credit manager at AGCO Finance in Warwickshire. AGCO Finance is a
global joint venture between US agricultural equipment manufacturer
AGCO and Rabobank leasing subsidiary De Lage Landen. Five months
later, Leasing Life catches up with him to talk about
risk.
What course has your career taken to lead you to your
current role?
MC: My entire career has been in credit risk of
one form or another. After taking a business and finance course at
college, I began work as an auditor involved in invoice discounting
and factoring. Before long, I moved into a trade credit role for
Elf Atochem [a French chemical company], where I developed skills
as an analyst dealing with credit risk.
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A move to Mercedes-Benz Finance’s CV fleet division took me into
the sphere of leasing, where I began dealing with risk on two
fronts: both in terms of dealer supply network and end user
covenants. My experience broadened further with a role at BNP
Paribas Lease Group, overseeing larger ticket risk across all
BPLG’s various market sectors.
Most recently I worked at Universal Leasing, which when I joined
had only been trading for six months. This was a brave move in
terms of culture shift – from a very large, established company to
a new-start business working on a fast-paced broker model.
At Universal my role was to look at the more complicated
transactions, which justified spending the time on evaluating the
different elements of deals, and coming up with tailored solutions
to particular proposals.
What skills and qualifications do you find most
helpful in your job?
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By GlobalDataMC: The aspects of underwriting that interest
me most are the deals that need investigating, where a good result
relies on knowing what’s going on under the surface. Researching
and getting an in-depth insight into a company, both in terms of
financial analysis and the other factors that affect the risk, can
give you an edge over competitors. My familiarity with the
dealership model has prepared me well for the flow transactions
that are the mainstay of AGCO Finance’s business. As a successful
joint venture, the business depends on building trust and long-term
relationships both with end users and dealerships.
How have current economic conditions affected the
nature of your role?
MC: My experience within the credit industry
has been varied and this provides me with the knowledge to mitigate
areas of risk, and arrive at decisions that enable the business to
move forward despite the challenging economic environment.
What are your ambitions and
prospects?
MC: At the moment, I’m enjoying doing what I
do. My predecessors at AGCO Finance are still within the group, so
there are plenty of opportunities in the long term, but I’m not
thinking of those now. I’m in a fortunate position as I work with a
strong manufacturer and a successful JV, and that certainly keeps
me busy enough.
