Collections

A large, established motor finance company required additional support within their collections team to work with vulnerable customers in relation to their payment plans. Due to an ongoing relationship, the client reached out to Kind Consultancy asking for them to supply experienced interim Collections Consultants for a 12-month project.

Our contractors went through training and route-to-competency with the client and were fully operational and supporting the team within 4 weeks of the first request coming to Kind. This has resulted in a significant number of customers being contacted and to get the specialised support they needed, whilst maintaining a strong customer service for the client.

Kind selected people from the King Agile Solutions bench who had a mixture of collections experience and complaint handling experience across Financial Services, combined with a history of working with vulnerable customers. The combination required for the project was a very specialised skill set and the client recognised that these are not people they would be able to find on their own quickly. When a second request came after the appropriate members of the Agile Solutions team were already with the client, Kind then conducted a full deep market search using a mix of methodologies to identify key talent that could be utilised in this project, rapidly taking care of all screening and compliance requirements before they joined the clients project.

Complaint Handlers

Complaint Handlers are vital for any regulated Financial Services business in the UK, and Kind Consultancy has extensive experience of supplying both individuals and full teams of experienced Complaints professionals. In this Case Study, learn how Kind assisted a firm facing a serious Complaints build-up issue.

A large Retail Bank who we had previously worked with on a variety of projects, contacted us with an urgent requirement. Due to a backlog of complaints approaching the Ombudsman time limit, they needed a large team of Complaint Handlers to hit the ground as soon as possible. We immediately went to our bench of pre-screened Kind Agile Solutions contractors, selecting candidates who we knew were available and had the skills and experience that our client needed.

We conducted pre-interview calls with every candidate, confirming their interest and relevant Complaints Handling knowledge and experience. Within 24 hours we had submitted 40 profiles to the client. Within 48 hours of that submission, our client selected the candidates they wanted to progress, and began arranging and conducting video-interviews.

Our client made offers to their preferred candidates as the interview ended, and so were able to have the contractors start with them within 7 days of the original request. Due to the size of the project and the timeframe, our client had contacted multiple recruitment agencies but confirmed to us that Kind had single-handedly filled 95% of the positions they needed.

KYC Remediation

Kind Consultancy supported a Big 4 consulting firm who were working on a large scale remediation project for a Tier 1 international bank. We were contacted by their resourcing team and asked to identify high caliber AML Analysts, KYC Analyst, Financial Crime Team Leaders and SMEs.

We immediately looked to the Kind Agile bench of pre-qualified, pre-screened candidates, knowing that it includes many Financial Crime specialists. We were able to fulfill all of the project requirements using exclusively Kind Agile contractors who were already known to us and who we could trust to deliver exceptional work.

Across the full lifecycle of the project, we deployed 25 Analysts, 5 Team Leaders and 2 SMEs. The project lasted 18 months and 100% of Kind’s contractors were extended throughout the period to see the project through to completion.

Compliance Consultant – Section 166

An established Consumer Credit firm reached out to Kind for support to help them work with the regulator following a Section 166 notice being issued.  This involved providing them with one of our experienced compliance consultants, to work with the senior management team on the appointment of a Skilled Person.

In addition to our consultant, we provided a number of interim experienced compliance, collections and credit risk resources to support the project and wider business.  As a result of this we have completed a successful remediation project required by the Financial Conduct Authority due to a section 166 being served.

The remediation required an assessment of more than 4,000 customers over a period of 5 years. We achieved the confidence of the FCA and a successful remediation project through detailed remediation methodology documentation, accurate and timely reporting, the demonstration of structured planning, and effective 3 lines of defence activity.

Head of Compliance – SMF16

Kind Consultancy was approached by the Chief Risk Officer of a challenger bank who was seeking to identify a new Head of Compliance following the previous incumbent moving on from the business. The Kind team had a face-to-face meeting with the CRO, taking a full brief of the role and building an understanding of the expectations for the Head of Compliance as an individual and how they fit into the bank’s wider business plans. We used all of this information to help the client draw up a detailed role profile.

We then set to work utilising a mix of methodologies to map the market and identify a list of relevant individuals who met client specifications and were at the top of their game in Compliance. The Kind team confidentially approached these candidates, and discussed their experienced and skillset but also their individual motivations and long term career aspirations. We submitted a shortlist of 4 candidates who had the relevant skills and expertise, but who we also knew were personally aligned with the values and goals of the bank.

