In the Loop

lo p in the

October 2021

Oplo People Magazine

On your marks, get set...

Page 12

Page 6

An interview with Ben Wilcox

Page 18

Everything you need to know about COP26!

! e m o c l We

to all the new starters who have joined us in October!

Lewis Boyd Completions Assistant

Eliot Helm Customer Relationship Manager

Declan Lever Junior Test Analyst

David Wood Information Security Ops Lead

Jerome Hurley Developer

Emmanuel Muzang Junior Scrum Master

Nidhiben Lathiya Test Automation Engineer

Kishore Kannadhasan Senior Scrum Master

Nick Robinson Customer Relationship Manager

Matthew Leach Senior Developer

Diane Barnes Customer Relationship Manager

Ben Wilcox Complaints Officer

We are thrilled to announce the internal promotion of Fiona O’Brien to T&C Assistant for the Mortgage Lending Division.

Fiona joined us way back in 2013 on our Debt Solutions Team, and moved over to the Home Loans team in 2015, where Fiona has worked as a Completions Assistant ever since. With her wealth of knowledge and experience I’m sure she will do great at as the Training & Competency Assistant.

We are excited to announce the internal promotion of Sally Starks to Approvals Underwriter for the Mortgage Lending Division. Sally joined the Personal Loans Lending Team in 2018 as a Completions Assistant, and has been a valuable asset to Consumer Division for the last 3 years.

We wish you all the best on your new adventure in mortgage lending.

Please join us in congratulating them on their new roles!

Aura: Personalised meditation for your employees Over 3,000 on-demand mindfulness sessions for meditation and restful sleep What’s Aura?

How does it work?

Aura is an app that gives your employees

Choose a mood or topic you’re interested in

access to more than 3,000 meditation,

(e.g. stress, anxious, sleep, tales for kids)

mindfulness, sleep and life coaching tracks.

It’s a great way to help your team deal with stress, anxiety and trouble sleeping.

It works a bit like Spotify, but for mindfulness. The more you use Aura, the more it gets to know you – delivering personalised recommendations and putting the perfect session at your fingertips.

It’s great for all levels of experience with a mix of shorter and longer tracks. You’ll find quick, three minute meditations, alongside full hour-long sessions.

How to redeem: Your employees just need to search for “Aura” on Perkbox We’ll give them a code to swap for three month’s access to the app After three months, they can come back for another code

www.perkbox.com

Aura will recommend an audio track – as short as three minutes. The recommendations are based on hundreds of millions of data points from their users.

Listen to your track and rate it when you’re done. Aura will learn what you like and continuously improve your recommendations.

News from the

Engine RoomUNCUT I’m Richard Asbridge, the new Head of Engineering at Oplo. The whole Oplo team are a great bunch, keen, hard-working and always ready to go the extra mile. And that really does make our job easier. In the three months I've been here, I've spent many a happy evening with the development, platform, and testing teams. We're often up burning the midnight oil getting that last fix in place before it's released into the wild.

What do I hope to share in these small additions to In The Loop?

I want to let the rest of our Oplo family know that we're working hard to produce what you need. From the business analysts pop-quizzing you with curiously detailed questions, to the quiet software developers, muttering distractedly whilst tapping at keys, or the tireless testing team (I swear Martin never sleeps) finding ever more inventive ways to break the system so you don't have to. Last but not least, our beloved, and much over-worked platform team, conjuring up infrastructure out of the ether, making sure our systems are secure, safe, resilient, and beautifully orchestrated in the cloud (no really, they do actually conjure it, but it’s not

wizardry it’s called infrastructure as code).

The whole lot of us in Engineering are doing our best to turn Oplo into the awesome Fintech we know it deserves to be. The whole lot of us in Engineering are doing our best to turn Oplo into the awesome Fintech we know it deserves to be.

What do we do and how do we do it?

What we do can be complex (and yes, we know we get a bit geeky and boring, but we do love our code); we start with any change required, be it big or small, and we turn it into a story that describes what Oplo needs.

