Charles & Dean named Large Asset Broker of the Year 2026

Finance Connect continues its series highlighting the winners of the Finance Connect Summer Awards 2026. This time, the spotlight falls on Charles & Dean, winner of the Large Asset Broker of the Year award, sponsored by Allica Bank, recognising the brokerage’s commitment to delivering strong customer outcomes, building lasting relationships and raising standards across asset finance.

For Charles & Dean, the award marks an important step towards its ambition of being consistently recognised among the UK’s highest-performing asset finance brokerages.

“This recognition represents a key milestone in our ambition to be consistently regarded as the highest-performing Asset Finance brokerage in the UK.

“Our goal has always been to create brilliant outcomes for our clients while generating repeat business and building long-term relationships. This award recognises the progress we have made and the strength of the service we continue to provide.”

A team driving growth

Lodge attributes much of the company’s recent growth to the strength and ambition of its Asset Finance team, alongside its ability to offer customers access to a broader range of funding options.

“A significant contributor to both our growth and this award has undoubtedly been our Asset Finance team,” he said. “Young, ambitious and driven, they consistently combine energy with a professional approach, delivering outstanding outcomes for our clients.”

The team works closely with Charles & Dean’s Business Finance, Property Finance and Car Finance divisions, enabling the brokerage to address a diverse range of customer funding requirements.

“While we are proud of what we have achieved so far, we remain focused on building on this success, continually developing, improving and raising the standards we set ourselves,” Lodge added.

Speed becoming increasingly important

The expectations of SME customers are also evolving, with Lodge highlighting speed and simplicity as increasingly important considerations when businesses choose finance providers.

“Client expectations are certainly shifting towards speed and ease,” he said. “The rise of the unsecured market, and the speed at which funds can be accessed, means we have to move quicker within Asset Finance to maintain a strong value proposition.

“This is especially important at a time when business owners are accustomed to having services at their fingertips. In many cases, price is no longer the deciding factor; speed can be what wins both the deal and the long-term client relationship.”

That changing environment is also reshaping the role of the broker. Lodge believes today’s successful brokers must combine responsiveness with a genuine understanding of the challenges facing SMEs.

“A successful broker today needs to move at pace, understand the challenges SMEs face and translate that understanding into suitable funding solutions that resonate with business owners and address their specific needs,” he explained.

“Just as importantly, brokers have a role to play in bridging the knowledge gap, helping businesses understand the options available and ensuring they can access the right funding at the right time. Strong communication, responsiveness and the ability to build trusted relationships are also essential.”

Building on the momentum

Following its Finance Connect Summer Awards success, Charles & Dean intends to continue investing in its team and expanding its relationships with customers.

“Our ambitions for the next 12 months are to continue performing at a high level, grow our headcount and generate further repeat business off the back of successful client transactions,” Lodge said.

“Congratulations to Charles & Dean on being named Large Asset Broker of the Year – a real testament to the quality and consistency of their work in this space,” he said. “Brokers are the backbone of the lending industry, and recognising that excellence is exactly what awards like this should do.”