Cornerstone Finance Group CEO Haydn Thomas has been named Industry Leader of the Year at the NACFB Commercial Broker Awards 2026.
Cornerstone Commercial Finance was also highly commended in two further categories – Commercial Mortgage Broker of the Year (4+ Brokers) as well as the Intermediary Excellence Award.
Under Haydn’s leadership, Cornerstone Finance Group has embedded a culture which blends strong relationship-based brokering with a commitment to compliance and an appetite for innovation.
In 2025 the Group’s turnover reached almost £13 million, up from just over £7 million the previous year.
Mortgage lending across the year was up 104% to £1.75 billion, while more than 3,750 clients were protected – an increase of 66%. Commercial lending to SMEs rose 22% to £90 million, and the Cornerstone Commercial Network expanded to 18 registered individuals.
Haydn set a goal for the Cornerstone Network to increase its number of mortgage and protection advisers to 250 in 2025 and it reached 286 – an increase of 59%. It has now hit 313.
Haydn said:
“It’s a huge honour to be named as Industry Leader of the Year and one which I share with the entire senior leadership team at Cornerstone. Together we’ve established and continue to grow a business based on relationships, collaboration and industry best practice.”
Commercial turnover at Cornerstone Commercial Finance in 2025 was £1.28 million, with growth of 71.3% in the first five months of 2026.
2026 lending from January to May was £128 million, a 46.83% increase on the same period last year.
Kevin Morgan, Managing Director of Cornerstone Commercial Finance, said:
“Haydn’s recognition as Industry Leader is very well deserved. We are incredibly fortunate to have someone of his calibre and experience at the helm.
“Being highly commended in two awards categories is a tremendous achievement and is testament to the hard work, talent and commitment of our teams. It reflects the fact that the approach we take to building relationships with clients, advisers and our lending partners leads to the best possible outcomes.”
The awards are the UK’s biggest broker awards, and this year more than 430 entries were submitted across 26 categories. The record-breaking total represents a 25% increase in submissions and a 16% rise in participating NACFB Member firms compared with last year.
A panel of 36 expert judges, each bringing specialist industry knowledge, assessed each submission against clearly defined judging criteria. The judging panel’s scores were combined with NACFB Patron/Partner votes to determine both the winners and those who were highly commended in each category.
The winners were announced at the NACFB Commercial Broker Awards ceremony held at Lancashire Cricket Club at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester.
The awards success comes shortly after Cornerstone Commercial Finance achieved NACFB Assured status, an independently audited accreditation that recognises robust business standards, processes and regulatory adherence.
Cornerstone Commercial Finance is part of Cornerstone Finance Group, which was recognised as one of the Fast Growth Index UK’s Top 250 fastest-growing companies in 2025. The Group is headquartered in Cardiff and has an office in Sheffield.
