In the Loop - January

lo p in the

January 2022

Oplo People Magazine

The UK’s Fairer, Greener Digital Bank Page 8

Page 5

An interview with Jessica Elliott

Page 7

Cheers to a New Year!

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Contents New starters............................................. 04 An interview with.................................. 05 Oplo’s hidden talents........................... 06 Cheers to a New Year.......................... 07 UK’s fairer, greener digital bank........ 08 Look at the bigger picture..................12 Oplo impact............................................. 14 ESG roundup............................................ 15

Oplo’s initiatives..................................... 16 Charity fundraising................................ 18 Health and wellbeing............................ 20 Oplo health club.................................... 21 Announcements..................................... 22 Top performers....................................... 25 Your extra mile........................................ 27 Get tested................................................. 29

We’re reaching out to recruit people for our In the Loop editorial support committee.

We’re looking for roving reporters who can keep their ear to the ground and feed back great Oplo news stories from within the business.

To find out more email marketing@myoplo.co.uk

New starters

Welcome!

to the new starters who have joined in January!

Nathan Stamp Customer Service Advisor Lee Collier Completions Assistant Lindsey Craine Completions Assistant Graham Austin-King Approvals Underwriter Abimbo Ajala-Akinsanya Scrum Master Daniele Piccolo UI/UX Designer Cameron Schofield Senior Service Desk Engineer

ng!

hiri We’re

like any d l u o If you w on the roles tion informa , please email e availabl itment@ recru o.co.uk myopl

Gilberto De Melo Collections Administrator Joanne Gairns Collections Administrator

An interview with

Jessica Elliott Recruitment Advisor

First impressions of Oplo?

The building itself was a WOW factor for me, I loved the amount of natural light and how every space was carefully thought out. My dissertation was on architectural wellness and how it can impact wellbeing, so the building is something that really stuck out to me. Since day one I’ve had an amazing experience, all the team are lovely and welcoming. It’s nice to work in an environment where I feel my opinions are encouraged.

Tell us a little bit about your background and where you have come from?

I originally came from a beauty/spa therapist background and even went on to further education studying an International Spa Management Degree and a Wellness Management Degree. I wanted to utilise my Customer Service skills and fell into recruitment but now I couldn’t picture myself doing anything else.

What does a typical day for a Recruitment Advisor look like?

Recruitment is a whirlwind that never stops, there is always more to be done. A typical day for me includes sifting through CVs, liaising with hiring managers and agencies, speaking with candidates, ensuring I am providing the best candidate journey and receiving a high volume of emails.

Three words to best describe you?

Bubbly, friendly and enthusiastic.

If you could travel to one destination right now, where would it be?

Somewhere sunny so I can sip cocktails by the pool.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

I wanted to be a vet so I could be around animals all day.

If you could have any superpower what would it be and why?

Definitely teleportation, saving my time in travel and the environment. Plus, I could take myself to the Bahamas during my dinner break.

Oplo’s hidden talents

Run Islay, Run! Hi Islay, word on the grapevine is that you have a hidden talent, tell me about that..

A few years ago, I decided to get myself outdoors and try a bit of running. I’ve always looked at people out on the road running and thought “I wish I could do that.” I used to hate the thought of long distance or crossing country running at school and would make any excuse to get out of it. I only ever ran the 100 meters at school to try and win a medal on sports day. I now even do trail running events round the mountains, there is nothing better than being up in the hills, fresh air in your lungs and enjoying the beauty of our country. I did Delamere Forest Half Marathon Montane Trail in January and I’m doing Grizedale next month. I would highly recommend it!

What got you into running, and what keeps you motivated to keep going?

