Bright Formula For Finance Firm

Rosemary Appleyard, Paul Hancock and Steve Marsden

A combined partnership of expert management with a strong talented workforce is proving a winning formula for a finance firm in South Yorkshire.

Bright Finance, based in Chapeltown near Sheffield, has enjoyed an outstanding period, both in business successes and gaining recognition of achievement from industry figures and partners.

The company acts as a broker between customers seeking credit and their wide panel of lenders. Prospective customers are approached by their multi-skilled, blended contact centre, and the resulting loan applications are underwritten by their in-house Lending department.

Bright Finance was established in 2001 and employs approaching 200 members of staff. Their Lending team continues to provide record-breaking results each month and last year Bright Finance once again processed more than £1 billion in loan applications.

Voted a European Call Centre of the Year Award winner in 2005, Bright Finance has been keen to build on that success and over 2006 made further process improvements in its Contact Centre, enabling the delivery of even more profitable business for clients and a better service for customers.

The company continues to invest in new technology, for example developing the capability to allow introducers to work with Bright entirely electronically.

The Quality team have steered the company to attaining certification to the ISO 9001 accreditation awarded by BSI, recognising the established framework of good practice within its quality management and demonstrating commitment to continuous improvement especially in the field of customer service.

Paul Hancock, chairman of Bright Finance, said: "The accreditation drives forward our core principles of quality and customer satisfaction. As a business, if you stand still you go backwards and to go backwards will almost certainly result in loss of the accreditation."

"To be awarded ISO 9001 accreditation will leave a lasting internal and commercial impact that will provide additional impetus to take our business to the next level."

ISO 9001 applies to all types of organizations, regardless of size or sector. It can help both product and service oriented organisations achieve standards of quality that are recognized and respected throughout the world.

Bright Finance chief executive, Mark Cooke, was voted Entrepreneur of the Year in the Institute of Directors’ Yorkshire and Humber Director of the Year Awards 2006.

Mark was recognised for his achievements in helping to establish Bright Finance as one of the country’s most innovative players in the consumer credit industry.

Mark and chairman Paul Hancock were also finalist in The Credit Suisse Entrepreneur of the Year Award (North East Region) in the 2006 National Business Awards.

The awards are an independent programme judged by industry experts and has been established to reward and recognise the importance of both national and regional business excellence.

Bright Finance also takes corporate social responsibility seriously, raising more than £10,000 for Help a Hallam Child’s Read to Succeed Campaign and sponsoring the Bright Finance Sheffield Half Marathon in 2006 and again in 2007.

This year’s Bright Finance Sheffield Half Marathon has selected the Myasthenia Gravis Association, RSPCA Sheffield, Macmillan Cancer Support, Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre South Yorkshire, Sheffield Wildlife Trust, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind and Help a Hallam Child as its chosen charities.

The company is also supporting Sheffield FC, the oldest football club in the world and assisting their 150th anniversary during 2007. Bright Finance sponsor the club’s stadium and have given assistance to their Boots for Africa campaign, which aims to raise football boots for young people in South Africa.

For more information please visit www.brightfinance.co.uk.

Rosemary Appleyard, Paul Hancock and Steve MarsdenLeft to right - Rosemary Appleyard, Bright Finance’s Head of Compliance and Risk; Paul Hancock, Chairman of Bright Finance; and Steve Marsden, regional business development manager at BSI Management Systems.

Posted: 7th March 2007