ABFA Achievers Awards Dinner
The winners!
The Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington, saw the customary groups of hard-working students from the invoice finance sector turn up, with their enthusiastic supporters, to see who had won.
Competition was strong and one always feels for those who were good enough to make the shortlist but not to grasp the final prize: I have been there at the Business Journalist of the Year Awards, five times.
But tonight was all about winners and so it should be. David Postings, deputising for Simon Featherstone who had been banished to Florida on official duties, gave the opening address; Peter Ewen, ABFA chairman, spoke too.
The celebrity guest and host for the evening was Doctor Will Greenwood MBE, England and British Lyons centre now pursuing a highly successful career as a business speaker.
Award winners were:
Top Foundation Student Award 2014, sponsored by Baker Tilly
Stuti Ratra, RBS Invoice Finance
Top Certificate Student Award 2014, sponsored by Bermans
Ian Brown, Lloyds Bank Commercial Services
Top Financial Understanding Student Award 2014, sponsored by Grant Thornton
Martin King, RBS Invoice Finance
Top Operational and Legal Aspects Student Award 2014, sponsored by Hilton-Baird Group
Sebastian Miles, Shawbrook Business Credit
Top Leadership Development Student Award 2014, sponsored by Irwin Mitchell
Martin King, RBS Invoice Finance
Top Diploma with Honours Student Award 2014, sponsored by Squire Patton Boggs
Ross Stephenson, Skipton Business Finance
Lecturer of the Year 2014
Joint winners: Ian Lewis, Reward Commercial Finance, and Mike Hirst, HSBC Invoice Finance
Following the awards Jeff Longhurst made an amusing but pointed speech regarding his experience in the invoice finance business and continued the theme that had prevailed throughout: education, education, education.
We were then treated to an amusing account of his life in rugby by our host, Doctor Will Greenwood MBE. This was a special treat for those of us that have loved the game for so long.
A vibrant evening, celebrating educational success, came to a close with some loud music and the bar doing brisk business until the small hours.