These stories are usually gleaned directly from the requests of our Oplo family, or are needs we already know you have. We take the stories, read them, re-read them, understand them, re-write them, see if we can notice any bits missing, then we think some more, and refine

them again, until they're full of the kind of devilish detail we need to write the code.

Once we have a story that describes what needs to be done, we add it to the backlog of work. This backlog is the demand the business places on the resource we supply. The backlog is ordered by business priority, and every two weeks we take as much of it as can cope with, and turn it into reality. We call this process 'a sprint', and like log-hungry beavers, we start again every two weeks, designing, analysing, coding, testing, fixing, polishing, and deploying.

What are we trying to get better at?

At the end of each sprint, we have a review of where we're up to. We report our progress back to the business, figure out what we can do better, what we got right, and what need to do more of. It’s true, we've been a bit lax on that ‘reporting back to business’ bit recently.

We've been tidying up after the big push to get the new Oplo Connect Car Finance product shipped (imagine if you will, the state of the kitchen after you've just made Christmas dinner for the extended family, with perhaps a little too much festive cheer and wild abandon).

This we aim to change! I'd love for you all to watch this space next month for news about our new development blog that we will be launching, as well as the new sprint review information pack that I'll be publishing every two weeks for all to see. I’d encourage you all to watch our blog for changes, read the sprint reviews, and take a look at the mountain of Home Loan lore we’ve gathered in preparation for our next major endeavour.

Watch this space…

AnBenInterview with Wilcox

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

Florida, USA. I’ve been twice before and loved every second. Hopefully Covid can begone sooner-rather-than-later and allow me to go again soon!

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

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

Before joining Oplo, I worked for National Savings and Investments (Premium Bonds) in the complaints team for four years. Throughout my time there, I learned valuable skills that will directly transfer to my role here; however, due to not really progressing with the business, me and NS&I had to part ways, opening the door for my career at Oplo.

Three words to best describe you?

Reliable, adept, and easy-going.

At first, I wanted to be an IT teacher at Primary level. I then realised I really wasn’t too fond of children in that age bracket. I still enjoy geeking out over excel spreadsheets and playing around with most things electrical, however.

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

My superpower would be to Time-Travel, with teleportation. If you’ve seen the TV show “Heroes”, think of Hiro Nakamura – exactly like that, but maybe without the “headache look” he gives!

ways to make your pumkin carving more sustainable this Halloween! l ona y s r e P r the heir ve k e we id t ng Last team d in carvi up k g ns Loa n pump , carvin ng ow tition errifyi t pe com e truly terns. som ckolan ja We saw a chilling chainsaw massacre, a brutally bloody crimescene and a frightening fortune teller, but the winner was Angela’s teams trick or treating puppy (they knew how to please head judge Katy!)

With all our Oplo Impact initiatives in mind, we wanted to share some recipes you can use to make sure none of that pesky pumpkin is wasted!

Paranormal Pumpkin Cupcakes

bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/pumpkin-passion-cupcakes

Petrifying Pumpkin Sage Pasta

tasty.co/recipe/pumpkin-sage-pasta

Spooky Salted Caramel and Pumpkin Chfisecake

sallysbakingaddiction.com/salted-caramel-pumpkin-cheesecakes

5

top tips for returning to the office

Be kind to yourself!

If you haven’t been in the office for a number of months it’s bound to feel strange just make sure you understand any new rules in place and if in doubt, ask.

Pack everything you need the night before Your commute has just got a lot longer which means an earlier start.

Familiarise yourself with the brew making facilities Brew runs are back – no more cup of tea for one.

Speak to your co-workers and team mates There are quite a few new people at Oplo so it’s nice to say hello to the new faces as well as the old ones. This will help everyone to feel settled in the office.

Wear something smart, but more importantly, something comfortable Wear something smart, but more importantly, something comfortable. Let’s face it, we’ve just spent 18 months in our joggers and gym wear while working from home.

Layers are always a good idea as the weather starts to get colder.

Returning TO THE OFFICE

Thanks to all the Oplo People who have worked so hard over the last few months to enable us to return to the office safely and efficiently.

Faye Reynolds and the RTW team spent hours allocating desks to meet everyone’s (in some cases very complicated) requirements. IT had a mammoth task to set up a workstation for everyone – what a great feeling it was to return to the office and find everything set up and ready to go!

A huge thank you goes to Rory Baker, Kyle Butler, Lewis Grisenthwaite, Gary Hope and Adam Marshall.

An interview with Alison Hart How long have you been working from home?

Apart from the odd day in the office for specific meetings, I’ve been at home since March 2020, so 18 months!

How do you feel about returning to the office?

I’m going to be working in the office two days a week. When I first returned, I’ll admit I felt a little apprehensive about coming back when the pandemic is still far from over. However, the welcome I received from everyone who I haven’t seen in such a long time, and the measures in place to keep everyone safe, soon made me feel that I had definitely made the right decision to return.

What did you miss most when you were working from home?

I love the fact that when I’m in the office, if I have a question for someone and they are also in, I can just pop over and chat with them. It’s so much easier to resolve queries face to face and much more friendly too.

What don’t you miss about working in the office?

The commute! Sitting in traffic on the lovely M6 and M55 is definitely something I can live without and I’m not looking forward to the winter when the journey to Blackpool from the hills above Blackburn can be tricky.

Ready to make an Impact Everything you need to know about Oplo Impact

The Green Deal has launched!

Why donate?

Why are landfills so bad?

Swap shop gives your unwanted items a second home.

!

K C A B T I G N I V I G We recently had a collection for a mountain of chairs that were no longer useable in our Durham Branch.

“My time wasn’t anything special ... but I’m just

so proud I raised £320!”

We talk to Holly Wadeson about taking part in the Manchester 10K What made you decide to sign up?

It was a completely random idea to sign up on 25th August, I was looking through The Christie’s website and saw that there were still places available for the 10k Great Manchester Run and thought why not sign up, and also raise some much needed funds for The Christie’s in Manchester.

Did you do any training?

I ran 3 times in the lead up to the run, but never more than 5k, I had a knee injury and didn’t want to push it and not be able to complete the race.

What did you think about the experience?

LOVED it! Honestly, the atmosphere, the excitement and build up were just amazing, and I think that’s what carried me around Manchester on the day, everyone was so jolly, music was blasting and people cheering at the side. We even had 3 of our Oplo people volunteering on The Christie’s Cheering Bus – Salma Ahmed, Suzanne Carr and Samantha Howarth – I can’t tell you how amazing it felt to see them waving flags, shouting and cheering – such a needed boost! My time wasn’t anything special at 1 hour 8 minutes, but I was just so proud that I finished and raised £320!

Have you signed up for anymore races?

Yes for January and April next year, I now have the running bug and have been running 3-4 times a week, it’s something that really clears my head, and with the added bonus of keeping fit and healthy.

Any advice for anyone wanting to start running?

I used to think a lot about how I would look running, if people were staring, was I too slow – a lot of negative thoughts really, but I just had to keep reminding myself why I was doing it, and also no one cares, I didn’t have any thoughts about other people and seeing them running so I’m certain it was the same for them! Your mind really can be your own worst enemy, and after a couple of times out and about I just find my own rhythm, put on a good podcast and off I go. Believe in yourself!!

“BOUNCE BACK” Resilience Workshop We asked our Oplo People for some feedback from our recent bounce back resilience workshop with Andrea our psychologist.

Here’s what they had to say...

What did you enjoy about the session?

I enjoyed learning about how to retreat to a calm state and to be more mindful.

Focusing on the positive by reframing mindsets.

Very good session. Great that it was in person and off site. We all got to know each other in person without stress/distractions of the office.

The exercises and mindfulness/mediation session. The trainer was very knowledgeable.

What did you find most useful?

Being aware of thoughts, practice mindfulness and teach the girls (his children) about it too.

