Bristow & Sutor sponsors MALG Conference 2021

Bristow & Sutor sponsors MALG Conference 2021

Bristow & Sutor, one of the UK’s leading players specialising in debt recovery, has been announced as a sponsor for the Money Advice Liaison Group (MALG) annual conference set to take place at No. 11 Cavendish Square, London on Thursday 28^th October 2021.

The MALG Conference is run by a not-for-profit organisation with no commercial, regulatory, or political agenda. The purpose of the gathering is to provide helpful insight and encourage MALG’s aim of ‘working together to improve the lives of people in debt’. The annual conference has been a mainstay in debt advice and wider sectors since 1987, regularly attracting 200+ delegates from across the credit and debt landscape.

Bristow & Sutor has over 42 years of experience in the collection of local council tax, non-domestic rates and unpaid Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs). The business prides itself on delivering an ethical, compliant and high-quality service to the public and private sectors and has been an active member of MALG for several years.

In 2020, the MALG Conference was replaced by the MALG Virtual Summit, held via Zoom due to Covid-19 restrictions, and successfully provoked interactive debate and discussion around key issues and topics, as well as carving a path for future virtual events. However, there is understandable excitement at the possibility of returning to a physical event and steps are being taken to ensure appropriate health and safety measures are taken.

Emma Watson, Head of External Communications at Bristow & Sutor said, “We are delighted to be sponsoring the MALG Conference 2021 and look forward to playing a part in debating key industry subjects. Bristow & Sutor is committed to supporting vulnerable members of society as helping over-indebted people is our social responsibility. We look forward to collaboratively discussing ideas and solutions to the challenges many people currently face. This is an unrivalled networking event and we are excited to hear from the high-profile keynote speakers, explore the latest innovative exhibitors and share our ideas, experiences and findings with the other attendees.”

Collaboration between enforcement firms and the debt advice sector is sometimes surprising to some, but important work between both sectors takes place regularly. Enforcement is a vital component of the debt cycle, and in many cases, it is at this stage that debtors are convinced to seek help. Collaborative events such as the MALG Conference help foster ideas that lead to beneficial outcomes for people who find themselves engaging with either type of service in future.

Bob Winnington, CEO of MALG, said, “As a membership organisation specialising in face-to-face events, we had to adapt quickly at the onset of the pandemic. We have been overwhelmed by the positive response to our virtual events, which have been vital in ensuring professionals could continue working together to improve the lives of people in debt at a time when it is arguably more important than ever. However, we are very excited at the prospect of bringing back our physical conference, subject to it being safe to do so. We are grateful to Bristow & Sutor and our other confirmed sponsors for showing their support and helping to make the event possible. We hope that at such a challenging time for household finances and the wider economy, it will be our best conference yet.”

In addition to sponsoring the MALG Conference 2021, Bristow & Sutor regularly offers training sessions and presentations on processes to debt advice providers. The company attempts to add social value to every community they engage with and understand that debt advice professionals must have a strong and accurate understanding of their methods. Earlier this year, employees recorded over 3.7 million steps during Debt Awareness Week in support of a campaign aimed to highlight the free advice available when anyone faces financial hardship.