I am believer anyone can achieve; you just need put your mind to it. I hear people say all the time “I could not run”. I was one of those people and yes, you can, anyone can run! I started off just doing the odd run here and there, sometimes I would walk more than run and I will be honest I didn’t always enjoy it. When I managed to do my first 5km without stopping I felt pretty impressed with myself, and I thought “yeah I can do this”. I then went on to enter my first 10km race, crossing the line and getting a medal for running was an amazing feeling! I’ve since gone on to do 15km, 18km and half marathon distance, the feeling after is just amazing.

I love getting myself outdoors now and going for a run. I’d highly recommend a run at the end of your working day; it does wonders for your mind. I’m also now a member of a couple of running clubs. I had all sort of preconceptions before joining but how wrong was, everyone was so welcoming and I’ve made some truly wonderful friends.

Have you got any big runs planned this year?

Yes, I do. I’m running the Manchester Marathon on 3rd April this year for Cancer Research UK (well I am going to try and run it!) I lost my Dad 10 years ago to a secondary brain tumour and my Aunt last year to breast cancer. A few of my good friends too have been through the rollercoaster that is cancer, so it holds a very special place in my heart. I want to do this to try and raise money to help prevent cancer, we need a cure.

If anyone wanted to donate, how could they do it?

It would mean so much to me if anyone would like to donate. It will inspire me to keep going with my training and to do this. I’ve even given up alcohol for the occasion, that’s certainly got to be worth a sponsor.

You can donate here

Thank you!

Cheers to a New Year!

Welcome to 2022! This month we asked you to share your New Year’s Resolutions with us. Whether you’ve set yourself a new challenge for 2022 or promised to continue something you started in 2021, we asked to hear it! So here are some of your intentions for 2022, we hope sharing these will help keep you motivated or inspire someone else to do the same.

How can Oplo help?

Why not see if we can help you achieve your 2022 goals? Maybe you’d like to do more personal development courses, complete an epic challenge for charity or get involved in volunteering. Reach out to the Training, HR or ESG Teams to ask any questions about how we can help you smash your 2022 goals.

“I have set myself a target to learn to ski this year. It’s something I’ve always wanted to be able to do but have been a little scared to try. My aim is to be flying down the Alps this time next year!”

Fiona Quarmby Marketing Assistant

“I have set myself a 5,000 mile target on the bike this year; a figure I hit regularly when working in (and cycling to) Manchester previously but it’s more of a challenge currently. When in the office I often throw a bike in the boot of the car to get a cheeky hour in after work!”

Rick Keeble Head of Quality Service

“I have set myself a challenge to do at least 1 different piece of art each week of 2022. I want to develop my art and get used to using different mediums, textures, and subjects so doing something different than what I’m used to should help me accomplish that. Art helps me to relax, and I really enjoy it.

To hold myself accountable, I’ve been posting my art pieces on my newly created art Instagram page and on Facebook! 2 down, 50 to go!’

Tanya Rowbotham Approvals Underwriter

Oplo is joining forces with Tandem to create the UK’s Fairer, Greener Digital Bank

The combination of our two businesses will create: •

An immediately profitable digital bank with significant scale. The combined business has £1.2 billion of total assets, £1 billion of funding and a growing customer base of over 171,000 customers.

•

A complementary consumer lending platform. The acquisition broadens our product offering across a range of consumer lending products including first and second charge mortgages, home improvement loans, car finance and personal lending – building on the combined lending capabilities of both Oplo and Tandem.

•

An established digital savings business. We will build on our existing savings franchise to enhance our range of savings products and to provide cost effective funding for the combined business.

•

A purpose-led bank focused on a fairer and greener future. Operating under the under the Tandem brand, the enlarged bank will:

A message from Alex Mollart Earlier this month we announced that Oplo is joining forces with Tandem, one of the UK’s leading fintech banks. After many weeks of preparation and planning, it’s fantastic to be able to share the news with you all.

This is a transformational deal for both companies as we come together with a shared ambition to create the UK’s fairer, greener digital bank. The new business will operate under the Tandem brand, and Oplo will fully rebrand to Tandem in the coming months.