How to deal with thoughts & how to focus on what's important To patiently listen to everyone else.

Going to apply mindfulness more often.

Stop and think about situations.

How could the sessions be improved?

No improvements.

Really pleased with the session.

Maybe a bit longer to practice the meditation more.

Do you think this would be useful for all staff and why?

Yes, as it would teach people to be mindful and aware of each other.

Yes, everyone could find this useful to be aware of their thoughts and how to process them.

Yes, definitely, everybody needs to be more aware and know about the benefits it can bring to all aspects of their lives.

Yes. Not spoken about enough.

How did you feel at the end of the session?

Very relaxed compared to a usual work day.

Calm.

Positive outlook.

Relaxed.

Fancy joining our next session on the 29th November? Email esg@myoplo.co.uk to register your interest, or ask any questions you may have.

Oplo Impact Results September

! s e v i t a i t i n i ll a ss o r Ac

Trees Purchased Staff donated to TFL Staff set up a DD to TFL

Total raised for Charity Total Volunteering days (31 more days have been completed in October)

8789 15 13

£27,436 3

Pawprint – staff signed up Percentage Average employee Pawprint

198 75% 12.586 Co2

Electric Vehicles Cycle to Work (Electric bike)

10 1

The Green Deal Qualified for the deal Rewards redeemed

26 17

Give All payroll Staff signed up

8

NEW PROJECT

Plant it forward Following last months introduction, 3000 bulbs have started to be planted at Head Office.

After our first hugely successful volunteering day at Leighton Hall Estate on Monday 18th October, we cleared a section of woodland ahead of 7,500 bulbs being planted on our next volunteering day on Monday 25th October – photos to follow next month!

Bulbs will also be available to all people across the sites so you can help plant it forward at home!

Please email facilities@myplo.co.uk for more information.

Coflfi Morning 2021 Across the sites we raised a wonderful £180.14 which will go nicely towards our overall fundraising target of...

£50,000!

Insights

OPLO

Everything you need to know about COP26 What is COP26?

COP26 will bring the world together through world leaders with the aim to accelerate the action towards achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. All parties aim to reach global peak of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible in the hope of one day achieving a climate neutral world.

When is COP26?

COP26 will be taking place this year in the UK. In November, Glasgow will be hosting the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties.

How are the UK working with COP26?

The UK is dedicated to working with all countries, as well as civil society, companies, and people on the frontline of climate change to inspire them further to tackle climate change.

COP26 has aims to establish new goals on the current climate crisis.

The UK is dedicated to working with all countries, as well as civil society, companies, and people on the frontline of climate change to inspire them further to tackle climate change.

COP26 has aims to establish new goals on the current climate crisis. These include: Secure global net zero by mid-century and keep 1.5 degrees within reach – through accelerating the phase-out of coal, curtail deforestation, speed up the switch to electric vehicles and encourage investment in renewables.

Adapt to protect communities and natural habitats – through protecting and restoring ecosystems and building defences, warning systems and resilient infrastructure and agriculture to avoid the loss of homes, livelihoods and even lives.

Mobilise finance In order to achieve and deliver the goals above, developed countries and international financial institutions must play their part to secure global net zero. The only way for all goals to be achieved is for everyone to work together to tackle the ongoing climate crisis.

The ripple effect?

With more people switching to greener energy suppliers, more people are learning about the benefits for both themselves and the planet.

People will be especially eager to change to a renewable energy when they also realise that being green doesn’t always mean they have to spend more. By gaining a greater understanding of the climate change crisis, we can make small changes in our daily life to contribute to meeting the requirements of the Paris Agreement.

How have things changed?

Our country, the UK, is leading the way – over the last 30 years British governments have grown our economy by 78% while cutting emissions by 44%. That shows green growth is real. In 2012, 40% of our electricity came from coal. That figure is now less than 2%. That shows that change is possible. Every year in the UK, it is estimated that the equivalent of 40,000 early deaths can be linked to breathing in polluted air – a good reason to change to renewable energy.

