Jennifer Tankard, Chief Executive of Responsible Finance and Arthur Foreman, MD of FFE

Finance For Enterprise are thrilled to announce that Managing Director, Arthur Foreman, has been awarded Responsible Finance Leader at the prestigious 2016/17 Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards (CMA) held in Cardiff.

The Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards (CMA), delivered in partnership by Responsible Finance and Citi Foundation, champion the thriving small businesses of Britain and home-grown entrepreneurs, as well as awarding Responsible Finance Providers for their commitment to the sector.

“We nominated Arthur for this award due to his dedication and unfaltering commitment to FFE. Since it’s relaunch in 2009, under Arthur’s stewardship, he has taken the business from completing no investments at all, to delivering in excess of £23m of total lending. Not only has he increased our lending, but he has elevated our organisation geographically and through staffing, and we continue to grow year-on-year via the energy and commitment he provides”, commented Andrew Austwick, Executive Director at FFE.

Jennifer Tankard, Chief Executive of Responsible Finance, said: “Arthur has not only provided inspiration and leadership for Finance For Enterprise but for the UK’s responsible finance industry. He has provided support for fellow responsible finance providers as well as membership body Responsible Finance. Arthur’s ambition and hard work has transformed Finance For Enterprise. With the help of a loyal team, he has made a major impact on the small businesses of Yorkshire and the Midlands. Such entrepreneurial drive makes Arthur a very deserving winner at the Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards”.

“I am honoured to have won this award, and for those that put me forward I am truly grateful. It has been incredible to see how far FFE has come since the initial investment of £1m from British Rail Engineering in 1985. With a strong team behind me, we are dedicated to supporting our wider community and thrive on the impact this is having on the economy. with present times being uncertain as to what the future will hold, FFE are in a great position to continue to serve demand and help local businesses access the finance they deserve”.