I will be continuing as Deputy Chief Executive of the new Tandem bank and I’m thrilled to be working with Susie Aliker, Tandem Chief Executive, in leading our end-to-end lending business covering originations, servicing and collections. Our newly combined business has 500 colleagues across our Blackpool, Cardiff, Durham, London, and Manchester offices, and together we’ll be working for one of the UK’s leading digital banks.

•

leverage our existing savings, mortgage and climate-friendly home improvement lending products to offer customers greener financial choices; and

•

build on Oplo’s expertise in lending to offer customers fairer financial choices, focused on the estimated 26 million ‘new mainstream’ customers whose lending needs are underserved by the traditional high street banks.

•

we now have £230m of green lending and in the past year alone have financed 12,000 tonnes in CO2 reductions.

Combine this with Oplo’s support for some 20,000 customers to improve their credit scores and you can see this announcement is only the start of what is now possible as a combined business.

Watch this short video https://youtu.be/c_gfLJORU1M in which Susie and I talk about the rationale for the deal and our shared common purpose to make a difference for our people, our customers and the planet.

Susie and I hope that you share our excitement at the opportunities that lie ahead.

Together we can develop market-leading sustainable products and solutions for our existing and future customers. Together, we can create a workplace that supports collaboration, innovation, and opportunities for you and your future careers.

Together, we have the skills, expertise, and passion to provide fairer and greener financial choices for the UK.

Look at the Bigger Picture Solve Me to Win! You may not have known, but the 29th of January was National Puzzle Day so we thought we’d run a little competition to test your brains after the Christmas break.

Can you spot all the differences between these two pictures of our Oplo people sporting their finest Christmas jumpers.

Send your answers to hr@myoplo.co.uk by 5th February to be in with a chance of winning!

*Hint* the 7 diffe re are renc to find es

Ready to make an Impact Everything you need to know about our environmental initiative

ESG Roundup for 2021 With your help, we’ve achieved so much with our Oplo Impact initiatives this year. We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who got involved, whether that be volunteering, planting a tree or baking a cake for Macmillan!

Here are the final numbers for 2021…

13,413 trees purchased ready to plant 7,500 spring bulbs planted at Leighton Hall Estate 90% of Oplo People signed up to PawPrint 10 people (4%) signed up to the Electric Vehicle Scheme 17 people (6%) with monthly direct debts to our Oplo Grove with Trees for Life 8 people (3%) signed up to GiveAll (Payroll Giving) £28,479.99 raised for charity, including donations from GiveAll 67 people (24%) completed a volunteering day in Q3 and Q4 alone. Raising a total of £26,800.00 through time given to charities Combined fundraising figure of £55,279.99 36 people (13%) of Oplo people attended Bounce Back Resilience Workshop Launched the Green Deal in Q4, with 31 people in The Green Deal and 39 rewards eligible for redeeming Launched Swap Shop Q4 and have had 164 items exchanged or given to charity at a weight of 66kg saved from landfill

Oplo’s Initiatives for Our People

You can find out more about Oplo’s initiatives by using the links below:

Charity Fundraising Events for 2022 For 2022 we will be focusing on key charities across all our office sites and we can’t wait to make an even bigger impact than we did in 2021!

We’ll be continuing our annual donation of £25,000 to The Boathouse Youth, Blackpool, where we have been Platinum Patrons since April 2021. The BHY work with hundreds of children and young people who lives are impacted by poverty and disadvantage. The charity provides them with somewhere safe to enjoy friendship and fun as well as giving them fantastic childhood experiences that will help shape them into employable adults.

Watch out fo calend ra ar of a ware days, v olunte ness ering activit i e s and above charity the events !

We’d also love to get involved in some great events as part of our 2022 Oplo Impact journey to raise vital funds for charities such as 4Louis and MIND, and including any national charities assigned to these days!

