Annual lecture In this feature l advice l goals l experience CONFERENCE 2015 Family matters As her College of Fellows lecture shows, when consumer affairs champion Carol Brady is on a mission, nothing stands in her way not even war in Beirut W hen I was asked to speak today I was a little perplexed about what I could share that you might find interesting, and might inspire people starting out on their journey. Then, the words of my parents sprang to mind always try your best; enjoy what you do; and be proud of your accomplishments. Few of these will be new to you, but theyve really helped me with my career and have underpinned how Ive tackled my lifes work. I left school at 15 after failing my exams miserably. I hated school and was lucky enough to secure a role as a supernumerary with Solihull Metopolitan Borough Council what we would now call an apprentice. This meant I spent 12 months working across the authority in different departments, where I eventually joined environmental health and trading standards, working on licensing for hackney carriage and private hire. There are two specific things Im really grateful for here: first, its where I met my husband of 27 years; second, this was my springboard into trading standards and consumer advice. I moved into trading standards from licensing because I was deemed to be good at dealing with people, no doubt because of the way I handled unsavoury taxi drivers although I remember one that actually manhandled me across the reception desk and pinned me to the floor, all because the licensing committee had denied his application to be TAP TO NAVIGATE PAGES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Credits Published You might also like Carol Brady is chairman of CTSIs Board, Monday 3 August, 2015 Find your giant August 2014 and sits on a number of other boards, including the Commission for Local To share this page, click on in the toolbar Administration inEngland Images: Sam Atkins adriver, thanks to his criminal record for aggravated bodily harm! Nonetheless, it was a good grounding in how to deal with consumers and the issues they face, and for negotiating with businesses a skill that came in very handy during my later escape from Beirut, but more on that later. I was the youngest female in the trading standards department, sothey involved me in a lot of enforcement campaigns. I remember oneincident when I found myself running down the local high street, two teenagers in tow, pursued by a very irate newsagent who had just been caught selling cigarettes to underage children. Events like that made me realise I wasnt cut out for enforcement. Iwas also learning from real experts on consumer advice who instilled a passion for developing that side of my role, so I took the Diploma in Consumer Affairs. It was while I was at Solihull that I had my first initiation into a major scam when Peter Foster, an Australian later known as king of the con artists, began promoting a weight-loss product called Bai Lin Tea. Unfortunately, the only pounds consumers lost were from their wallets. I was also involved in covert operations, the biggest being around bootleggers at the National Exhibition Centre. Our role was to seize goods sold at concerts by touts that infringed trademark legislation. We often found ourselves chasing them across car parks and fields in the wee small hours. It probably wouldnt happen in this age of TAP TO NAVIGATE PAGES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 risk assessments, but all we were interested in was seizing the goods, heading back to our rendezvous and bagging and tagging our booty. I took a quick detour from Solihull to Northamptonshire to head up the consumer advice information service, where I ran my first team and had my first taste of consumer education, organising the local heat of Young Consumer of the Year and taking part in radio phone-ins on consumer issues. I also got involved in local television when a bridal company disappeared overnight with bridal gowns and money. Although we couldnt prevent them from doing a runner, the media became really interested and, as a result, a local company actually stepped in to save the day for the brides-to-be. I thought it was a job well done and was really proud of the accomplishment. Next, I headed to Kent to advise on how to run the countys consumer advice service and conduct education campaigns. We changed the shape and delivery of consumer advice and, using call centre technology, the service handled more than 23,000 calls per year. Education went hand in glove with advice, and we focused on proactively preventing consumers from being conned in the first place. My advice team developed a broadcast messaging system that went out to Citizens Advice Bureaux across the county, Neighbourhood Watch coordinators, local police stations and Age Concern staff. It warned them of rogue traders operating in the area. In return, we TAP TO NAVIGATE PAGES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 got all sorts of intelligence, such as where these rogue traders were working and their vehicle details. Then we would deploy rapid teams to do prevention work before consumers suffered any harm. While at Kent I began to work more with TSI. Believing you can often only change things from within, I began taking on a number of roles, including lead officer for consumer