Oplo is dedicated to becoming a carbon neutral business by the end of 2021 and tackling climate change.

Advice for your younger self from our Oplo People We all struggle with how we're feeling sometimes and it's normal to have ups and downs. This year might have felt a little more down than up!

But it's the little things that have got us through it - the morning walks, singing in the shower, the perfect cuppa, or that Netflix show that got us all buzzing…

It’s important to remember to be kind to others, but also ourselves and reflect on how far we’ve come and what we’ve learnt along the way.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Never give up on your dream, if you want something keep fighting for it.

Never care what others think of you when you are younger, you will realise that one day it won’t matter.

One thing I would say to my younger self is this: No matter how tough times seem in the moment, no matter how low you feel, remember, you will come out of the other side, stronger and able to deal with anything life throws at you. Times seem tough, but sometimes this is just because it’s a first, whereas other times it is genuinely difficult.

Remember, you are building resilience to be able to handle life, it’s good times as well as it’s bad times too.

Don’t let the negativity win, but perhaps the most important message is to… TALK TO SOMEONE!” My advice for my younger self would be to fail first before quitting.

Too many things that I wanted to do as a youngster but didn’t even try to for reasons such as ‘they probably won’t like it anyway’ and things of that nature.

Today, I’m doing all these things and more and I’m nearly 40. Could have been enjoying them much longer One chance at life, no rehearsals This hit home for me as I used to suffer from depression, low self esteem and low confidence in my late teens/early 20s (I know right, hard to imagine me now not being a confident person!).

If I could give myself some advice back then: “Do your best; if you can honestly say you gave a task your best and still failed, then the task you set yourself was not achievable.

Learn from it and move on. Don’t be your own worst critic” “You’re not alone, you’re not the exception to recovery.”

“You are good enough!”

“You can’t please everyone, nor should you want to! Live your authentic self, go travelling, see the world, live the life you want. You only get one chance so make every second count!”

Learning & Development 2021 Calendar

! l a i t n e t o P r u o Y g Powerin

November

In-house Training Other/External Trainings

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

1

Induction (11am-5pm)

2

Induction (10am-1pm)

3

8

Licence to Progress (10am-11am)

9

Mastering MS Excel (9am-10:30am)

10

Mastering MS Excel (11am-12:30pm)

15

Understanding Fraud at Oplo

16

Licence to Progress (1pm-2pm)

Email Etiquette (1pm-2pm)

23

Friday

4

Vulnerability Part 1 (11am-12pm)

5

11

Vulnerability Part 2 (10:30am-12pm)

12

18

Vulnerability Part 3 (11am-12pm)

19

Understanding Fraud at Oplo

26

Leadership SUCCESS Code (10am11am)

Licence to Recruit (1pm-5pm)

17

(11am-12:30pm)

22

Time Management (9:30am-11am)

Thursday

24

Understanding Fraud at Oplo

Mastering MS Excel (9am-10:30am) Mastering MS Excel (11am-12:30pm) Understanding Fraud at Oplo (11am-12:30pm) Understanding Fraud at Oplo

25

(11am-12:30pm)

Leadership SUCCESS Code (10am11am)

Leadership SUCCESS Code (10am11am)

(11am-12:30pm)

(11am-12:30pm)

29

30

December

In-house Training Other/External Trainings

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday 1

6

Induction (11am-5pm)

7

Induction (10am-1pm) Mastering MS Excel (9am-10:30am)

8

Thursday 2

Time Management (9:30am-11am)

9

Licence to Coach (1pm-5pm)

Data Classification (Manager Session) (11am-12pm)

14

15

(2pm-3pm)

20

27

Christmas Bank Holiday

Mastering MS Excel (9am-10:30am) Mastering MS Excel (11am-12:30pm) Data Classification (Manager Session) (11am-12pm)

3

Email Etiquette (10am-11am)

10

(2pm-3pm)

Mastering MS Excel (11am-12:30pm)

