Brent Benton

Lead governance and risk oversight for a large panel of third-party suppliers in Retail Collections, ensuring regulatory compliance, operational resilience, and effective supplier risk management while supporting procurement initiatives in Relationship Banking, and performance initiatives in the Home Loans Collections business.

• Manage risk and governance oversight for the Retail Collections supplier panel, covering ~200 external suppliers supporting key banking operations.
• Ensure supplier compliance with regulatory requirements, internal governance frameworks, and contractual obligations, mitigating operational and reputational risk.
• Partner with procurement and business stakeholders in Relationship Banking to support supplier onboarding, governance reviews, and ongoing risk management.
• Monitor supplier governance metrics, risk registers, and remediation actions to ensure timely resolution of compliance and control gaps.
• Act as a central liaison between internal stakeholders and suppliers, driving accountability and strengthening third-party risk management practices.

Dynamic Team Leader overseeing a high‑value debt recovery portfolio exceeding R1.6 billion, driving performance excellence across internal teams and four external debt collection agencies. Skilled in strategic planning, operational oversight, and stakeholder relationship management to deliver consistent, top‑tier results. Known for strengthening governance, elevating service quality, and optimizing processes to achieve key business objectives.

• Lead and develop a team of two Liaison Officers, ensuring high performance, accountability, and alignment to business objectives.
• Oversee the operations and performance of four external debt collection agencies managing a combined book exceeding R1.6 billion, ensuring optimal recoveries and operational efficiency.
• Set strategic targets, monitor performance trends, and implement corrective actions to drive sustained improvement and achieve top‑quartile results.
• Conduct regular operational and compliance audits, analyzing gaps and implementing mitigation plans to ensure adherence to quality assurance and governance standards.
• Compile comprehensive performance reports with actionable insights to inform leadership decisions and optimize debt recovery strategies.
• Build and maintain strong internal and external stakeholder relationships, enhancing collaboration and service delivery across the value chain.
• Champion operational excellence by identifying process inefficiencies and driving continuous improvement initiatives aligned to strategic business goals.

Results‑driven Liaison Officer overseeing 2 high‑value external portfolios exceeding R400M+ per agency, ensuring consistent recovery performance and operational excellence. Adept at financial accuracy, compliance oversight, and driving continuous improvement through audits, insights, and capability uplift. Known for strengthening agency partnerships and enabling data‑driven performance delivery across the debt recovery value chain.

• Manage multiple external debt collection agencies with individual book values of R400M+, ensuring strict performance delivery and achievement of monthly and quarterly recovery targets.
• Drive operational efficiency by conducting detailed performance evaluations, audits, and quality assurance reviews to identify gaps and implement improvement actions.
• Prepare and validate payment files, manage invoicing processes, and maintain accurate financial documentation to support seamless reconciliations and financial governance.
• Facilitate ongoing capability‑building sessions with agency teams, deliver coaching insights, and conduct regular call audits to uplift service quality and enhance customer experience.
• Compile and analyse comprehensive performance statistics to support data‑driven decision‑making and ensure target alignment across all agency partners.

Detail‑oriented Operations Specialist responsible for managing and authorizing complex account maintenance actions across personal loans for multiple service and collections centres. Known for ensuring strict compliance, mitigating operational and financial risk, and strengthening governance through accurate processing, training, and effective escalation management. Consistently supported decision‑making with clear reporting, fraud oversight, and cross‑functional stakeholder engagement.

• Managed and approved end‑to‑end account maintenance requests for personal loans, including refunds, journals, closures, due‑date amendments, and technical restructures, ensuring accurate and compliant processing.
• Ensured adherence to policies, regulatory requirements, and internal controls to mitigate operational, financial, and customer‑impact risks.
• Monitored fraud‑related inquiries and collaborated with internal teams to escalate and resolve suspicious activity in line with governance standards.
• Delivered monthly refresher training sessions to uplift staff capability, reinforce compliance requirements, and ensure consistent service quality.
• Managed escalations from service centres and collections teams, providing timely resolutions and supporting customer‑centric outcomes.
• Compiled detailed operational and performance reports for leadership and stakeholders to support informed decision‑making and process improvements.

Proactive Collections Officer responsible for recovering overdue balances across a range of unsecured lending products, including personal loans, overdrafts, and student loans. Recognised as the Second‑in‑Charge (2IC), providing operational support, coaching, and leadership continuity to ensure smooth daily performance. Skilled in managing high‑risk accounts, resolving escalations, and maintaining strong customer outcomes.

• Collected on a diverse portfolio of unsecured lending products — including personal loans, overdrafts, and student loans — to meet recovery and performance targets.
• Acted as Second in Charge (2IC), supporting the team leader with daily operational oversight, performance coordination, and issue resolution.
• Managed complex and high‑risk accounts, applying sound judgement to negotiate repayment solutions and minimize loss.
• Resolved customer complaints and escalations promptly, ensuring fair outcomes and adherence to regulatory and internal standards.
• Supported team members with problem‑solving, policy clarification, and day‑to‑day operational guidance to maintain consistent service quality.

Dedicated Collections Officer responsible for managing a secured home finance portfolio, including housing finance, building bonds, and One Account products. Skilled in pre‑legal account management, restructures, and forbearance strategies to minimise loss and support sustainable customer solutions. Recognised for strong analytical capability, risk judgement, and effective resolution of escalations within regulatory and legal frameworks.

• Managed collections for a secured home finance portfolio, including home loans, housing finance, building bonds, and One Account products, ensuring consistent achievement of recovery targets.
• Conducted pre‑legal account management and applied forbearance, restructures, and tailored repayment strategies to minimize loss and support customer rehabilitation.
• Analyzed customer behaviour trends, portfolio performance, and agent deliverables to inform strategies and improve collection outcomes.
• Handled high‑risk and complex accounts, using sound decision‑making to mitigate financial and operational risk.
• Resolved escalated issues promptly, ensuring fair customer outcomes and alignment with internal governance and regulatory requirements.
• Ensured full compliance with legal, regulatory, and policy standards across all collections processes and customer interactions.

Collections Officer managing a diverse unsecured lending portfolio, including cheque accounts, personal loans, and student loans. Served as Second‑in‑Charge (2IC), supporting leadership with daily operations, escalations, and team coordination. Adept at handling high‑risk accounts, implementing forbearance strategies, and resolving complex customer issues to deliver fair and compliant outcomes.

• Managed collections for a broad unsecured lending portfolio—including cheque accounts, personal loans, and student loans—consistently achieving recovery and performance metrics.
• Handled high‑risk and complex accounts, applying forbearance and restructuring strategies to minimise losses and rehabilitate customers.
• Performed inbound and outbound flexible debit order servicing, ensuring accurate arrangements and maintaining customer affordability and compliance.
• Served as Second in Charge (2IC) to the team leader, providing operational support, coordinating daily workflows, and assisting in team performance management.
• Resolved customer complaints and action‑line escalations for unsecured lending, ensuring fair outcomes and adherence to legal, regulatory, and internal policy standards.
• Identified risk trends within the unsecured lending portfolio and contributed insights to improve collection strategies and customer management processes.