10 Years of #FRAwards: 2011 - Loans Warehouse

Why was winning a Financial Reporter Award important for Loans Warehouse?

I still remember the first time James Lucas spoke to me about the concept of the Financial Reporter Awards and how exciting the concept of this new awards programme seemed - of course, then it was the myintroducer.com awards! We loved the idea as at that time both our companies were in their infancy and all awards were decided by small panels so the idea of an award solely decided on votes stood out.

What has changed for your business since 2011?

Over the last 10 years our business has evolved and the awards we’ve received at the FRAs have mirrored that change. Our first awards were Best Secured Loan Broker and I won Personality of the Year (I know - bet that was a popular vote!).

We’ve since gone on to win awards for Bridging / Short Term Lending, Specialist Distribution & Unsecured Lending, but the one constant has been that we’ve never lost that title we won in 2010 of Best Secured Loan Broker. I won’t lie - for the last couple of years, we’ve been thinking ‘What if we could make it ten out of ten?’, so this year’s awards programme is a very special opportunity for Loans Warehouse and we’re sure the competition will be fierce, as always, so we’ll be putting our all into our campaign.

No matter what the outcome of the #FRA19, these victories have elevated the profile of Loans Warehouse more than any other event, so we will always be very grateful for the votes and the awards.

What do you think has been the best development in the industry since 2011?

Social media. It’s hugely influential, and whilst it does give some idiots a voice,  it also gives the industry an amazing opportunity to share, learn and promote for free. It’s a great leveller, in that the smallest and biggest businesses all have the same opportunities to promote their work and lead discussions on these platforms.

What advice would you give a business hoping to scoop an award this year?

Work for it - work all year to deliver amazing service, and then work with people to ensure they vote… politicians don’t sit back and hope to win an election!

If you could pick one song to play at the Financial Reporter Awards party, what would it be?

The Greatest Show or Never Enough, both from The Greatest Showman.