Geoffrey Philip Ognall

Geoffrey Philip Ognall (born June 1946) is a debt collector and prominent Zionist activist. Originally from Glasgow he later moved to London. Ognall married Sharon Esta Goldberg of the Goldberg family in Eastwood and Mearns in 1971 at the age of 25.

On debt collection as a business

Q. Tell us how you got started in the collections business.

A. I was in my first year of a business degree at University in Glasgow when my late father became unwell. I went into the family business for a “short term period” to help out and never returned to my studies!

Q. Growing up, did you ever think you would leave the family business for another vocation?

A. Not really – I just loved the challenge and responsibilities of building up Legal & Trade and working closely with such great people.

Q. What particular challenges and rewards motivated you to stay in collections?

A. Building a company that delivers differential results gave me then, and still does, the greatest satisfaction, and with a quality product comes career and financial progression, together with meeting super people in the client base and within the industry, many of whom have become lifetime close friends.

Q. Given your experience with US collection firms, what differences are there in collection operations in the US and the UK?

A. The UK was slower to adopt telephony as the main weapon of collection activity. But once we “caught up”, and with technology being available to all everywhere, the differences have narrowed. I would say the US is again slightly ahead in Analytics as a powerful collection tool, but UK firms, particularly Legal & Trade, are catching up fast. One remaining differential is that in the UK a field force of collection agents exists that goes around “knocking on doors” as part of the collection process (albeit a reducing dependency). Consumer collection activity in the UK consists of three phases: Phase 1 – letter and telephone, Phase 2 – legal process and Phase 3 – personal home collection visits by a field force of trained collection agents.

Q. Are there different sets of laws governing the activities of collectors in the US and in the UK, and in Europe in general?

A. When I first became acquainted with the US marketplace I was taken aback by the extent of regulatory requirements in the US and this has increased tremendously over the years. In both the UK and the rest of Europe, whilst there is an appropriate level of legislation and regulations, the legal restrictions are far less than what is imposed in the US.

Affiliations

• UJIA Vice chair
• Glasgow Jewish Community Trust - Trustee. (Chairman from 1997-2000)
• Jewish Continuity

Company roles

• IQOR RECOVERY SERVICES LIMITED Company number NF002841. Closed 13 September 2021. First UK establishment opened on 26 July 1989. Previous company names LEGAL & TRADE COLLECTIONS LIMITED 26 Jul 1989 - 26 Jun 2007
• Legal and Trade Financial Services Limited (dissolved)
  • COMPANY NUMBER 01261869
  • COMPANY TYPE Private limited with Share Capital
  • BUSINESS ACTIVITY (SIC) 7499 - Non-trading company
  • INCORPORATION DATE 07/06/1976 (48 years and 8 months old)
  • CONFIRMATION STATEMENT MADE UP TO 04/08/2008
  • ACCOUNTS MADE UP TO 31/12/2007
  • PREVIOUS NAMES 31/05/2007 01/06/2007 IQOR LIMITED

Information listed according to Companies House records.

