THE judging panel for the 2026 edition of the Broker News Awards is revealed today (24 March 2026).
It’s the broadest range of judges we have assembled, mixing both broker and industry specialists.
Between them, the judges will be considering the entries across 11 categories in this year’s Broker News Awards 2026, as well as our Rising Star Award.
“My immense thanks to the judges for giving up their time to judge the entries in this year’s awards. Each judge will have three categories to consider and some of the categories this year are simply bulging with entries.”
The judges will be overseen by Chair David Brennan, whose appointment was announced last week. As well as being a highly regarded and experienced automotive executive, David is an award-winning private equity chairman and also Chair of Nexus Vehicle Rental, Direct Tyre Management and Pagabo Group.
The judging process is taking place this week.
Who are the judges for the 2026 Broker News Awards?
The judging panel consists of:
Steve Cocks, Lex Autolease. Steve is Director of Broker Division at Lex Autolease, the largest leasing company in the UK.
Nickie Conde, Leasys. Formerly with Arval, Nickie was recently appointed Head of Indirect Sales at Leasys.
Ben Faulkner, Arval. Another funder executive who has been on the move, Ben is now the Broker Channel Lead at Arval, having recently moved across from Santander.
Paul Harkins, Alphabet. Paul has spent the last year on secondment as Head of Alphabet Partner; he is now returning to his more regular duties as Regional Development Manager.
Russell Hayes, Broker News. Russell is a freelance journalist writing for Broker News and heading up the content management of the website. He is also a motoring author with speciliasms in Alpine, Aston Martin and the history of the VW Golf.
Paul Hollick, Lightfoot/AFP. Paul is a highly experienced automotive leader. He is CEO of Lightfoot, while also undertaking the role of the Chair of the Association of Fleet Professionals.
Simon Leake, Drivalia. Simon joined Drivalia in 2023 to launch the funder’s broker channel and is now Head of Indirect Sales Channels.
Sanjay Mistry, Verum PR. Sanjay is a highly experienced PR practitioner now running his own PR business. Previous experience includes Media Relations for HSBC including the Vehicle Finance division.
Chris Swallow, Novuna Vehicle Solutions. A highly experienced automotive professional, Chris is Head of Broker at Novuna Vehicle Solutions.
Mike Thompson, Ayvens. Mike leads the broker division of Ayvens, the combined ALD/Leaseplan funder, as Sales Director – Indirect SME.
Sarah Tooze, Broker News. Sarah is a freelance journalist writing for Broker News and a specialist in the fleet sector. Sarah authored the soon to be released BN25 2026 report.
Tristan Young, Broker News. Tristan is a freelance writer for Broker News as well as editing and publishing Auto Sunday, a specialist automotive retail sector publication.
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Ralph Morton is the leading journalist in the leasing broker sector and editor of Broker News, the website which provides information and news for BVRLA-registered leasing brokers. He also writes extensively on the fleet and leasing market in both the UK and Europe.