13

Friday

16

(2pm-3pm)

Leadership SUCCESS Code (10am11am)

Leadership SUCCESS Code (10am11am) Data Classification (Manager Session) (2pm-3pm)

17

(2pm-3pm)

21

22

23

24

28 Boxing Day Bank Holiday

29

30

31

For all training enquiries, please email: training@myoplo.co.uk

Leadership SUCCESS Code (10am11am)

s r e m r o OurTop Perf Consumer Lending

MVP Winner - Sally Starks

Mortgage Servicing Suzanne Carr for Employee of the month - Mortgage Servicing! Suzanne’s QA quality has been of a consistently high standard and she always aims to provide a fair outcome for our customers. Suzanne has been a fantastic team player and is always happy to help out her colleagues with their workload when she can. She has also been working overtime to help achieve department targets.

Consumer Servicing Nicola Barkworth - She has been a consistent team player throughout the last month, taken on extra responsibilities and consistent ownership of these. Putting herself forward for additional tasks and just being a reliable member of staff.

Sally never has any trouble helping anyone, nothing is too much to ask for her! Sally you have been an amazing asset to the team - We are going to miss you lots when you go upstairs to Mortgage Lending. Approvals you are lucky to have her!

Good luck, you have been a pleasure to work with you will be sorely missed by all!

Mortgage Lending Carla Mcshane demonstrates total flexibility and team work. She has recently moved roles but balanced learning the new role whilst helping colleagues due to being short staffed. All done without complaint.

Carla is a quite the achiever.

s n o i t a l u t a r g n o C 15 Years Service for Sara Evans our Lending Manager!

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

The culture, people I work with and the chance to progress/develop myself whilst doing a job I love.

What are the main differences in Oplo from 2006 to now?

Everything, number of people, office, name, we are now the lender rather than the broker. The one thing that hasn’t changed is the culture, Oplo is still a fun place to work whilst also challenging.

What part of your role as Completions Manager do you enjoy the most?

Working in a busy environment, developing/working with people and seeing them progress whilst we break records.

What advice would you give to new starters?

You get what you put in, if you work hard you will get the rewards.

What’s been your proudest achievement at Oplo?

My 3 top achievements have been firstly progressing over the years from Sales Underwriter to Sales Team Leader, Sales Manager and then to Lending Manager, passing CeMAP with some distinctions after about 18 years of any type of studying and being a big part in taking the department from £10m per month to £20m.

Congratulations Let’s all wish Fiona O’Brien a fabulous 40th birthday!

Congratulations Huge Congratu lations to Charise Tsa ng from Consumer Lend ing who married Marc L am on 14th Septembe r and sent in some b eautiful photos! From e veryone at Oplo, we wis h you a lifetime of lov e and happiness toge ther!

Hello Yellow Friday 8th October was OUR #HelloYellow DAY, to help spread the word that, together, we can look out for each other and feel hopeful about the future, by wearing something yellow and donating to a charity close to our hearts – YoungMinds

justgiving.com/team/rachel-collins

Whilst I might not be wearing too much yellow today, I made up for it with my little girl Marnie, showing us all how its done on HelloYellow day

Hope this can bring a smile to your face!

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!

“Enabling” “Rory, Kyle and Adam on Service Desk honestly felt like I was in a relationship with these guys for a good week!! All worked really hard and as a team to get me fixed!

Seriously really appreciate the time spent getting me up and running various times.”

Phillip Eastham

“Myself and Testing team would like to nominate Steve Green & Sarah Wiggin.

A massive appreciation to both for their continued support and huge reason for our success.

They should be on here every month, thanks again Sarah & Steve.”

Naieed Haque

“Carla McShane - Thank you for all the help and guidance you provide on creditor queries and how quick you are at helping out.”

Jaqueline Hoffman

“Chloe Smail, Louise Elms and Vanessa Stell – for the dedication and professionalism demonstrated within the month of September given the structural changes to the management team in Car Finance.

