Cornerstone Finance Group CEO Haydn Thomas has been named Industry Leader of the Year at the NACFB Commercial Broker Awards 2026.
The business also enjoyed further recognition, with Cornerstone Commercial Finance highly commended in the Commercial Mortgage Broker of the Year (4+ Brokers) and Intermediary Excellence Award categories.
The award recognises Haydn’s contribution to the business and the wider industry. Under his leadership, Cornerstone Finance Group has continued to deliver strong growth while maintaining a focus on client relationships, innovation and regulatory excellence.
In 2025, Group turnover increased to almost £13 million, mortgage lending exceeded £1.75 billion and commercial lending to SMEs rose to £90 million. The Cornerstone Commercial Network expanded to 18 registered individuals, while the Cornerstone Network surpassed its adviser growth target, reaching 286 advisers and growing to 313 in 2026.
Haydn Thomas 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.”
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, held at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester, are the UK’s largest broker awards programme. This year’s event attracted more than 430 entries across 26 categories.
Cornerstone Commercial Finance recently achieved NACFB Assured status, while Cornerstone Finance Group was recognised in the Fast Growth Index UK Top 250 fastest-growing companies list in 2025.
