Michelle Dickens, co-founder and CEO of TPN Credit Bureau,
has announced her resignation with immediate effect, due to personal reasons.
Although Dickens is stepping aside as CEO, she remains a
shareholder in the business, which she co-founded more than two decades ago at
the age of 24.
TPN was the first credit bureau globally to specialise in
tenant behaviour. The idea for the business was borne when, as a young property
manager, Dickens experienced the frustration of dealing with tenants first hand,
some of whom regularly repeated poor payment behaviour with new landlords.
It was this behaviour that sparked her idea for the first
Tenant Profile Network, a network that allowed landlords and estate agents to
share rental payment behaviour with one another.
From the outset, Dickens has been determined to turn tenant
behaviour into smart data to benefit landlords, investors and estate agents -
as well as tenants themselves - to uplift the industry as a whole.
TPN’s database, which includes both the residential and
commercial sectors, has grown to become the most comprehensive authority on
tenant behaviour in South Africa, in the process transforming the way tenants
pay their rent.
Its unique data is widely used in organisations including
the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), all the major commercial banks, 70% of
South Africa’s listed REITS and industry bodies. The company currently has more
than 19 000 clients in the residential, commercial, business and education
sectors.
Over 22 years, the business has revolutionised the property
industry with the introduction of a number of innovative solutions such as the
creation of the rental
payment profile, a global first.
The
TPN Residential LeasePack, introduced in 2011, includes specialised lease
agreements together with inspection forms, resolutions, mandates and more - all
in a single pack. Today, over 5 000 property practitioners use the TPN LeasePack,
the most widely used lease agreement in South Africa.
The industry sectors that the company serves place a high
value on TPN’s Rental Monitors, introduced in 2009, and Vacancy Surveys,
introduced in 2017.
A specifically tailored product for the private and public
schools market is changing the payment behaviour of parents and guardians.
Around 1000 schools collaborate with TPN to reward paid up parents with
positive updates on their credit profiles. These rewards have motivated a
change in consumer behaviour, encouraging parents and guardians to settle
school fees on time which, in turn, has allowed schools to keep teachers
employed and their doors open during the pandemic.
Despite her resignation, as co-founder of TPN, Dickens will always be part of the business’s DNA, according to a statement released by the board. Expressing their regret for her departure, the board said they are grateful for her service and fully support her during this time.
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