AICM History
National Presidents
1995 – 1997
Steve Mitchinson Bedding down professional qualifications Steve Mitchinson says two initiatives are the hallmark of his presidency: the introduction of the Certified Credit Executive (CCE) program and a period of unprecedented membership growth. “Prior to becoming national president, I led the initiative to obtain federal government funding to develop a competencybased framework for a credit management and mercantile agents. That was the first step. The next step was to build a more structured approach to achieving professional standards. So with Les Wilson, the CEO at the time, we developed the CCE framework, which was subsequently implemented,” Steve explains. “This coincided with the strongest period of membership growth the institute had experienced,” he adds. Steve has seen the credit industry transform since he started working in it in 1975. “The level of sophistication has increased; we are an integral part of efficient business operations. There’s now a greater recognition, across commerce, of the value of sound credit and risk practises.” Over the next 10 years, Steve expects credit to continue on its current journey. “Credit will be dominated by artificial intelligence. Credit scoring was the first step and there will be an increased use of data and analytics to make more effective decisions. Like all financial services positions there will be a higher level of automation in job roles,” he states. Learning from the best Steve says Basil Dunn was one if his most important mentors. “Basil was the first person to introduce himself to me at the first AICM event I attended. He shared his knowledge and encouraged me. “I was only 22 and the average age of people in the room was about 50. I felt like a fish out of water and Basil took me under his wing and introduced me to a lot of people and made an imprint on my life.” Steve was the inaugural winner of the Basil Dunn award, which recognises outstanding contribution to the credit industry in Western Australia. “I took this as an enormous honour,” he says. Steve’s advice to other members is to remember you get out of the institute what you put into it. “I would never have achieved what I have in my career if I had not become involved with the institute in the mid 1980s. It introduced me to important people and ideas that helped expand my horizons. Credit results are a barometer of overall company quality and I believe a solid understanding gained in credit management can open many more career doors if you set your mind to it,” he adds.
1997 – 1999
Stephen Barratt Lawyer brings skills to team Stephen Barratt was something of an anomaly when he stepped into the role of AICM president in 1997. Rather than being a long-term credit manager, which was the background of many of his predecessors, Stephen is a lawyer. “My mission was always to promote the professionalism of the credit sector and the importance within a company of its credit management and credit staff,” he says. Stephen comes from a credit background: his father was the state manager for an electrical company. “He was ahead of his time in that he always believed in the importance of a credit manager in a business and thought credit management should be equal to sales in importance to a company,” he explains. According to Stephen, he was fortunate his father’s credit manager at Lawrence Hanson was Olive ‘Dusty’ Rhodes, one of the first female leaders of the AICM. “Dusty was a trailblazer, she promoted the whole industry. So she was the first big influence. I did some work in credit as a lawyer in debt collection. I saw credit managers make such a difference to their company,” he says.
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CREDIT MANAGEMENT IN AUSTRALIA • October 2017