In conversation with... Craig Tebbutt

What was your journey to your role today, would you say it’s been a typical career path?

My journey isn’t typical; I ran my own businesses early in my career, this demands a work ethic, approach and sense of ownership that still serves me well today. I have done a variety of roles, including Customer Services, Sales, Business Change, and now Strategy, Product and Marketing. I carry lessons from each role to the next, I’m enjoying the journey!

If you weren’t working in credit and financial services, what would you be doing?

I would be a chef; my passion is food, and I love to cook. At 16, I was all set to go to Catering College! ( I was influenced by someone who told me I would never have a social life - a big deal at 16!)

What is something that not many people know about you?

I was terrified of public speaking.

What is the most significant challenge facing the credit/financial services industry today?

Artificial intelligence, is the biggest change to our industry and all industries, we have only just started to see the early developments - its bigger than the change we saw with the Internet, it will change everything.

What trend or development are you excited about in the credit / FS sector?

Open Finance - In April, the FCA published its Open Finance Roadmap, which is a huge deal. It’s the transition from sharing current account data to sharing data across mortgages, savings, and pensions - this means "hyper-personalized affordability." Instead of a lender just looking at your salary, they can see your entire financial ecosystem in real-time. This is particularly exciting for SMEs and "thin-file" borrowers.

What do you hope to take away from Credit Week 2026?

Credit Week is such a great opportunity to listen, debate and engage with experts from across our indusrty, I take away key learnings and new perspectives each year, I’m looking forward to the same in 2026

What advice would you give to someone who’s starting their career in the industry?

Learn from everyone, there is so much expertise and knowledge in our industry - I learn of people around me every day! And think about the way roles will change in our industry in the next few years, the role that AI will play in our industry.

Craig will be speaking on Open Banking at Credit Week - see the full agenda here! Or Book now!