Michelle Thorp, CEO

Other articles (Insolvency Practitioner, November 2020):

• Kevin Hellard, President
• Events update
• Liquidations in the Republic of Ireland after 31 December 2020
• NCA makes first Bounce Back Loan fraud arrest 
• Membership and licence renewals
• Job vacancy: Regulation Officer
• IPA’s spooky Halloween quiz for Crisis
• Totum Pro discount card for IPA student members
• Meet a Committee member
• Five minutes with…

Hello everyone. When I wrote my article last month, we had just entered the tiered Covid-19 system. How quickly things move on – now that we are in ‘lockdown 2.0’, I hope that you are coping ok this time around, both personally and professionally, and that all is well as it can be in your work.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone the importance of looking after our wellbeing and mental health during this time. It is unfortunate that we need to enter another lockdown, but while we are all hopeful that this one will be relatively short-lived and allow us much more freedom in the near future, there is a chance it might not be. Until we do know, it is important that we all keep an eye on how we are doing and reach out to family, friends, colleagues and others to help each other through this time. We have a vulnerability point of contact at the IPA, Alan Limb, who members can get in touch with in complete confidence – email alanl@ipa.uk.com.

At the IPA, we recently held a family Halloween fundraising quiz for our Charity of the Year, Crisis. This was a lovely way for us all to get together, enjoy each others’ spooky costumes (and be amazed at people’s efforts in equal measure) and generally enjoy the end of the working day and the beginning of the evening together – it might seem small, but it was an important pause for a bit of fun for a great charity, and it had a really positive impact on those of us who took part. My step-kids certainly had a ball. More on the quiz here!

I would also like to reiterate that if any of our members feel that this new lockdown has presented professional challenges that you think should be raised with us, feel free to get in touch with us on membership@ipa.uk.com. Similarly, we have been working with the new Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act measures for nearly five months now, and we would be interested to hear from you if you have used the moratorium process or a restructuring plan in your work. Again, if you would like to share feedback, please email regulation@ipa.uk.com.

We are firmly in ‘renewals season’ now, and you should have received your renewals email, which was sent out last week.

We recognised the challenges, uncertainty and pressures that this year has thrown at us, and it was on this basis that there will be no increase in the IPA’s fees this year, and that we would keep total fees as value for money as possible.

Equally, in a drive to make the process of renewing as simple as possible, we have taken the process, including payment, mainly online. Some will no doubt be aware of this, having completed their renewal already. If you are yet to complete yours, I would encourage you to do so as soon as possible. The process should be simple and convenient, and of course no one likes doing things at the last minute. There are always some technical hiccups with new systems, but we hope you will see that the new system is an easier interface than we have had before. Do let us know your thoughts – please email membership@ipa.uk.com.

Personal Insolvency Lecture Series

Today is rather a significant day in the IPA’s calendar, as we kicked off the first of our Personal Insolvency Lecture Series events with a fascinating session with Rachel Lai of Menzies and David Hawke of AdviceUK on personal insolvency solutions.

As well as corporate insolvencies, which we have covered a great deal in recent webinars, training and of course the virtual Roadshows, personal insolvencies do sadly look set to increase. We have carefully curated the Personal Insolvency Lecture Series to offer you a broad view of everything going on in the personal insolvency world today. This includes sessions on the recent scam activity we have seen, as well as the general state of things to come, the creditor perspective and insights from our own Volume Provider Regulation scheme.

I am very pleased that we will be joined at the series by Chris Leslie, Chief Executive of the Credit Services Association, Former MP, Shadow Chancellor and UK Government Minister. Chris will be taking our creditor special. We will also be joined by Professor David Milman of Lancaster University, who will be looking at Covid-19 and personal insolvency. At the session on the IPA’s Volume Provider Regulation scheme, we will be joined by Dylan Quail of Hanover Insolvency; David Rankin of Creditfix; Laura Prescott and Adam Horan of Jarvis; IPA Chief Inspector David Holland; and IPA Inspectors Kate Blakeway and Lisa O’Hara.

The sessions are for everyone who works in insolvency, so please do pass onto your teams. With each session an hour long, they are also convenient to attend.

If you are interested in booking attendance for a large group, email events@ipa.uk.com to find out about a potential discount.

Find out more about this exciting series of events and book your place here!

Wishing you all the very best in your work as we head into winter.

Michelle