Caerphilly-based MacManus Asset Finance has been named Asset Finance Broker of the Year at a prestigious UK-wide awards event hosted by Claudia Winkleman for Business Moneyfacts in London on 18th April.
The largest business finance awards ceremony in the UK took place in front of more than 700 attendees representing some of the nation’s biggest financial institutions, at the Evolution Centre in Battersea, London.
MacManus Asset Finance was established in 2005, by Chris and Rhian MacManus and trades from Caerphilly Business Park, Caerphilly. Making the shortlist of finalists at the glamorous event was a huge achievement for the Welsh business, which found itself up against some of the biggest brokerages in the asset finance sector.
Chris said: “I was incredibly proud of our business, and my team, for being nominated in the industry’s leading awards, but we are far from the biggest brokerage in the UK. Some of the firms that made the final list have over 100 employees and are much larger than us.”
Chris MacManus said he and his team were thrilled just to be a finalist, but winning the title of Asset Finance Broker of the Year has surpassed all his expectations. He said: “These are arguably the highest profile awards in UK business financing and we were having a fantastic evening. When I heard Claudia say “The winner is MacManus Asset Finance Ltd” I was stunned. It was a real underdog moment!” Chris revealed.
Significantly the category was judged on the basis of customer testimonials, which Chris feels carried his team over the line for the judges.
He said: “What matters to a business customer is the service they receive, not how big the brokerage is. We have always aimed to provide a premium service to our clients, becoming an Outsourced Business Finance Partner.
“We were blessed that when we reached out to our business customers and told them we’d made the final they responded overwhelmingly, providing dozens of testimonials about the service they had received from us over the years. In the end it would seem that the judges felt we had earned the accolade of Asset Finance Broker of the Year, and we couldn’t be more delighted.”
MacManus Asset Finance provides services to businesses in Caerphilly, across Wales, and UK-wide who use asset finance to invest in vehicles, plant and machinery, as well as cashflow finance and business loans.
Following their win, when asked whether he had a message for businesses across South Wales who may use asset finance to invest in their vehicles, plant and machinery, Chris said:
“There are some incredible business finance brokerages in South Wales with knowledge and skill and a willingness to support local businesses with access to the essential business financing that they need to expand and grow.”
“MacManus Asset Finance have clients across the UK that have regularly worked with us for over 15 years and yet it’s sometimes a challenge to convince local firms that we could be their broker of choice.”
“I think there’s an assumption that bigger firms in England must be better. Well, I hope that our winning this award may go some way to change that perception.”
“We are the Business Moneyfacts Asset Finance Broker of the Year 2024, and we are right here, in South Wales.”
Lee Tillcock, Editor of Business Moneyfacts, said:
“The past year has seen the business finance sector rise to numerous challenges placed upon it by economic uncertainty. While interest rate and working capital funding line concerns remained, working tirelessly to boost business opportunities, it was brokers and providers that offered the expertise and knowledge that helped many businesses thrive and survive. The finalists and eventual winners at this year’s awards should be rightly proud of their achievements. They have offered a range of products and services that have best supported the sector, at a time when its success and growth remain vital to the recovery of the wider economy”
