Designed for operational credit management leaders

On 6 February, 29 senior credit professionals gathered in London for an invitation-only practitioner workshop supported by My DSO Manager in partnership with Callisto Grand and hosted at PwC's Pavilion Suite overlooking the London skyline.

The session formed part of the Situation Room series and was designed around live operating scenarios rather than presentation-led content. The objective was to focus on the practical realities facing modern credit management teams and the decisions that ultimately shape risk exposure, collections performance and cash outcomes.

The format created space for open discussion between experienced practitioners across sectors, allowing participants to examine how organisations interpret early credit-risk signals, respond to behavioural deterioration and align credit judgement with collections execution.

Speakers of the session

Real operating scenarios and credit risk decision-making

Throughout the workshop, participants worked through scenarios reflecting challenges many organisations currently face: rising exposure concentration, deteriorating payment behaviour, disputed receivables delaying cash conversion and the increasing need to prioritise accounts based on risk signals rather than activity volume.

A recurring theme in the discussions was the importance of moving away from reactive collections activity towards earlier, intelligence-led credit decisions.
Participants explored how earlier visibility, stronger prioritisation and confident intervention can help organisations protect liquidity while maintaining long-term customer relationships.

" Really valued how this workshop was built for operational credit professionals. The live scenarios and peer discussion reflected the real decisions we face daily, and how early action directly impacts cash and risk outcomes. " - Arvind Kumar FCICM, Credit Control Manager, Country Style Foods

For many delegates, the opportunity to compare operating approaches with peers across industries proved particularly valuable.

" It was a real pleasure to be part of such an engaging and insightful discussion. I truly valued the opportunity to exchange perspectives and learn from the other credit professionals. " - Kasia Jursa ACICM, Credit Control Manager UK, DACH and USA, Finatal

Practitioner-led facilitation and market insight

The workshop was facilitated by the My DSO Manager team, including Noy McDonald, Luke Sculthorp, Margaux Bourgeat and Jérémy Crux, alongside Brad Morris and Mark Harrison from Callisto Grand, bringing practitioner perspectives spanning credit risk strategy, collections execution and credit transformation.

Workshop agenda and practitioner facilitators during the London session

The session concluded with a presentation from Lucy Fulmer of PwC, who shared expert insight into current insolvency trends and the structural pressures shaping the UK corporate landscape.
Her analysis reinforced the importance of strong early-warning disciplines and proactive credit decision-making as organisations navigate an increasingly uncertain economic environment.

Reflecting on the discussion, one attendee highlighted the importance of connecting risk signals directly to operational decisions:

" What really stood out was the shift away from reactive collections and towards earlier, intelligence-led credit decisions using risk signals, behavioural indicators and dispute patterns to protect cash before it's at risk. " - Viviana Pineda, Global Credit and Collections Manager, Certn

Key insights for modern credit management teams

While the London session brought together a small group of invited practitioners, several recurring themes emerged from the discussions that are highly relevant to credit professionals operating across sectors today.

• Behavioural signals often appear before traditional risk indicators: Subtle changes in customer behaviour - delayed responses, partial payments, increasing disputes or changing payment patterns - often appear well before formal credit alerts or insolvency signals. Organisations that monitor behavioural indicators consistently are better positioned to intervene earlier and protect cash exposure.
  


• Visibility across entities remains a structural challenge: As organisations expand across multiple entities, systems and currencies, maintaining a consolidated view of customer exposure becomes more complex. Fragmented ledgers, duplicated customer records and inconsistent definitions of exposure can obscure the true risk position at group level. Strengthening consolidated visibility was widely recognised as a priority for effective credit governance.
  


• Disputes are increasingly a structural driver of delayed cash: Participants across sectors highlighted the growing impact of operational disputes on cash conversion. Billing discrepancies, service issues and contractual complexity can delay payments significantly if disputes are not clearly categorised and managed collaboratively across credit, billing and operational teams. Separating operational disputes from genuine delinquency was seen as essential for understanding the true drivers behind DSO movements.
  


• Credit risk assessment must be connected to operational execution: Identifying risk signals alone does not protect cash. Organisations must ensure that credit, billing and collections teams operate with aligned priorities and shared visibility so that early signals translate into timely action.
  


• Governance disciplines remain critical: Alongside technology, participants emphasised the importance of strong governance fundamentals such as maintaining clean customer master data, clearly defining exposure calculations and regularly recalibrating risk assessments.
  


• Strengthening credit decision disciplines: The London session demonstrated the growing appetite among credit leaders for environments where practical experience, peer discussion and operational judgement can be shared openly. As organisations face continued economic uncertainty, complex customer portfolios and increasing pressure on working capital, the ability to interpret risk signals early and connect credit judgement directly to cash performance is becoming increasingly critical. The strong engagement and feedback from participants confirmed the value of creating spaces where credit professionals can step back from day-to-day operational pressure, challenge assumptions and strengthen the decision disciplines that protect liquidity and support sustainable cash performance.