Meet Kirsty McKno
What is your career history?
I’ve been a qualified Solicitor for twenty one years and have always worked in civil litigation, including personal injury and credit hire. I started out at Breens, and was there for 15 years, eventually becoming a partner and heading up civil litigation. While still at Breens, I set up Compass Law at Quindell, and then moved to and ran recoveries for Quindell Business Process Services in Blackpool, before it became Slater and Gordon Solutions Motor (SGSM) in late 2015. In 2018 I joined Kindertons as Group Recoveries Director for Sovereign, Plantec and KAM. I left Kindertons in July 2020, and started in consultancy for Magna Accident Services and handl Group. Having set up Cogent Hire for handl Group, I became Managing Director in April.
From 2016 – 2020 I was also Chair of the Credit Hire Organisation, the trade body for the credit hire sector, a role that I am extremely proud of, and I have also been Chair of the Liverpool Law Society Civil Litigation Committee.
How long have you worked in credit hire?
Breens provided credit hire services as part of its personal injury offer, together with pure credit hire litigation, so it was there that I developed a real interest in credit hire and its complexities. Thanks to Breens I have a good 20 years of credit hire experience under my belt, and it has been the dominant factor in my work during the last ten years.
I have always been intrigued by the fact that no two credit hire cases are the same and that it is impossible to apply a formulaic approach. Sausage machine business models don’t really work for credit hire. Of course, the arguments in law are the same, but the application of those arguments changes for every individual client. For me, however, it goes a step further; once I became involved in the management function of a credit hire company (CHC) I was attracted to getting the best outcomes from the full supply chain. What you do from first contact with the client will influence the outcome of the case. So how you contract and work with the supply chain will alter the customer experience and the profitability of the company.
Why did handl Group attract you?
handl Group understands that what you do right at the start of the customer journey impacts the outcome. They also have a desire to use technology in a way that enables its people to spend more time understanding their customer’s needs. The group’s focus on the principle of people plus tech creates a better customer journey, not just for the accident victim but also the referrer and the paying party too.
It is a progressive business that is always looking to improve what it does, including getting the best out of, and looking after, their own people. This seems to me to describe a new approach to the corporate environment, one that is built on real honesty and transparency. That is really refreshing. The Group values strong internal teams; although the group is a portfolio business covering all parts of the claims value chain, for defendant and claimant sides, senior management encourages other businesses across the group to contribute to Cogent alongside my own team, and for Cogent to do likewise.
What is the thinking behind the launch of Cogent Hire?
As I made clear at the launch of Cogent Hire in March, we started to model Cogent Hire from scratch. Our overriding thought was: how do we build a credit hire business for the 2020s? The industry is 40 years old and is ready for innovation, especially in light of the reform-driven changes to how the motor claims industry operates. Modern CHCs need to focus on collaboration with their partners, including insurers, and the supply chain, to generate the best possible customer experience.
At the launch, we said that Cogent Hire breaks new ground in credit hire. For example, we are the first credit hire company that aims for zero litigation, the first to target a near total removal of credit hire fraud, and the first fully collaborative credit hire model with insurers that will substantially reduce their costs, These aims neatly summarise what Cogent Hire is seeking to do.
What have you been up to since the launch in March?
As well as building my team, we’ve been fully engaged in fine-tuning the supply chain. I’m really proud of this achievement because we have set out to create partnerships with likeminded companies that share our ethos and forward thinking attitude. We’ve been able to build tech solutions with our supply chain that enable portal connectivity and exciting solutions for our customers. But we have also been careful to think through and embed CSR in line with changing attitudes in society and within the economy, for example working with Hills Salvage on green parts, and delivering EV solutions with a number of partners including Europcar and Novo. We have also been developing our insurer and referrer partnerships.
How does Cogent Hire live up to its drive to be different?
We have built a credit hire model that is fit for the 21st Century, and the foundation stone of that model is collaboration. Collaborative working will enable us to care for our customers to the same standards that we would expect ourselves. We are a partnership of equals in an industry where boss and servant relationships still largely prevail. I spoke to one of our repair suppliers on a joint approach recently and he said to me: “I can’t tell you how refreshing this conversation is; nobody wanting my services ever had a conversation where my opinion was sought and acted on.” We want to adopt this approach for every business we work with.
What are your aspirations for the next 18 months?
We obviously want to increase volume and prove that our 21st century model works to the mutual benefit of everyone involved. We are determined to take the lead on issues that impact the industry such as post reform handling of claims, the provision of EV, the use of green parts, and how connected car devices can make a real difference.
And at the highest level, we are aiming to have a seat at the table where policy decisions are made. For example, I’m keen to work with regulators to drive through a shake up the traditional commission structure for referrals. The lesson from the PI reforms is that it is sensible to pre-empt outcomes from FCA inquiries or the MoJ’s Whiplash Consultation Part Two. Leading reform is critical before it is imposed by non-experts with all the unintended consequences that characterise legislative change. Our future success partly rests on achieving this shift in how the claims industry manages itself.
Do you have any hidden talents?
Although by practice and qualification I’m a litigator, I believe that litigation should be the last resort. I prefer to bring everybody on a journey to solve problems with a high degree of consensus. As a working mother I guess like anyone else in a similar position I would say juggling – albeit not of the circus variety – and resilience in the face of whatever happens.
If you weren't working in credit hire what would you like to do?
I come from a family that has run a successful family business, now into the fourth generation, and although that business isn’t directly connected to what I do at Cogent Hire, I draw on those generational skills to do my job. I’m sure those same skills could be applied to other areas and knowing that would give me the confidence to try other things. I would probably go into something more environmental such as farming (traditional environmentally sensitive farming as opposed to agribusiness).
Where do you go to escape the hustle and bustle of life, and find a work life balance?
I make sure that I find space to think things through in a mindful manner.
Name three words that sum you up
Committed, pragmatic, straightforward. Others might describe me as clumsy; I’m definitely not cut out to be a ballet dancer!