The 2010 Winners
After weeks of rushing around masquerading as event organisers, B&C reaped the rewards in blistering sunshine for the first B&C Awards ceremony.
Pretty much the ‘who’s who’ of bridging and commercial finance was there. Arriving around midday, guests walked the red carpet to be greeted by a bevy of models who mingled between the crowds, adding an even more glamorous feel to the event.
Held within the grounds of the Medieval Roman city wall, which extends from the Tower of London, the Champagne Reception kicked off events perfectly before the crowd was ushered upstairs into the main room.
Here 23 tables of ten, immaculately prepared, were laid out for the guests who buzzed around, spotting friends and colleagues as the atmosphere grew increasingly charged. But they didn’t have to wait for too long as soon after taking the stage, Mo Mulki, publisher of Bridging and Commercial, began proceedings.
The first award, Newcomer of the Year, saw Goldentree Financial Services, Drawbridge Finance and West One Loans each receive nominations. But there could only be one winner and it was of course Drawbridge Finance – a team who have simply taken the industry by storm this year. Each dressed in matching blue England t-shirts, dare anyone miss them, a beaming team accepted the award.
Later, commenting on their wins, (Drawbridge won two overall), CEO Jonathan Samuels said: “It was such a great event, perfect venue, relaxed and fun. Our two prizes were good. We were hoping for a couple more but you can’t have everything.”
The top prize of the day, Bridger of the Year 2010, which was voted for by our broker readership, went to short term lender Cheval, for the second year running. With 60 per cent of the vote, Allan Kay, CEO of Cheval, described the win as "brilliant", saying: "It's been a fantastic day, and the England win just put a cap on it!"
Presenting the awards were; Adrian Bloomfield, Chairman of ASTL, Adam Tyler, Chairman of NAFCB, Louise Fernley, Editor of B&C, Rebecca Hobson, Deputy Editor of B&C, Ray Cohen, Compliance expert, Roger Morris, Sales and Marketing Director of Affirmative Finance, Alan Margolis, Head of Bridging Lending at United Trust Bank and Eugene Esterkin, MD of Affirmative Finance, who presented the Outstanding Contribution to Bridging Award to the late Laurie Hoffman.
Eugene’s moving speech brought the room to a complete stop, as guests listened carefully to his heartfelt memories of the man many in the room knew and loved.
So, without further ado, here are the winners of the Bridging and Commercial Awards 2010:
Best Bridging Newcomer
Drawbridge Finance
Drawbridge Finance
Best Specialist Packager
Intelligent Loans
Intelligent Loans
Best Regional Bridging Lender
Bridging Finance North West
Best Development Lender
Regentsmead
Regentsmead
Best Commercial Lender
Aldermore
Best Bridging Website
Masthaven
Masthaven
Best Bridging Product Range
Drawbridge Finance
Drawbridge Finance
Best Scottish Bridging Provider
Bridging Loans Ltd
Bridging Loans Ltd
Best Bridging Legal Partner
Aubrey David
Aubrey David
Outstanding Contribution to Bridging
Laurie Hoffman
Laurie Hoffman
Service Excellence Award
Affirmative Finance
Affirmative Finance
Bridging Lender of the Year
Cheval
Cheval
And so it’s with a sigh of relief that the B&C team hang up their event organiser shoes and get back to their day jobs delivering you the most up to date industry news. We would like to thank all of those who attended and made this year's inaugural event such a success, and roll on the Bridging & Commercial Awards 2011.
To view pictures from the day, see the related articles below.
To view the 2010 shortlisted nominees, click here.
To find out more about the judges, click here.
Related articles: