Experience

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  London borough of hackney

  Mar 1993 - Aug 1999

  Lead Benefits Client Officer for outsourced Revenues & Benefits Contract.Set up Determination Team from scratch, including a number of policies and proceduresResponsible for performance management of the contractor on Benefits and monitoring their achievement of KBIs for the Benefits Service.Lead officer on HB & CTB Policy.Part of Contract Management Board. Council Tax Benefits Team Leader Mar 1993 - Mar 1995Benefits (HB & CTB) - Mar 1995 to Sept 1997Managed a team of approx 25 staff inluding a deputy manager, 2 x senior officers, Benefits Officers and Benefits Assistants responsible for processing HB claims for ¼ of the borough. Dealt with appeals, complaints and discretionary requests

  • Principal Commissioning Officer

    Sept 1997 - Aug 1999

  • Benefits Team Manager

    Mar 1993 - Sept 1997
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  London borough of newham

  Aug 1999 - Jun 2001

  Head of revenues & benefits client unit

  Set up Client Unit to manage 2 main contracts - the in-house Revuenues DSO and the outsourced Beenfits contract.Managed approx 30 staff including Determination team.Responsible for contract monitoring and performance management framework. Chaired Contract Management Board and reported to senior managers and Members on performance.

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  London borough of havering

  Jun 2001 - Sept 2003

  Revenues & benefits manager

  Responsible for approx 200 staff and revenue budget of apprx £10m & income collection budget in excess of £300m. Contributed to setting up of Corporate Contact Centre and Public Access Service Centre, following restructure & modernisation of Revenues & Benefits Services.Responisble for a range of services including Rent Administration, Council Tax, Business Rates, General Income, Housing Benefits & Council Tax Benefts, Welfare Rights Unit, Systems Support, Benefits Fraud, Document Imaging Team & In-house Bailiffs service.Achieved top quartile Council Tax performance for London and Benefits processing times. Successful in obtaining financial support from Dept of Works & Pensions (£1.5m) to improve the service Show less

• 

  London borough of barking and dagenham

  Sept 2003 - Jul 2010

  Responsible for approx 350 staff, an income collection budget of £350m p.a. & a revenue budget of £14m p.a. Overall Head of Service responsibility for a range of services including the Council's Contact Centre, One Stop Shops, Registrars, Careline, Council Tax, Rents, Business Rates, General Income, Cashiers, Housing & Council Tax Benefit, Free School Meals & Students Grants. Key responsibilities & achievements include:• Member of senior cross functional Council Transformation Programme Board of senior managers. Chaired Customer Strategy Sub Board to redefine LBBD’s relationships with its customers, achieved through thought leadership and collaborative approaches to engaging with stakeholders, and staff groups. “(Bola) effectively oversaw the execution of the council's target operating model to redefine the split between front and back offices across many areas of the Council.” (Rob Whiteman, Chief Executive, LBBD)• Took the lead on developing a strategy to enhance collegiate working at Heads of Service level within the organisation, across all functions. Initiated processes and the implementation of an Agenda Planning Group made up of peers. Was elected as first Chair, and was asked to continue after first term to provide stability .“Bola is a very strong Corporate Player who led the development of the Heads of Service Group within B&D. At a time when cohesion and collaborative working amongst this group was uncertain at best and disjointed and obstructive at worst, he used his position as a trusted change agent and his skills as a facilitator of relationships to create with colleagues a group with a strong corporate ethos, which now occupies a place of respect and influence within the Council’s governance structures.”(Peter Hindmarsh, Corporate Monitoring Unit, Chief Exec’s Office, LBBD) Show less • Brought in to transform the Revenue and Benefits service from BFI rating of poor to an award winning service. Programme Director for 4 streams of activity, “For me you are one the few senior clients I have worked with in both the public and private sectors who truly understands the 'people factor' and how it is very unwise to ignore and assume that the implementation of new technologies and re-engineered processes is all that is required and the rest will take care of itself.” (Steve Twort, External Project Manager Culture Change Project Stream, Revenues Modernisation Programme, LBBD)Key achievement includes winning the Institute of Revenues Ratings and Valuation (IRRV) Excellence Award for Training & Development in 2008 and Highly Commended for Excellence in Customer Care Award in 2008 too. • Deputy chair of the Corporate IIP (investors In People) Board, Chairing the Departmental Board. Led project work streams relating to four of the IIP indicators and co-ordinated the mock assessment process. “There is evidence of strong leadership from top management…. senior managers such as Abimbola Odunsi … were .. mentioned for their strength of leadership and visibility” (LBBD’s Corporate IIP Assessment report 2008)• Implemented a shared Business Rates Service between LBBD & Havering which resultled in £0.5m savings achieved by each LA over a 3-year period.“The success of the NNDR partnership was due to the determination of Bola to make it work and ensure that solutions to the many potential barriers were found. This could not have been achieved without the trust and honesty demonstrated by Bola throughout the project. Bola has the vision needed to drive innovation forward and the strength of character to bring staff and colleagues along with him.” (Jeff Potter, Head of Exchequer Services, LB of Havering) Show less

