Mortgage Strategy is proud to introduce the judging panel for the Mortgage Strategy Specialist Lending Awards 2026, in partnership with Black & White Bridging.
Bringing together respected experts from across specialist and commercial lending, this year’s judges have been carefully selected for their experience, insight and integrity. Representing a broad cross-section of the market, they understand the complexities, challenges and opportunities shaping the sector today.
Their role is to independently assess every entry, applying a rigorous and transparent scoring process to identify the individuals, teams and organisations delivering true excellence across specialist lending.
The judges are Paul Adams, sales director, Pepper Money; Claire Askham, head of mortgage sales, Buckinghamshire Building Society; Jane Benjamin, director mortgages, Connect for Intermediaries; Beverley Bradford head of TSB Mortgage Intermediaries;
Stephanie Charman, chief executive Association of Mortgage Intermediaries; Jon Cooper, director of property distribution at Aldermore; Darren Deacon, head of intermediary Sales, Family Building Society; Richard Deacon, managing director sales, Octane Capital; Kate Fuller, business principle, Mortgage Advice Bureau; Elizabeth Harris, regulatory director, Rockstone Compliance; Dale Jannels, chief executive at OMS.
Vikki Jefferies, market development director for retail distribution, L&G; Rob Lankey, national sales director at Afin Bank; Phil Leivesley, director of mortgages, LDN Finance; Gareth Lewis, deputy chief executive, MT Finance Group; Rachel Lummis, mortgage advisor Xpress Mortgages; Nicholas Mendes, mortgage technical manager & head of marketing at John Charcol.
Andrew Montlake, chief executive at Coreco; Roger Morris, group distribution director, CHL Mortgages and ModaMortgages; Sam O’Neill, bridging finance consultant, KIS Finance & The Bridging Finance Consultancy; Nathan Reilly, chief customer officer at Twenty7tec; Jonathan Samuels, chief executive at Octane Capital; LIz Syms chief executive, Connect for Intermediaries; Buster Tolfree, managing director ‑ mortgages, BTL & bridging, UTB; Maeve Ward, intermediary sales director – personal finance, Together; and Sally Wright, head of distribution, Paragon.
