New era dawns at the inaugural AFC summer awards 

A new era dawned at the Inaugural Asset Finance Connect Summer Awards held at the prestigious Hurlingham Club in London.  

More than 350 auto finance, equipment finance and asset finance professionals attended the event, to celebrate innovation and industry best practice in auto, asset and equipment finance. A total of 41 awards in 23 categories were presented during the course of a warm, friendly and vibrant evening, which also saw colleagues eager to catch up with old friends, renew existing acquaintances and make new contacts, while enjoying the food, drink and entertainment. 

The evening culminated in the presentation of three prestigious awards sponsored by the headline sponsor of the night – Alfa: Rising Star, CEO of the Year (auto and equipment finance) and Lifetime Achievement Award.  

 

Richard Jones, Managing Director of Lloyd’s Banking Group, was named CEO of the Year 2022 for Auto Finance. Jones has maintained a market leading position in both Black Horse and Lex Autolease whilst bringing the two businesses under a single unified management team in charge of both consumer and business auto finance to create the largest auto finance lender in the UK. As well as his work at Lloyds Banking Group, Jones also chaired the Finance and Leasing Association through a period of rapid change through the challenge of the COVID pandemic and provided continuity within the association as it changed its director general. 

Mike Randall, CEO of Simply, was named CEO of the Year 2022 for Equipment Finance, for his solid track record in the UK asset finance industry and his “spirit of helping people” which spans out of the workplace and to the FLA and The Leasing Foundation where Randall aims to support the business finance industry through personal and professional development. 

Laura Hinton of Mobilize Financial Services was the outstanding recipient of the Rising Star Award, with one of the judges describing Laura as “a truly inspirational young person taking a passionate standpoint and achieving results in a global organisation.” 

The final award of the night — the Lifetime Achievement Award — was bestowed on Paul Jennings, described by the judges as “a bedrock of the industry for a very long time. However, his length of stay in his role has certainly not diminished his appetite to innovate and continue innovating.” 

In a heartfelt acceptance speech that struck a strong chord with his audience, Jennings, who is retiring this year after 43 years at JCB Finance Ltd, dedicated his award to “all the young professionals that are in the room today…I hope you remain enthusiastic and honest and hard working.” As he passes the baton to the next generation of the industry, Jennings noted that “our business is about the people that are in it.”

The summer event, which is set to become an integral part of the asset finance calendar, was sponsored by Alfa as headline sponsor, FIS Global, NETSOL Technologies, QV Systems, Sopra Banking Software, VIP Apps Consulting, Propel Finance, and supported by Finativ.

Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/assetfinanceconnect/ to see the latest photos from the AFC Summer Awards 2022.

2022 Awards

Award	Winner	Highly Commended
Subscriptions Product Development, sponsored by NETSOL Technologies	Fairown Finance	runyourfleet.com, FCA Bank & Tomorrow’s Journey
Pay Per Use Outcome	Linx4
Digital Direct 2 Customer Platforms	Shire Leasing PLC	Digitallink, Lloyds Banking Group, iVendi
Best Use of IOT	Intrador
Mobility Services Innovation, sponsored by Sopra Banking Software	Parkopedia	Shire Leasing PLC
Overall Innovation	Acquis Data Services
Environmental, Social and Governance Standards, sponsored by QV Systems	Novuna Business Finance	Capitas Finance Ltd
People and Skills	CSI Leasing
Best Employer	Charles and Dean	ALPHERA Financial Services
Customer Journey Excellence	Bluestone Motor Finance	Aldermore
Best Use of Technology, sponsored by VIP Apps Consulting	Simply	BMW Group Financial Services, Propel Finance
Best Marketing Strategy	Rigby Capital	Close Brothers Asset Finance
UK Brokers and Asset Finance Lenders	Simply, United Trust Bank	Novuna Business Finance
European Auto Finance	BMW Group Financial Services	MotoNovo Finance
European Equipment Finance, sponsored by FIS Global	Societe Generale Equipment Finance
Strongest Advance	Propel Finance
Strongest Growth Over Three Years	Haydock Finance
Strongest Loan Book Growth in One Year	Close Brothers Asset Finance
Rising Star	Laura Hinton, Mobilize Financial Services	David Reynell, Aldermore; Amar Rana, Credicar; Daniel Idowu, United Trust Bank
Equipment Finance CEO of the Year, sponsored by Alfa	Mike Randall, Simply
Auto Finance CEO of the Year, sponsored by Alfa	Richard Jones, Lloyds Banking Group
Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by Alfa	Paul Jennings, JCB Finance