GOVERNANCE
All CDER Group operations are scrutinised by an Independent Advisory Group, made up of respected industry figures from the legal, government and debt advice sectors to ensure best practice standards are upheld and that we are maintaining our commitment to best practice, fairness and quality across our business in a measurable way.
Independent Advice
The Independent Advisory Group (IAG) was established in 2013 to provide JBW (now CDER Group) and its stakeholders with objective scrutiny, challenge and validation across its strategic, business and operational activities. The IAG has been newly expanded for 2021 with the addition of several experienced appointees, each having made a significant contribution to a public service that has direct relevance to our services and customers.
The Group’s work has been fundamental in further strengthening our position as a professional, trusted and ethical provider of high-quality enforcement services and continues to inform and drive our fairness framework.
The aim of the IAG is to support CDER Group in the provision of fair and flexible services by delivering the organisation’s social justice agenda and exceeding compliance standards.
As well as reviewing operational performance, IAG members (shown below) monitor complaints and their resolution, and ensure that, as far as possible, vulnerable customers are protected and all customers treated with dignity and respect.
JULIE SPENCE OBE, CStJ, QPM – IAG CHAIR
Julie brings a wealth of experience gained from a diverse and distinguished career to the role. Previously Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire Constabulary, Julie has also been President of the British Association for Women in Policing, Chair of Police Mutual, former Chair of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (Mental & Community Health) and remains a Patron of Cambridge Search and Rescue.
Recognised for being a gender champion and for her leadership for the Queen Mother’s funeral, Julie is also the current Chair of Wellbeing of Women (Cambridge branch), President of Cambridgeshire Community Foundation, Patron and former Trustee of Ormiston Families charity, and an Ambassador of Cambridge 2030, an organisation that aims to deliver a more equal and inclusive city.
ROBERT WILSON
Robert is the Chief Executive of the Institute of Money Advisers, a membership organisation for free sector money advisers and he is committed to improving quality and standards in the profession. Since 1987, he has fulfilled key roles in independent advice services, Citizens Advice, local government and as chair of a trustee board. A MBA-qualified senior leader, Robert successfully manages partnerships and strategic relationships with government, regulator and finance industry stakeholders.
MAJOR GENERAL PETER WILLIAMS CMG OBE
Peter worked for over thirty years in the military and was involved in a very wide spectrum of roles demanding leadership, strategic planning, teamwork and communication skills, mainly in operational, intelligence and military diplomatic settings. He has always focused on delivering solutions that are ethical and fair to all parties and enthusiastically supports CDER Group’s commitment to social responsibility and its fairness agenda.
KAREN DABER
Karen has a wealth of experience from her professional career, and we are delighted to welcome her to our Independent Advisory Group. Having retired as an Assistant Chief Constable, Karen championed equality issues. and coached and mentored other officers and staff throughout her career. She was appointed by the College of Policing to lead the National Police Integrity Programme for England and Wales, which included developing and implementing the national Code of Ethics for policing. Since 2020, Karen has been a non-executive director at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s Mental Health and Community Foundation Trust and serves as Chair of its Safety and Quality Committee.
Social Responsibility
The success of our business depends on maintaining our reputation as a responsible and trusted provider of services for our clients, customers, employees and the communities in which we operate. For this reason, we take corporate social responsibility extremely seriously and apply three core principles that are designed to promote social value across the entire organisation.
- Accountable: policies and practices must deliver measurable benefits balanced across all stakeholders
- Transparent: clear procedures, open standards and independent scrutiny
- Ethical: balanced, responsive, intelligence-led practices to deliver positive outcomes for clients and customers
These principles are embedded across CDER’s end-to-end business model to ensure business strategy, innovation initiatives and operational practices reflect our responsibilities to all stakeholders, delivering tangible benefits to clients, individuals, the environment and the industry.
Commitment to these responsibilities is measured every day through our Service Quality Dashboards.