We supported our candidates and the client throughout the interview process, and following a second stage interview an offer was made to and happily accepted by one of our candidates. We continued to check-in with our candidate and client, throughout their probation period to ensure both parties are fully satisfied with the placement.

Compliance Monitoring Manager

A growing challenger bank approached Kind Consultancy with a need to recruit a permanent Compliance Monitoring Manager. They had previously attempted to fill the role themselves and had been turned down by both candidates they had offered. The bank’s headquarters was not in a major city, and the location had been a sticking point for both of their past candidates.

We took a full brief on the job and the long-term plans for the business, and contacted a number of Compliance Monitoring professionals who were already part of our extensive database of Compliance talent, as well as confidentially approaching some Compliance Monitoring Managers who were at the time working for similar sized challenger banks. Selecting the people from both sources that we felt had the necessary skills and experienced and were personally aligned with the bank’s long term plans, we submitted a shortlist. Shortly after interviews were conducted, the client offered one of our candidates who happily accepted.

The candidate unfortunately then faced a number of complications and delays in their relocation, and they were unsure they would be able to start the role. Staying close to both candidate and client, Kind were able to devise and suggest an arrangement where the candidate would come on board immediately as a contractor working remotely, and would then be taken on permanently once the relocation was completed. Both parties were happy with this solution, and the candidate was screened and on-boarded as a contractor in just a few days.

Underwriters

Kind Consultancy have a long working relationship with a large building society, who were experiencing an increase in applications and simultaneously launching multiple new products. To keep up with the rate of activity, they were looking for 2 permanent underwriters.

Kind Consultancy used a consultative approach, taking the job specification and discussing with the client where their own recruitment attempts had not been successful. The Kind team showed the client that if they allowed remote work, they could access higher quality candidates.

Kind selected a mix of candidates who were already known to them as part of their extensive database and newly sourced candidates who were actively job seeking. The initial request for 2 positions became an extended project, with Kind acting as the client’s exclusive recruiter for underwriting positions. Across 6 months, Kind Consultancy has placed Underwriters, Senior Underwriters and Manual Underwriters with the client, all in permanent positions, and continues to work with them on all underwriting resource needs.

Interim Deputy CRO

One of the largest groups of Financial Services Mortgage & Protection Networks in the UK contacted Kind Consultancy seeking an Interim Deputy Chief Risk Officer. The organisation had recently acquired a new company and needed extra specialist resource to support the Enterprise Risk framework and function during the transitional period.

Kind Consultancy immediately contacted one of the Kind Agile Solutions bench of expert contractors who we knew had a substantial Risk history including specialist Enterprise Risk work within the mortgage sector and a track-record of successful framework design. As a member of the KAS bench, the Kind team already knew that this person was currently available for work and had a familiarity with their professional history.

We connected the client to our selected contractor and within 2 weeks of taking the initial brief, the client made an offer, the candidate accepted and was at work the following week, with a total turnaround time of 3 weeks. The client has been very happy with the contractor’s work and has repeatedly extended their contract.

Prudential & Credit Risk

A Building Society contacted Kind Consultancy looking to recruit a permanent Risk Manager who would be predominantly responsible for Prudential Risk and Credit Risk Management.

The client wanted to run the search as a retained project, because they had worked with Kind on a recurring retained basis in the past and we had been successful in all previous assignments.

The Kind Consultancy team began by running a market mapping exercise, identifying passive candidate headhunting targets as well as looking at available active candidates who were a good fit. Utilising a combination of these methodologies, Kind built, pre-screened and interviewed a longlist of candidates, using their own interviews to narrow down the shortlist to 6 which was then submitted to the client.

The Building Society interviewed 3 of the shortlisted clients and selected one to hire immediately. The client reported they were once again very happy with the service and would continue to use Kind for retained searches whenever a permanent recruitment need arises.

Internal Audit Team

The Chief Internal Auditor at an International Bank contacted Kind Consultancy looking to build out the Internal Audit team for their recently-expanded UK Bank.

With a full team needing to be provided, we used a mix of methodologies, looking at industry-best specialists who were already known to us, active candidates in the marketplace, and identifying and confidentially approaching individuals in similar positions at competing banks. Combining all of these we conducted initial pre-screen interviews and selected a shortlist of recommended candidates which we then submitted to the client.

As part of this project we placed 9 people in total – two Head Of positions, three Senior Managers and four Internal Audit Managers, working across the Commercial and Retail Banking divisions of the business.

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