Judges revealed for NACFB Commercial Broker Awards 2026

The full judging panel for the NACFB Commercial Broker Awards 2026 has been unveiled. This year saw another record-breaking number of submissions. There were 430+ entries submitted across 26 categories by the trade body’s Member broker firms – marking a 25% increase in submissions and a 16% rise in participating NACFB Member firms compared to the previous year.

A panel of industry stakeholders, chosen for their specialist expertise, will now assess the entries to help determine the shortlist alongside the winners and highly commended entries.

This year’s full judging panel is:

• Adam Tyler – Chief Executive Officer, The Bridging & Development Lenders Association

• Adrian Stalley – Head of Partnerships, Reward Funding

• Andy Taylor – MD & CCO, Haydock Finance

• Angela Norman – Managing Director, YBS Commercial Mortgages

• Bethan Cousins – New Business Director, Development Bank of Wales

• Beth Fisher – Managing Director, Bridging & Commercial (Medianett Publishing)

• Bob Lefroy – CEO, Business Money

• Colin Goldstein – CCO, iwoca

• Daniel O'Connor – Chief Operating Officer, LendInvest

• Dave Furnival – Head of Broker and Business Development, NatWest

• David Webb – UK Head of Broker and Introducer, Bibby Financial Services

• Ed Peck – Founder, Finance Connect

• Emma Cox – Managing Director, Real Estate, Shawbrook Bank

• Gaynor Dykes – Director, Origination & Relationship Management, British Business Bank

• George May – Managing Director (GB), Close Brothers Invoice Finance

• Jennifer Tankard – Director, Commercial Finance, UK Finance

• Jessica Bird – Managing Director, Intermediaries, The Intermediary

• John Phillipou – Managing Director, SME Lending, Paragon Bank

• Josh Harris – CEO & Founder, Doc2

• Katherine Morgan – Managing Director, Head of Intermediaries & Specialist Lending CBC, Lloyds Bank

• Katrin Herrling – Founder & CEO, FXE Technologies

• Marc Goldberg – CEO, Group Sales & Distribution, Together

• Matthew Shepherd – Chief Commercial Officer, Skipton Business Finance

• Michael Allison – Commercial Director, Roma Finance

• Michelle Monck – Director of Marketing, Redwood Bank

• Mike Randall – Chief Executive Officer, Simply

• Paul Hunt – Co-Founder/Owner, Square1 Media

• Rachael Raymond – Head of Broker, Funding Circle

• Richard Cameron – CEO, Broker and Professional Solutions | Banking Division, Close Brothers Broker Solutions

• Roger Morris – Group Distribution Director, Chetwood Bank

• Sarah Cunningham – Head of Compliance, NACFB

• Sarah Delo – Broker Business Development Manager, NatWest

• Sonia Gola – Senior Policy Manager, Finance and Leasing Association

• Stuart Hughes – Head of Sales, IAF Broker, Investec

• Teresa Graham – Chair of the SME Advisory Group, UK Finance

• Ylva Oertengren – Chief Operating Officer, Simply

The judges, who have been provided with guidance on how to review submissions individually and fairly, will review submissions to help determine the shortlist in each award category.

To ensure impartiality, submissions have been anonymised where appropriate. Categories involving only organisations were anonymised, while those featuring individuals or a mix of individuals and firms were not. Shortlisted entrants will be notified (under embargo) by email ahead of the public shortlist announcement in late July.

NACFB Patron lenders and Partner suppliers will then be invited to cast their votes for the Member brokers of their choice in each relevant category. To maintain fairness, each Patron/Partner firm is limited to five votes per category.

The judging panel’s scores will be combined with the Patron/Partner votes to determine both the winners and those who are highly commended in each category. An algorithm is used to calculate the final results, blending judges’ scores with the industry vote. 

Winners in each category will be announced and presented with their trophies at a ceremony held at Lancashire Cricket Club, Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester, on the afternoon of Friday 11th September 2026.

Early bird tickets for NACFB Member brokers are now available at £140 +VAT per person or £1,400 +VAT for a table of ten, until Monday 10th August. After that, prices rise to £205 +VAT each or £2,050 +VAT per table. Subject to availability, tickets for NACFB Patron lenders and Partners will go on sale from mid-August at £230 +VAT per person or £2,300 +VAT per table. All tickets include a welcome drink on arrival, a three-course meal, half a bottle of wine per person and entertainment.