proven ability to lead strategic, cultural, and behavioural changes in organisations, in alignment with regulatory expectations, particularly under Consumer Duty and CONC.

Samuel is also an expert in developing and embedding strategies that deliver fair and sustainable customer outcomes while balancing commercial performance. He is a speaker and recognised contributor to industry best practice discussions on responsible collections and customer vulnerability.

Huw Vaughan has over 35 years’ experience in the Collections and Recoveries sector leading, developing, and optimising Collections and Recoveries operations. For the last 9 years he has worked in Collections technology and global consulting, specialising in Digital Communications and Collections platforms. Huw has a diploma in in Digital Disruptionand Digital transformation from Cambridge University Judge Business School.

Vanessa Northam has a background in leadership and impact-driven work, especially in sectors that intersect financial services, fintech, and charity. In her current role as Partnerships Director StepChange Debt Charity, she leads on the charities extensive partnership network, across the banking, utilities and advice sector. With over 25 years of experience, Vanessa’s career is a testament to her strategic approach to driving social impact, whether through securing funding, creating partnerships, or influencing greater awareness of the challenges faced by people in financial hardship.

Her previous work, particularly in Open Banking and her leadership role in E.ON’s vulnerable consumer strategy, further reflects her expertise in developing innovative solutions for underserved communities. Her focus on cross-sector collaboration and social impact through her current work further strengthens her reputation as a leader, who not only understands business, but also deeply values social responsibility and support for vulnerable individuals.

Matt is passionate about the future of credit, a passion that started at Barclays when he led a £1.6bn international partnerships programme for Barclaycard, followed by stints at GAIN Credit and later as Head of Commercial at LOQBOX. Fifteen years in consumer lending has taken him to his current role as COO at the Swedish fintech Fairlo. And it’s a weirdly perfect match as Matt embodies the combination of fintech savviness and a value-driven focus on improving consumer lending. Matt truly believes in making credit fair, or at least less unfair.

Over the last four years that passion has seen Matt and Fairlo push the boundaries of consumer lending, making Fairlo a successful and profitable lending company operating in its own innovative way. Fairlo was one of the Financial Times and Statista’s top 10 fastest-growing companies in Europe during 2024. We received our UK FCA license in 2023, were the first lender in the world to launch a Fairness Receipt, became one of the world’s very few certified B Corps in financial services, and have a 4.7 average on Trustpilot from more than 4,000 reviews.

Arren Khan is the Managing Director of the Digital DRA, the UK’s first FCA-regulated debt resolution agency. The company works with clients across financial services, utilities, and consumer credit, aiming to improve how debt is managed and experienced.

Arren has spent the last few years focused on how businesses can approach bad debt in a way that feels fair, clear, and human. His background spans customer experience, operations, and client partnerships, giving him a solid understanding of how to deliver practical change that works for both businesses and their customers.

At Digital DRA, he plays a key role in shaping the company’s direction, supporting client engagement, and helping teams deliver in line with the agency’s values. He’s particularly interested in how to use communication, behavioural insight, and smart technology to improve outcomes without adding pressure. The company’s in-house platforms was built specifically for debt resolution and has supported Digital DRA in winning awards for both its technology and approach.

Arren is also part of ongoing conversations across the industry about how debt is perceived and handled, especially when it comes to vulnerability, mental health, and making services more accessible.

He’s driven by a simple aim – to leave things better than he found them. Whether that’s improving a process, supporting a team member, or helping a client look at things differently, he believes in progress through small, meaningful steps.

Eddie Harrison, Senior Collections Manager at Revolut UK, is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Credit Management with over 20 years of deep expertise in the debt industry. A recognized authority in Collections, Litigation, and Enforcement, Eddie has a strong track record of building and optimizing effective debt management strategies within regulated environments.

Notably, Eddie held senior roles at three prominent ABS law firms specializing in bulk litigation and debt recovery: Lowell Solicitors, Overdales Legal, and Moorside Legal. His experience in these roles provides unique insights into the establishment and operational excellence of legal entities focused on high-volume debt-related matters.

Throughout his career, which includes significant leadership positions in Legal Services, Debt Purchase, Business Change, and Operational Risk, Eddie has consistently delivered business transformation, efficiency gains, and strategic results. At Revolut UK, he is currently responsible for developing compliant debt collections processes for all UK lending products, leveraging technology and analytics to optimize performance and ensure regulatory adherence.

Neil Costello is a financial services marketing expert with over 25 years’ experience in financial services, including FTSE 25 and Fintech, and 15 years in senior marketing roles.  Builder of iconic financial services brands founded on the power of customer experience. Currently leading the growth and profile of the biggest unknown brand in the UK by rebuilding the financial health of our customers.

John has been Managing Director of Ardent Credit Services, a Liverpool-based debt collection agency, since 2017 and has 35+ years of CEO & Board Level experience in the credit services sector, managing significant, large-scale, high-volume collection operations. A well-connected debt collection practitioner, industry commentator and advisor, who has worked with Government on debt and mental health initiatives and was a Non-Executive Director and past President / Chair of the Credit Services Association from 2009 to 2013, John was awarded CSA Honorary Membership in September 2023 for 14 years “Outstanding Service to the Industry”.

A Member of The Chartered Institute of Credit Management for 38 years, and was appointed a Fellow of the Institute in 2017.

Originally established in 1997, and a limited company since 2003, Ardent Credit Services Ltd (a Phillips & Cohen Associates Company) provides 1st or 3rd party early arrears collections and 3rd party debt recovery services with long-standing blue chip client relationships. Through digital capabilities and traditional collection methods, Ardent delivers a tailored approach to collections, with 70% of all payment transactions now digitally self-served.