Here are just a few of those events…

• Red Nose Day

• 3 Peaks Challenge

If you’d like to be a part of any of these events or have any other ideas, please email

• Blackpool to Durham Walk

ESG@myoplo.co.uk

• Tough Mudder

and we’ll assign charity champions across all our departments, to really make these a huge success and ensure we consistently smash our charity target of £50,000.

• Clean Beaches Week

• Macmillan Coffee Morning • Hello Yellow Day • Movember • Children in Need

Just a little something to say

! u o y k n a th

After our Oplo People visited some local charities to volunteer their time we received some wonderful emails thanking us for all our hard work and efforts to help our around Christmas. A huge well done to everyone who took their time to volunteer over the Christmas period, you did a fantastic job!

I wanted to drop you an email to say a huge thank you to the volunteers who came and helped with the preparation of the Christmas parcels.

By Christmas Eve we had provided presents for just over 2,000 children, young people and vulnerable adults. Your team were a huge part of this and their support was invaluable in making sure that gifts got to families in time. By giving of their time in this way, they’ve made a big difference to local families.

Thank you so much for approaching us and being part of this. And of course, if you’d like to be involved again next winter we’d absolutely love to have you!

Kind regards, Naomi Captain Naomi Clifton Corps Officer Blackpool Salvation Army Raikes Parade

Thank you so much for taking part in wrapping gifts on behalf of the Christie charity, we really appreciate your support especially so close to Christmas.

Emily Burgin Corporate Fundraising Officer

Health and Wellbeing Whether you’re propped up at a kitchen table or another temporary workstation, you may not have the same supportive setup that you would in an office. You may find that your shoulders, neck or back are hurting after long days spent sitting down awkwardly. Please speak to your Line Manager with any issues regarding your workstation, following January’s Health & Safety training.

Here are some YouTube videos to help stretch and keep the body moving:

Chair Yoga 15 minutes of seated leg workout Quick and easy stretches to do while sitting at your desk

Top Tips on How to Take a Break: •

Give your eyes a break every 20 minutes, by looking away into the distance for 20 seconds.

•

Every 20-30 minutes, stand up, stretch and move for 20-30 seconds.

•

If you have any neck or back pain, your GP or physiotherapist can give you more advice and support.

Health Club Menopause at Work: The Hot Topic Here at Oplo, we’re committed to looking after our people and creating an inclusive, rewarding working environment. That’s why we’re inviting everyone to join the menopause conversation.

Our first session, Menopause Awareness for all Employees, will be at 11am on Monday 21st February, we will then have a second session for managers only.

Menopause awareness for all employees Monday 21st February, at 11:00am

Managers menopause training session Wednesday 23rd February, at 11:00am

These sessions will include: •

• • • • •

What is menopause? The common symptoms, coping strategies and how it can impact different groups in the workplace.

Strategies to help manage symptoms like hot flushes, poor sleep, brain fog, fatigue and anxiety at work and at home.

Confident conversation frameworks to facilitate menopause discussions that bring about the best outcome for everyone.

Hot tips to support work colleagues, family, and friends.

Easy to implement workplace solutions to promote a positive, inclusive culture where it’s okay to talk about menopause.

Your role and responsibilities to team members experiencing symptoms and easy to implement workplace practices and solutions, (this will only be in the managers workshop).

p Sign u o here t e join th ion! sat r e v n co This session will be delivered

by Julie Dennis.

You can find out more about Julie using the links below: Menopause at Work www.juliedennis.net Download my White Paper 'Menopause in the Workplace: Have the Ground Rules Changed?' for the latest industry insights, trends and case studies.

Connect with me over on LinkedIn for regular updates on how you can promote a menopause inclusive environment for everyone.

s t n e m e c n u o Ann The new Mr & Mr Davis After having to postpone the wedding a year due to Covid, we finally got married at Ribby Hall on a crisp sunny Christmassy December day, surrounded by all our friends and family. It was the perfect day, we got to see people who we haven't been able to see for so long and what an incredible party we had. And to top if off, we were given the ultimate honeymoon gift of going to Disney World Florida in February!

