Leadership and Performance in Credit Risk & Lending Training Course

Lending remains the main source of profit for most financial institutions and also the main source of loss. Economic shocks, rising non-performing loans and heightened supervisory attention mean that leaders in credit must do more than approve files: they must shape strategy, behaviour and information flows so that the entire organisation lends well and responds quickly when borrowers struggle.

The Leadership and Performance in Credit Risk & Lending Training Course focuses on the responsibilities of those who run credit functions. It opens with strategy, risk appetite and portfolio objectives, then looks at the tools leaders use to steer a book, including limits, pricing, provisioning and stress testing. It continues with the human and organisational side of credit: committee dynamics, decision quality, incentive design, independence of the risk function, ethics and conflicts of interest. The closing sessions deal with deteriorating credits, workouts and recoveries, as well as the management information that lets a board judge performance.

The course uses discussion, short case studies and portfolio analysis in preference to lectures. Participants finish with a credit leadership action plan, a draft dashboard for their institution and clear ideas for improving credit culture.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Translate institutional strategy into a lending risk appetite with measurable limits.
• Steer portfolio composition through concentration controls, targets and risk-based pricing.
• Interpret expected credit loss provisioning and its impact on profitability and capital.
• Run credit committees that produce disciplined, well-documented decisions.
• Align incentives and delegated authorities so that growth and risk quality move together.
• Lead early warning, restructuring and recovery strategies for stressed borrowers.
• Report credit performance to boards and regulators with clear, decision-ready dashboards.

The course is designed for senior and aspiring leaders responsible for credit decisions and results, including:

• Heads of credit and credit risk managers
• Chief risk officers and chief credit officers
• Heads of corporate, SME and retail lending
• Credit committee members and board risk committee members
• Collections, recoveries and special assets managers
• Senior relationship managers and regional business heads
• Microfinance and SACCO general managers
• Credit risk consultants and internal audit heads

Participants leave with:

• A draft lending risk appetite statement with limits and triggers.
• A credit committee charter and decision record checklist.
• A portfolio dashboard layout covering quality, concentration, provisioning and returns.
• Methods for coaching analysts and raising the standard of credit memoranda.
• An early warning framework with clear escalation steps.
• A personal leadership action plan for strengthening credit culture.

The course respects the experience of senior participants and relies on debate and application:

• Facilitated discussions of credit leadership dilemmas
• Portfolio data exercises with arrears, concentration and provisioning figures
• Role-played credit committee and board reporting sessions
• Short cases on stressed borrowers and recovery decisions
• Confidential peer coaching on each participant's action plan

Attendance at all sessions and participation in the committee simulation and action-planning work earns each delegate a Vision Reach Global Consultancy Certificate of Completion, accredited for CPD.