Hello everyone,

Welcome to my blog where I can let you know what's been happening behind the scenes at SSF UK and what we have in store for you. We have put together a calendar of events for 2018 and this will feature on the website shortly. We will update this regularly as we add in more dates for your diary.

Firstly, we are really pleased to tell you about the creation of our new Network Hub. This consists of 12 members who are helping us put together the network events. Already, the passion and energy is being felt and the agendas are full of great ideas for knowledge sharing. We start with the Lean event on 15th February organised by Ron Wylie of Balfour Beatty and Sarah Duckworth of HIlti. The Agenda can be found under this event in our events section of the website and there is certainly a lot to talk about!

Big Share Week has just been finalised and the events have all been set up for you to start registering. Our partners. Edit Development, Hays and Hackett have done us proud with some excellent material, (how am I going to fit them all in!!).

If you have ever wondered how to approach a difficult conversation, take a listen to Heather Wright's tips on how to have one, I'll be listening in for that!

We have so much in store for you this year, Big Share Week is bigger and better than ever, the network events are going to be jam packed with topics worth leaving the office for and our annual conference is going to be a 2 day event this year. Following the success of our Awards night last year, we will be continuing with categories in Community, Leadership and Evolution, showcasing the values of the SSF UK forum and celebrating the achievements of our members.

What, I hear you say, is the picture all about? Well, it's been 6 months since I changed my life and entered this fascinating world of shared services. As a credit professional, I am well aware of the happenings in the credit world, but not much about the wider picture which stretches into the shared services centres. So...I have decided to take the Certificate in GBS, from The Hackett Institute, the professional development arm of our partners, The Hackett Group.

It's a long time since I've studied so will let you know how I get on!

I will talk to you regularly and if you have any questions for me or ideas for the forum, please get in touch. For now, good luck to all our members and partners who have made the finalists in the British Credit Management awards:

Commercial Credit Team of the Year