Meet The Team: Darren Connor

4th November 2021

Tell us about yourself…

I’ve been married for 27 years and have a son, we’ve lived all over the country over the years but we’ve finally settled now. Outside of work I enjoy playing and watching rugby – although it’s more watching these days! I used to play county rugby for Norfolk and club rugby for Norwich. I also enjoy listening to a wide range of music, and I’m keen on DIY and enjoy spending time on home improvements.

What attracted you to join DCBL?

I have worked in the enforcement industry since 1988 so have always been around the sector, which meant that I knew about DCBL not only from the TV programme but also from former colleagues that worked here who spoke highly of the business and the people. I met with Gary in 2019 and we discussed an opportunity to work together, which we did in November 2019, and the rest as they say is history!

Before joining DCBL I’d worked for several different enforcement companies at different levels, including operational, project management and client management. I’ve also previously been a director at a number of firms.

What is your current role?

As Managing Director for DCBL, my role is to oversee all aspects of the day-to-day business operations and ensure our collections strategies are of the highest quality.

I actively support the senior management team in delivering the best service we can for our clients and generally help drive the growth of the business. We’re constantly working to improve our processes and systems for both clients and their customers, ultimately creating and implementing new collection strategies that meet our clients’ needs.

What benefits does your role bring to the client’s journey?

Having worked at a senior level on a range of local and central government contracts, from both an operational and client management perspective, I understand the need to invest and support our colleagues. Whether this is in their own personal development or our systems and processes, this is key in order to support the client journey to levels that our clients and we expect.

We have a great team here at DCBL and it’s fantastic to be able to hand down the knowledge I have gained in my past roles.

What do you feel is different about DCBL compared to other companies?

One of the great strengths of DCBL is the amazing brand awareness which creates unrivalled levels of customer engagement at the earliest stage in the collection process.

By utilising this across the multiple solutions we have for collecting debts and judgments, this not only increases early contact rates, enabling an early resolution, but it also minimises the impact on the customer from unnecessary attendances and ultimately litigation.

What do you think the future holds for DCBL?

Based on recent contract wins and through the strengthening of client relationships with a number of exclusivity deals, I see DCBL going from strength to strength. In the next quarter alone we have some great new appointees joining us who will add significant value to the business and help us deliver our growth plans.

All this combined with our further investment in technology, our new look website and additional contact channels, I do believe that DCBL will continue to grow and explore other markets where our brand-led early engagement solution can be of great benefit in a number of sectors.

If you could give any advice to your younger self, what would you say and why?

I would say to my younger self to treat every day in your working life as an interview for your next role by doing the best job you can. Have the confidence and belief in your abilities and don’t let others stop you from reaching your goals.

Also, sometimes you have to take chances and step out of your comfort zone in order to succeed, so do it and don’t let the odd setback stop you from achieving your goals.