In January 2008 JBW appointed a new Managing Director, Adrian Walters to replace the founder Jamie Waller who now sits on the Board of Directors as Chairman with the responsibility of Business Direction and Development.
Walters who’s past posts include the City of Westminster Council and British Telecom first tasks at JBW were to create a management team and secure a half million pound investment to develop a back office that is capable of debt collection, tracing and processing, and in 72 days he has done just that.
Walters said, “It is good to be part of a team that are all striving to achieve changes to an industry in desperate need of professionalism and transparency. I bring to the team over 20 years of high end management experience as well as a sound understanding of debt recovery for local government and the difficulties that surround it. My main objective was to build a strong management team to assist me in delivering my objectives and then to secure the required investment to build a Debt Recovery and Processing Department capable of sustaining industry changes and market growth. Joining me in the driving seat are some well known industry names including our Operations Director, Mark Halls, who is the past Revenues Manager for the London Borough of Sutton, Ian Brownjohn, past Drakes Group Limited Finance Director, Dean Stevens, ex CCS Enforcement Services Director of Enforcement, Mark Haslam, ex CCS Enforcement Services Contract Manager and Darren Jessop, ex Meagher PLC Director of Debt Recovery and together we bring over 90 years of Debt Management experience.
“To assist in the improvement we have secured an investment of £500,000 and this has been put to use in the development of a 31 seated Debt Recovery and Processing department at our London Head Offices. Debt Collection at the front end of enforcement reduces the need for Bailiff Activity and reduces complaints. Darren Jessop, JBW’s new Debt Recovery Manager has recruited and trained the first 14 members of this department and the benefits are already being seen for both our clients and the customers from whom we collect. The department is on plan to be fully staffed and operational by August 2008”.
Jamie Waller ex Managing Director and now Chairman said, “It was difficult to recognise that I could not continue to do this alone and that there were probably other people with more experience and expertise than me in certain areas that were required to keep JBW at the forefront of change and ahead of the competition. Adrian has done an exceptional job in appointing the new team and I am happy with the people chosen. Many people have asked me if this means that I will be taking a back seat and my answer is always the same, “You will be lucky”. I am still actively involved and probably now more than ever as we have more clients than previous years and business opportunities keep approaching. Together I and the new team will all play an active roll in not only the progression of JBW but the industry as a whole”.
JBW currently work for over 30 Local Authorities in the collection of Penalty Charge Notices as well as the Child Support Agency and Transport for London.