The great and the good from the asset finance and leasing world came together with their bow ties and glad rags on, to attend the Leasing World Gold Awards 2025 dinner at the Hilton Bankside in London this October.
The awards evening annually celebrates the outstanding work being done in the leasing and asset finance sector, with over 20 awards given out on the night.
One of the highlights of the evening came when Praetura Lending was announced as the Leasing World Gold Awards Business Finance Champion, the third time that the company has been bestowed this award.
Praetura Lending comprises five companies: Praetura Asset Finance, Kingsway Finance, Praetura Commercial Finance, Praetura Invoice and Zodeq; offering funding solutions for SMEs including asset finance, term loans, invoice finance and multi-facility asset-based lending packages, ranging from £10,000 to £35 million.
The submission for the Business Finance Champion category showcased a range of achievements from the group of companies, from a year where the combined lending book exceeded the £500 million milestone and record lending levels were posted across the board.
Ric Simmons, Managing Director of Praetura Lending’s Asset Finance Division, who collected the award on the evening commented: “I’m enormously proud of every single team member across the whole of Praetura Lending that has made winning this award possible.
“We are going from strength to strength each year, as more brokers and more of their SME clients are benefiting from funding being done the ‘Praetura Way’. Championing business is in our DNA. Business owners and their businesses are at the forefront of everything we do. We work in partnership with SMEs, and our ever-increasing network of brokers and advisers, adapting our funding to work in the best way possible to suit the needs of each individual business. Winning the Business Finance Champion award for the third time is testament to our methods being the right way to help businesses succeed.”
Another highlight of the evening came when Praetura Asset Finance’s Business Development Executive, Conal Myers was crowned the Next Generation Award Winner.
Conal joined Praetura Asset Finance on Praetura’s Graduate Summit Programme and moved to the role of Business Development Executive towards the end of 2022. Since the role was created, Conal has made such a substantial impact, that Praetura Asset Finance have changed the way that they approach larger deals, particularly ones which involve collaborative funding elements from different Praetura Lending companies.
Speaking about the achievement, Conal told us: “I’m truly humbled to receive the Next Generation Award, but no one succeeds alone. This recognition reflects not only my journey but also the support of an amazing team and mentors who have inspired me to grow and innovate. Praetura has given me the opportunity to develop and use my skillset to make a difference far beyond what I expected at the start of my career.”
Ric Simmons added: “The impact of Conal’s actions since the role of Business Development Executive was created have made a substantial difference. He has carved out a whole new function within the business development team, and this function is now a growing team in itself! Conal is also an absolute pleasure to work with, which isn’t just my opinion, it’s an opinion held by everyone who works with him.”