Matt HR Assistant

The new Mr & Mrs Horton We finally got married at Broadoaks Country House Hotel up in the Lakes. It was an intimate wedding with 37 of our closest family and friends. We all arrived on the Friday and had supper and drinks together, then the wedding was the Saturday. It was just perfect and everything that I wanted it to be and more.

Rachel Approvals Underwriter

s t n e m e c n u o Ann 5 years at Oplo

Steve Catterall

What's kept you at Oplo for all these years?

I know everyone says this, but the main reason is down to the people I work with and the culture that we have created. It’s a relaxed environment, which suits me perfectly, but it is also very fast paced and challenging. It’s been great to see the business grow and mature over the years. Exciting times are ahead, and I want to be a part of that.

Which part of your role do you enjoy the most?

100% the numbers side of the role. I love the pressure of having to maintain the high standards my team have set, and month end is by far my favourite day of the month. I have worked in collections for 22 years and I still get that buzz when a full arrears payment comes in. I like developing my people too. As Head of Department, to see them progress and genuinely enjoy what they do gives me a great sense of satisfaction.

What advice would you give to new starters?

Relax and enjoy it. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes whilst you are in probation as mistakes are expected. Learn from the mistakes and make notes! If in doubt, give your gaffer a shout!

s t n e m e c n u o Ann 5 years at Oplo

Amber Langley

Since joining the business in January of 2017 Amber has brought a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the Car Finance Team. Amber has progressed quickly since starting with the company, demonstrating a dedication to staff development and a keen eye for process improvement to extract the best performance she can in often challenging situation, all with a positivity and commitment that is infectious.

Amber has recently progressed to the role of Senior Team Leader for the Consumer division and is well on her way to bringing her skills and experience to other areas of the business, driving best practise.

Congratulations on your 5 years’ service, it has been a pleasure managing you and watching your career and personal growth over the last 5 years, along with benefiting from your support.

Shaun Wood Collections Manager

Gavin Langley Gavin joined the business in January of 2017 bringing many years of experience from both his previous sales background and more recent 1st Charge mortgage collections, successfully transferring his skills into the Car Finance arena.

Gavin can always be relied upon to lift the department’s spirits with his personality. He also has a keen eye for detail and excellent analytical skills, especially in relation to process improvement. Always up to the challenge, Gavin can be relied upon to get the job done whilst supporting his colleagues.

Congratulations on your 5 years’ service with the business.

Shaun Wood Collections Manager

! s r e m r o f r e p p o T Home Loans Lending

Amy Hartley Reasons for nomination: A great performance in December and more than willing to go the extra mile and pick up other people’s cases whilst managing her own large pipeline in an extremely busy period.

Personal Loans Lending

Kelsey Fryett Reasons for nomination: She is always on the ball with call backs and inbound calls, as well as supporting the Underwriters as much as she can. She’s a great asset to the team.

She has pretty much taken it upon herself to be the person who keeps on top of call backs, she’s always on top of things and willing to help where she can.

For being team player and making sure that all the call backs are done and up to date.

Car Finance

Gavin Stewart Reasons for nomination: For all of the work he has put in to ensure that his move to Recoveries on 1st December was as smooth as possible. Gavin was proactive in gathering information and learning all of the new processes within the team. Gavin has also been supporting the Early Collections team with their inbound calls since his move to Recoveries. Gavin does not have to answer their calls nor has he previously been asked however he does this off his own back to support the whole of Car Finance.

We would also like to nominate Gavin for his commitment to supporting our newest starters. Since the most recent change of moving all experienced staff home, Gavin has been key to the new starters.

Assisting them with all questions and queries, as well as providing them with the confidence to trust the work they are completing. Gavin will help anybody that asks without any hesitation and nothing ever seems too much of an ask for him.

