Credit Awards winners revealed in interactive digital ceremony

As the flagship awards for professionals working in credit and financial services, the Credit Awards saw a wave of goodwill from the industry last night, as viewers tuned in to watch and wish good luck to a record number of companies, individuals and teams on the shortlist.

For this year’s Credit Awards programme, Credit Strategy shortlisted 255 entries for 2020 from 145 companies. These were judged by a panel of more than 30 independent judges - many of them part of the Credit 500 - who work in CRO, credit risk, trade credit and collections roles at creditors including HSBC, Nationwide, Shell, Tesco Bank, United Utilities, Shawbrook Bank and others. The panel also comprises experts in technology, analytics and digital start-ups.

Beginning the ceremony with a welcome address from our London TV studio, Luke Broadhurst, chief executive of Credit Strategy’s parent company Shard Financial Media, said the judges’ contribution “provides a further independent stamp of approval, as well as offering a transparency which adds a further dimension to the value of a Credit Award win.”

The first category of the night was for Outstanding Contribution to the Industry, which was presented by Gareth McNab, social innovation lead at Nationwide, to Joanna Elson, chief executive of the Money Advice Trust. This came not long after she was awarded a CBE for her dedication and service over decades to people in financial difficulty.

The awards were hosted by comedian Justin Moorhouse, famed for his appearances on 8 out of 10 cats and other comedy shows across BBC 2 and Channel 4, while the judges (in full black tie) announced the winners live on camera from their own homes.

Big winners
Some of the most successful firms on the night included United Utilities, Bamboo Loans and Lowell, with Lowell taking home three awards. Virgin Money also came out top in three categories.

Viewers watched the ceremony via Brella, the viewing and networking tool for all events during the Credit Festival, but uniquely for 2020, they were all able to interact with the entire audience on a chat function on the platform.

This interaction included a live poll, which saw Wayne Whitford, of Court Enforcement Services, take the title of ‘best dressed.’

To view the full list of winners, visit the Credit Awards website.

Backers of the Credit Awards this year included platinum sponsors Court Enforcement Services, along with fellow sponsors Bamboo Loans, Chartsbridge, Ardent Credit Services, Lowell, Menzies, MERJE, Hometrack, Lantern and Mr Lender.

The awards also raised awareness for Shooting Star Children’s Hospices.