The Collections & Vulnerability Awards Winners

The Collections & Vulnerability Awards, partnered with Lantern Group, once again lit up The Monastery in Manchester with a spirit of innovation, resilience and purpose.

Set against the backdrop of heightened Consumer Duty expectations and the continued pressures of the cost-of-living crisis, the financial services, utilities, and telecoms industries came together to celebrate and spotlight organisations that are setting new standards in customer care, vulnerability support, and operational excellence.

Raising the Bar in Vulnerability and Care

Now in its 19th year, the ceremony took centre‑stage under the stewardship of hosts actress and comedian Lucy Porter and Credit Strategy’s Head of Community, Kitty Wood, who shared some exciting news hot off the press, or rather, straight from the Houses of Parliament, that Credit Strategy is now officially the secretariat for the newly formed APPG for Responsible Credit.

The evening saw some well‑deserved triumphs. Among those, Santander’s Yvonne Calland was named Vulnerability Champion and honoured for her passionate advocacy and leadership in embedding vulnerability awareness across operations.

Laurence Bowden of Dukes Bailiffs took the Agent of the Year award recognised for operational excellence and fair customer engagement, while Abbi Mathews from Capital On Tap was awarded the Rising Star Award and acknowledged for her rapid impact in driving positive change.

E.ON Next claimed the Best Conduct & Culture award and were praised for cultivating an environment of integrity and support while DebtStream was crowned Best Technology Provider for powering modern collections infrastructure.

A full list of winners can be found here.

Once again, generosity flowed on the evening as attendees raised £2379 for Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, further cementing the event’s legacy of giving back.

Congratulations to all winners and finalists. The bar is now higher than ever for the 2026 iteration of the Collections and Vulnerability Awards and, indeed, for the cause itself.