Home Loans Sales

Tyler Eckersley Reasons for nomination: Tyler has been nominated for the 2nd month running. He is consistent month on month on achieving his KPI’s and is always happy to help anyone. Well done Tyler Top team player.

YourExtra Mile Understanding At Oplo we take time to get to know you and understand your situation. We look for the possibilities, not the problems. Want to thank someone for showing a unique level of understanding or compassion?

Fair We believe that everyone deserves an equal opportunity to better themselves. We’re always open minded and even handed with our customers and with one another. Has your colleague gone above and beyond to help you better yourself by being open minded and accepting?

Enabling We give hard working people the tools to help themselves. We’re always helpful and practical in our approach. Has a team member supported you in powering your potential, enabling you to achieve a goal?

Enterprising We’re entrepreneurial and authentic. We genuinely believe that when you fulfil your potential everyone succeeds. Why not congratulate one of your colleagues on showing great initiative within the team or towards a customer!

“Understanding” Homeloans Lending Department.

“Thank you to everyone for their hard work and dedication throughout December, working extra hours, weekends and on the bank holidays.

An extra special thanks to those to assisted bringing month end in.

December was a record month and we wouldn’t have been able to do what we did without the extra commitment.”

Sara Evans CeMAP Lending Manager

“Enabling” Charise Lam. “She goes the extra mile, not only just for me as my manager but for the entire PL team. Even if she is extremely busy, as we all have been these past few weeks, she will stop what she is doing to help you out. She tailors her assistance to the person and doesn’t have the same answer and method for each person. She really steps out of her comfort zone with everything she does and always excels at it. She is someone I can strive to be like in the future.”

Tanya Rowbotham Approvals Underwriter

Your Extra Mile

Ellie Turell and Elliott Helm.

“They have contributed massively to the inbounds and have fitted in great within the team. They worked great under pressure over the Christmas period. Well done to them both.”

Michelle Newton

Chloe Smail and Louise Elms.

“Whilst I was on holiday in December Chloe and Louise both went above and beyond to ensure that my workload was kept up to date, as well as completing their own tasks in order to avoid me coming back to a backlog of work. Chloe and Louise completed my daily tasks and ran my team whilst I was off, and this is very much appreciated and shows great teamwork.”

Vanessa Stell Early Collections Team Leader

“I’d like to recognise Ben Thackwray, Jake Colling and Chris Heafield in Credit Risk for carrying out some analysis which has enabled us to better understand whether some recent Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) Complaint decisions that have gone against us would - through changes to our underwriting models - still result in these loans (deemed irresponsible by the FOS) being written today. Through working together in this way, we can look to support the business approach going forward in relation to some of these decisions. Thanks all.”

Rick Keeble Head of Quality Service

“Enterprising” Dylan Jones.

“Dylan took the lead for the IT Systems team in respect of the Christmas Direct Debit processing, liaising with the Operational teams and Aryza to ensure that all the required steps in the process occurred.

He reacted positively to many challenges and to running many tasks that are usually automated. A really first-rate job done.”

Steve Green Business Application Manager

“Fair”

Dylan Jones.

“For his efforts in ensuring that the December Direct Debit moves went smoothly, as well as helping resolve the card payment issue between Christmas and New Year.”

Sarah Wiggin

Naieed Haque and Jordan Green.

“In addition to the planned testing during December, Naieed and Jordan took on additional testing tasks during the code freeze. They tested the next version of the Aryza provided Web Portals and several change requests alongside completing the planned testing for Sentinel Service Pack 7, which went Live on 5th January. Great job, guys!”

Steve Green Business Application Manager

Adam Marshall.

“For supporting for with my broadband issues. He really took the time and effort to help me get to the bottom of the problem.”

Nathan Kenny

Your Extra Mile

Get tested Most people catch Covid-19 from the people they spend the most time with Raid testing twice a week for people without symptoms will help stop the virus speading

Do your bit for your community!