  • Divisional Director, Barking & Dagenham Direct

    Jul 2007 - Jul 2010

  • Head of Revenues & Benefits

    Sept 2003 - Jun 2007
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  Irrv (metropolitan & home counties association)

  Jan 2009 - Jan 2010

  Member of the executive

  Executive Board Member

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  Irrv, metropolitan & home counties association

  Jul 2009 - Aug 2015

  Member of executive

  Member of the Association's Executive Board

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  Bsc consulting ltd

  Mar 2010 - Apr 2023

  Managing director

  Available for next contract/interim management opportunity. Providing interim management solutionsFacilitating the delivery of sustainable change & implementing business solutionsManaging complex frontline transactional servicesMaximising Revenue Collection opportunities

• 

  Icg associates

  Sept 2010 - Apr 2023

  Owner & managing partner

  ICG is a UK-incorporated organisation set up by a group of professionals from various sectoral backgrounds in direct response to some identified key gaps in consultancy services.

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  Royal borough of kingston

  Aug 2011 - Mar 2015

  Interim finance data services capability lead

  Responsible for all Accounts Receivable,Accounts Payable functions across RB Kingston plus Adults Social Care Financial Transcations (Financial Assessments, Apoointeeships etc) and Housing Financial Transactions (Rent Collection for current tenants, FTAs, B&Bs & hostels) and Leaseholder Services. Deputises for Head of Finance Service Centre

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  Oldham metropolitan borough council

  Jun 2015 - Dec 2016

  Interim head of exchequer & business support services

  Responsible for Revenues & Benefits client function (covering Ctax, NNDR, HB, CTRS, AP & AR Services which are delivered by Unity - Partnership between Oldham MBC & Mouchel), Welfare Rights Service, and Business Support

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  London borough of barnet

  Feb 2018 - Jun 2018

  Interim head of revenues & benefits

  Revenues & Benefits Service Lead & Head of Client Team

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  Essex county council

  Jul 2018 - Sept 2020

  Responsible for collection of circa £580M p.a. worth of income for Essex CC and processing of Financial Assessments for circa 15,000 Adult Social Care Service Users. Management responsibility for approximately 60 staff. Working with a range of stakeholders across the County and senior management and Member level to maximise income for Essex and deliver Excellent standards of Customer Servicers to our service users. Responsible for Income Collection across Essex CC & Service Transformation Programme Manager

  • Service Manager - Income Collection & Financial Assessments

    Apr 2019 - Sept 2020

  • Income Manager

    Jul 2018 - Apr 2019
• 

  Liberata

  Oct 2020 - Oct 2024

  Regional Director at Liberata with responsibility for London and the Southeast of England. Portfolio includes managed service delivery for 7 Council & counting……… Service Delivery Director for a range of services at London Borough of Hounslow outsourced to Liberata. These include Revenues (Ctax & NNDR) & Unified Benefits (HB, Local CTRS, Financial Assessments & Educational Welfare Benefits - Free School Meals), Rent Accounting, Accounts Payable & Accounts Receivables, Customer Services, Print & Post Services

  • Regional Director

    Apr 2023 - Oct 2024

  • Service Delivery Director

    Oct 2020 - Apr 2023
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  Bsc consulting ltd

  Nov 2024 - now

  Managing director

  Available for new contracts /interim management opportunity. Providing interim management solutionsFacilitating the delivery of sustainable change & implementing new & innovative business solutionsManaging complex frontline transactional, Exchequer & Customer Services for Local Governments as well as Housing Associations, Central Government Agencies or organisations within the Private &/or Voluntary Sector Delivery of Revenue Maximisation outcomes and transforming Income Collection processes through automation and digitisation and transforming the customer experience. Show less