Due to a senior member of the team leaving for pastures new, the entire squad has not only had to continue with the day-to-day activities of their current role but also undergo training and handover to move into new roles within the team, all whilst keeping a close eye on the delinquency in what has been a challenging month. All of the guys approached this with enthusiasm and a fantastic can-do attitude which not only has led to a smooth transition for the department but also an excellent collections performance for September. Excellent work guys and thank you for all of your efforts.”

Shaun Wood

“Faye Reynolds and Debbie Waterman – for continuing to make progress on the office refresh at Durham which has made a significant impact on the wellbeing of all people on site. Despite not being based in Blackpool your support throughout this process really makes us feel part of the Oplo group.

Thank you for all the hard work to get us this far.”

Car Finance Collections

“I want to put Dan Gray forward for enabling a response to the FCA on forbearance. Dan picked this up under minimal supervision and acted swiftly and pro-actively when the necessary data was not readily available. Thanks Dan.” Ben Thackwray

YourExtra Mile

“Enterprising” “I’d like to thank Liam Baugh for running a session with both my Complaints and QA Team to run through the new Car Finance dashboard. Having seen it develop during sprint demos, I felt it was important for my wider team to understand how it worked and the session held with Liam really brought it to life in terms of how it works and what it looks like. Really useful – thanks Liam.”

Rick Keeble

“Understanding” “Dean Perkins thank you for helping me look at cases on CIFAS and help me understand by providing explanations, I really appreciate your help.”

“I’d also like to thank Ben Thackwray for keeping us informed in how not only the new Car Finance decision engine is under review and being updated to reflect our business appetite but also for helping us to understand specific cost of living changes looking back over some recent cases. This gives us additional support when reviewing certain irresponsible lending complaints and this is very useful especially when complaints are referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Thanks Ben.” Rick Keeble

“Car Finance Collections Team – for taking the changes in the department in their stride, remaining focused on what we need to achieve and understanding through a time of significant change, all whilst delivering amazing results in both Collections performance, QA results and personal KPI’s. Thank you all for bearing with the changes and helping the management team through your behaviour transition so smoothly, couldn’t ask for a more committed and understanding team that can be relied upon to deliver on results.”

Shaun Wood

Jaqueline Hoffman

“Homeloans Team Leaders – Rach, Rhian, Jackie & Chloe – the ladies have been a massive help this month taking on additional responsibilities whilst doing their day to day job, putting in overtime and even working whilst on holiday to get what needs to be done Dream Team” Sara Evans

YourExtra Mile

“Rory Baker & Team for their work in preparing Viscount Court for staff returning to office, whilst also prepping for new starters, continuing to manage the support desk, rolling out security updates, managing a telephony switch over and being short on numbers.”

Sarah Wiggin

“Steve Green & team for keeping the pressure on to deliver the Sentinel 4.6 upgrade, continuous testing to ensure that the quality of the delivery does not impact service, progressing the Avant migration and continuing to deliver Sentinel change and improvements.”

Sarah Wiggin

“Fair” “Rick Keeble, Paul Tansley and the Complaints Team – for the support and work completed on some challenging complaint cases within Car Finance. Rick and the team have offered excellent support and updates to the team whilst dealing with these cases always ensuring that we are attempting to resolve the customer situation with a fair outcome and equally support staff within the collection’s teams, despite sometimes being unsung heroes of the business all at Car Finance would like to thank you for making a difference.”

“Gina Gittins - Since I have been a member of Oplo, Gina has gone above and beyond to make me feel welcome, valued and needed and has offered me more support in 6 months than I was given in my 10-year career before Oplo. I honestly can’t thank her enough. Gina has been understanding of my personal circumstances, fair in every interaction we have had and enabled me to develop personally and professionally in the short space of time I have known her. I know that no matter what my issue may be, I can always count on Gina to lend a helping hand and a compassionate ear.”

Jordan Coleman

Car Finance Collections

Thank you!

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If someone you work with deserves a pat on the back then email: holly.wadeson@myoplo.co.uk

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