Company name	Company number	Company status	Correspondence address	Role	Position	Appointed on or before	Resigned on	Nationality	Country of residence	Occupation
iQor Recovery Services Limited	NF0002841	Converted / Closed	Williard Davieland Road, Whitecraigs, Glasgow		Director	on 26 July 1989
Texture Subsidiary 2 Limited	08355980	Dissolved	9 Kendalls Hall, New End, London, United Kingdom, NW3 1DD		Director	on 15 May 2015		British	United Kingdom	Business Consultant Company Director
Latitude Restaurant Limited	07768754	Dissolved	Flat 9, Kendalls Hall, New End, London, United Kingdom, NW3 1DD		Director	on 9 September 2011		British	United Kingdom	Director
Texture Subsidiary 1 Limited	07004228	Dissolved	9 Kendalls Hall, New End, London, United Kingdom, NW3 1DD		Director	on 1 April 2010		British	United Kingdom	Business Consultant Company Director
Texture Restaurant Limited	06184084	Dissolved	9 Kendalls Hall, New End, London, NW3 1DD		Director	on 26 March 2009		British	United Kingdom	Company Director
The Glasgow Property Partnership LLP	SO300150	Active	9 Kendalls Hall, New End, London, NW3 1DD	Resigned	LLP Designated Member	on 21 October 2002	28 April 2023		United Kingdom
Jewish Continuity	02836858	Active	9 Kendalls Hall, New End, London, NW3 1DD	Resigned	Director	on 29 March 2007	28 January 2016	British	United Kingdom	Director
Association for Jewish Youth Incorporated	00493669	Active	9 Kendalls Hall, New End, London, NW3 1DD	Resigned	Director	on 29 March 2007	28 January 2016	British	United Kingdom	Director
UJ Events Plus Limited	02194244	Active	9 Kendalls Hall, New End, London, NW3 1DD	Resigned	Director	on 14 July 2005	28 January 2016	British	United Kingdom	Company Director
United Jewish Israel Appeal	03295115	Active	9 Kendalls Hall, New End, London, NW3 1DD	Resigned	Director	on 11 May 2000	28 January 2016	British	United Kingdom	Company Director
UJIA Events Limited	07465097	Dissolved	1 Torriano Mews, London, England, NW5 2RZ	Resigned	Director	on 16 January 2014	28 January 2016	British	United Kingdom	Company Director
UJIA Legacy Services Limited	08005139	Dissolved	9 Kendalls Hall, London, United Kingdom, NW3 1DD	Resigned	Director	on 26 March 2012	28 January 2016	British	United Kingdom	Director
Emerald Circle Management Ltd	08118562	Dissolved	22 Hanover Square, London, United Kingdom, W1S 1JA	Resigned	Director	on 16 October 2012	18 February 2013	British	United Kingdom	Company Director
Upper Hampstead Walk Management Company Limited	03307067	Active	9 Kendalls Hall, New End, London, NW3 1DD	Resigned	Director	on 3 November 2003	8 February 2010	British	United Kingdom	Company Director
Moneyexpert Limited	04765843	Active	9 Kendalls Hall, New End, London, NW3 1DD	Resigned	Director	on 3 January 2005	27 February 2008	British	United Kingdom	Company Director
Debt Solutions (Holdings) Limited	03673307	Active	9 Kendalls Hall, New End, London, NW3 1DD	Resigned	Director	on 23 July 1999	6 April 2006	British	United Kingdom	Company Director
Akinika Limited	01613010	Dissolved	9 Kendalls Hall, New End, London, NW3 1DD	Resigned	Director	before 4 April 1992	6 April 2006	British	United Kingdom	Director
Reachflow Limited	02980033	Dissolved	9 Kendalls Hall, New End, London, NW3 1DD	Resigned	Director	on 18 October 2000	31 December 2004	British	United Kingdom	Director
iQor Services Limited	03938010	Dissolved	9 Kendalls Hall, New End, London, NW3 1DD	Resigned	Director	on 15 March 2000	31 December 2004	British	United Kingdom	Company Director
Akinika UK Limited	02404237	Dissolved	9 Kendalls Hall, New End, London, NW3 1DD	Resigned	Director	on 27 July 1992	31 December 2004	British	United Kingdom	Director
Akinika Debt Recovery Limited	01242485	Dissolved	9 Kendalls Hall, New End, London, NW3 1DD	Resigned	Director	before 4 April 1992	31 December 2004	British	United Kingdom	Director
Jewish Continuity	02836858	Active	Willaird 2 Davieland Road, Whitecraigs, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, G46 7LA	Resigned	Director	on 19 June 1995	29 July 1997	British		Company Director
UJ Events Plus Limited	02194244	Active	Willaird 2 Davieland Road, Whitecraigs, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, G46 7LA	Resigned	Director	before 14 December 1993	30 January 1997	British		Company Director
Children's Aid (Scotland) Limited	SC145243	Dissolved	Willaird 2 Davieland Road, Whitecraigs, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, G46 7LA	Resigned	Director	on 25 October 1993	15 January 1997	British		Company Director

Family

• Lazaraus Ognall a native of Petrograd, who arrived in Glasgow about 1892, according to Ken Collins , died at 65 in 1917. Mothers maiden name FASTOR, in Cathcart (Lanark).
• Lieutenant Harry Ognall staff in the 5th company of the Scottish Boys' Brigade set up by John Hershfield/John Hirshfield in December 1904. Harry married Bessie Jacobson in 1907 in St George. He died in 1933 in Cathcart, Glasgow at the age of 50. Harry was active in various Zionist groups including being involved in the founding of the Glasgow branch of the Jewish Lads Brigade and later (1919) being appointed Honorary Vice President of the Glasgow Jewish Young Men's Institute.

Harry and Bessie Ognall had several children:

• Herbert Jack Ognall (Mothers maiden name JACOBSON) born 1911 in Rutherglen and died aged 63 in 1975 in Eastwood and Mearns
• Sydney Arthur Ognall (Mothers maiden name JACOBSON) born 1915 Rutherglen, died 1996 at 80 in Eastwood and Mearns. Married Catherine Foster Macdonald (1938, Blythswood)
• Rhoda Lily Ognall (Mothers maiden name JACOBSON) born 1923, Rutherglen/St Rollox died in 2014 at 90 in Eastwood and Mearns

Both Harry and Lazarus were involved in Zionist activism in Glasgow in the first decades of the Twentieth Century.

See also

• GB-SC-SC000810 Geoffrey & Sharon Ognall Charitable Trust, charity number, SC000810, postcode, NW3 1DD Created, 01/01/1992 dissolved, 02/06/2012