advice and education. I also became an examiner for practical consumer advice, lecturing students, writing notes and setting papers. When marking papers, itshard when you know somebodys future rests in your hands and quite ironic when I think of how bad I was at sitting exams. I was also secretary for the Consumer Education Liaison Group. When first contacted to take up the role I was told it would last 12months. Ten years on, I found myself involved in developing initiatives started by colleagues in Birmingham, such as Young Consumer of the Year and the Consumer Challenge Quiz things thatare now firm fixtures. Im proud to have been involved. However, my biggest detour when working in Kent was Consumer Direct. This is the advice line now run by Citizens Advice. At the time itrepresented a 30m injection of money into front-line trading standards consumer advice services. This was something I really wanted to be involved in. The project gave my passion consumer advice a stature that it had never enjoyedbefore. TAP TO NAVIGATE PAGES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 We rolled out 11 contact centres across Scotland, England and Wales, working in partnership with trading standards and outside partners. Consumer Direct meant that trading standards was in the front of mind of the consumer affairs minister and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Patricia Hewitt. By the time I left, the contact centres had handled some two million calls in the first few years of operation. It was while working on Consumer Direct that I went to Beirut [just before war broke out]. Id been invited to work on a European contract showing the Lebanese government the UKs experience of consumer protection. The event we were there for was not without its own excitement: tempers flew when the Lebanese minister called the delegates old, lazy and corrupt. Surprisingly, it wasnt the fact that they were called lazy or corrupt that upset them! It was two days later, when war broke out between the Lebanese and Israelis, that it all became very interesting. The first that we knew about it was when flights were stopped across Beirut, but it was the following morning when we realised what might be to come. A note was pushed under my hotel door: Dear guest, if youre leaving us today, Beirut airport has been bombed. Have a nice day. Thankfully, I was with two colleagues from the UK and over the next three days we planned and executed our escape. We were advised by the UK government to take a flight from Tripoli to France. Unfortunately, they had confused Tripoli in Lebanon with Tripoli in Libya! TAP TO NAVIGATE PAGES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 We were then advised to sit tight for two weeks. However, my son was starring in a school play during that time. Before leaving the UK I had promised him that I would be there to cheer him on and I was determined to keep that promise. So we started our journey to Syria, planning to escape via Damascus Airport. It saw us bribing government officials, being held at gunpoint and having our passports stolen at border control. I was even threatened with arrest for touching the arm of an Arab prince who pushed ahead of me at Damascus Airport. Nonetheless, we made it home. Not deterred by such events, and heeding my dads words what doesnt kill you makes you stronger I found myself heading abroad again that same year, this time to Washington DC, to talk to the US Trade Confederation about Consumer Direct. From Consumer Direct I moved to the newly created Better Regulation Delivery Office and spent much time supporting local authorities. While there I had one of my proudest moments: I was awarded Fellowship of the Institute in recognition of my work on consumer advice and education. Ive since been an ombudsman for the office of legal complaints, a non-executive director of the Ministry of Justices claims management regulations unit and an independent adviser and member of the Local Government Ombudsman. I also work for the board of the Consumer Code for Home Builders, helping to drive up standards within the TAP TO NAVIGATE PAGES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 construction industry. More importantly for me, I am currently the chairman of CTSIs Board the first woman to hold the position. My colleagues and I know that we face some huge challenges as a profession, not least sustained budget cuts. Along with the executive and council, the board will continue to fight and support our membership. Many have said to me that Im an ambitious person, but thats not how I class myself. Ive had goals, as everyone should, underpinned by my parents advice. Ive also taken the opportunity to stop along the way and get distracted by other things as they come along. Id encourage you to do the same you never know where it might lead. None of this has been achieved in isolation. Ive had the pleasure and privilege of working alongside some fantastic people, both within and outside the trading standards community, many of who I would consider lifelong friends. Trading standards has always been a family, and theyll happily accept you in; if you let them who knows where your journey could end? Im still on my journey. I hope to continue having fun along the path, and to put something back into the profession that has supported me all the way.