PHILIP KING
About Me
Helping small businesses get paid, and large businesses support their supply chains. Creator of the
‘Philip King Five-Step Model: Business Survival by Getting Paid’.
Speaker, writer, host, facilitator, adviser & NED.
I am passionate about small businesses, credit management, and the importance of managing cashflow. I created the ‘Philip King Five-Step Model: Business Survival by Getting Paid’ and have developed and refined it using experience built up over more than four decades. 26 years working in front-line credit management, 14 years as Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Credit Management, and eighteen months as the interim Small Business Commissioner for the UK.
In a career spanning over 40 years, I held senior credit management roles in the high-tech and communication sectors, in distribution and retail, including spells at Olivetti and Vodafone. 14 years as Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Credit Management (leading it to Chartered status in 2015), and eighteen months in the role of interim Small Business Commissioner across 2020-2021 followed this front-line management experience.
I was a founding board-member of the Start-Up Loans Company, a Red Tape Champion for Insolvency, and the first ever lay Chair of the Joint Insolvency Committee.
I authored the Managing Cashflow Guides (of which there have been over 600,000 downloads) for government, and was the architect of the Prompt Payment Code which the CICM administered on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) until its administration was transferred to the Office of the Small Businesss Commissioner in 2020.
I have worked closely with successive governments in championing best-practice credit management, eradicating late payment, and supporting small business.
I currently work with a number of organisations who deliver solutions or tools that help small businesses, either as an adviser or NED, supporting them in developing their products and services, and assisting them in developing strategies to facilitate growth and development.
What I do
I have seen at first hand what good and bad practice look like. I enjoy sharing my expertise with small businesses who need to maintain their cashflow to survive, and to build effective trading relationships with their larger customers. I understand why they often feel they are at a disadvantage as the weaker negotiating partner.
I also relish working with large businesses who believe in the value of their supply chains, recognise the importance of their smaller suppliers and want them to prosper. At a time when there is increasing scrutiny on the payment performance of large companies through Government Regulations, and through the work of organisations such as Good Business Pays (of which I am a director), good practice is important for operational and reputational reasons. I have supported many larger organisations in the journey to improve their practice by implementing simple but effective steps.
I am an accomplished speaker and writer, presenting at conferences around the world on cashflow, credit management, and the Philip King Five-Step Model and appearing on webinars and podcasts. I am comfortable speaking, hosting and facilitating, and writing content with practical tips to help small businesses avoid the pitfalls of working with larger organisations, and to aid larger businesses in their attempts to be more valuable and valued customers.
I’m always happy to explore and discuss ways in which I can use my skills, expertise, and experience to help organisations, so feel free to contact me using the details below.