The 2026 East Midlands Finance Awards (EMFA) brought together top talent and outstanding finance teams across the region for an evening of celebration.
On the 14th of May, local businesses gathered at Nottingham Contemporary for an unforgettable evening featuring live music from local legends The Burgendys, as well as table magic and a stage performance from guest entertainer Magic Marco.
Now in its sixth year, the EMFA is a staple on the regional finance calendar, with this year marking an early sell-out and a record number of attendees. While each year brings new nominees, 2026 also saw the return of previous contenders, including Unsung Hero winner Yvonne Tallis, who was previously a runner-up in 2025.
Distinct’s Talent Acquisition Director in Finance recruitment, Henry Clarkson, took to the stage as official host for the evening. Highlights included showcasing the incredible work of our charity partner, P3, before our East Midlands team presented the deserving winners and runners-up. The big winner of the night was Lithia UK, taking home three awards, including our new Transactional Finance Award.
At Distinct, we firmly believe the East Midlands is a fantastic place to build a thriving finance career and celebrating the people behind that work is what this event is all about. Read on for the full list of winners and runners-up, including highlight snippets from the judges on why each was awarded.
Our judging panel
We’d also like to extend a special thank you to our headline award sponsor, Cooper Parry and our external judging panel:
• Amy Broomhead, Wills & Probate Partner | Cooper Parry
• Antony Howarth, Global Head of Accounts | Rough Trade
• Jo Shepherd, Finance Director | Transform Trust
• John Acaster, EMEA AP/AR Manager | Nexspring Health
• Kerry Williamson, Director | University of Nottingham
• Maria Wright, Finance Director | Fix Auto
• Paul Rowley, Partner | Cooper Parry
• Rebecca Eden, Payroll Manager | Lithia UK
• Sarah Gowar, Head of Finance Operations | Cooper Parry
• Tanisha Howell, Assistant Finance Accountant | Sygnature Discovery
• Wayne Dewis, Group Head of Finance | Sygnature Discovery
Congratulations to EMFA’s 2026 runners-up and winners:
Finance team of the year (less than 10 staff)
Judged by Anthony and Jo, presented by Claire Fletcher
Runners-up: Solmar Villas
Winners: SDL Surveying
Judges comments:
Solmar Villas’ finance team has shown remarkable adaptability and resilience during a period of real change and rapid business growth. We were impressed by the way they transformed their finance function from firefighting to forward looking, improved audit performance, sped up month-end reporting, introduced automation, and became trusted partners to the wider business.
SDL Surveying has delivered an outstanding year of performance, innovation and unity, despite being a small team supporting a sizeable business. Notable highlights include their work through a major organisational separation, the implementation of a new finance system, complex consolidation and VAT changes and dual audits, all without increasing headcount. But what really stood out was their culture. A team that supports each other, cares deeply about the business, and consistently delivers above its size.
Rising star
Judged by Tanisha and Wayne, presented by Amy Frost
Runner-up: Shannon Roberts, P3 Charity
Winner: Sam Derinto, Access
Judges comments:
Shannon is an exceptional emerging talent whose contribution is already making a meaningful difference across the organisation and wider community. She played a key role in delivering the new prepayment card platform, simplifying complex processes and supporting colleagues through clear, practical training. Shannon continues to invest in her development through AAT Level 4 and the Aspiring Leaders programme, building commercial awareness and confidence that she actively shares with her team.
It is very clear that Sam has earned great respect from the business and his colleagues, yet remains humble and genuinely enjoys his work. It was inspiring to hear Sam talk about his ambitions not in terms of roles or accolades, but rather of fulfilling his own potential. Sam is a keen diversity champion and thrives on allowing others to progress and develop. From birthing the idea for a Revenue Assurance function whilst retaining the highest peer-led survey results in the company, Sam more than proves his deserving of the Rising Star award.
Unsung hero
Judged by Amy and Sarah, presented by Becky Downes
Runner-up: Kira Warrington, Lithia UK
Winner: Yvonne Tallis, Fix Auto Leicester
Judges comments:
In an exceptionally short space of time in her role, Kira not only learnt entirely new processes but also stepped up to manage individuals and support others through the transition. Her dedication goes far beyond her day job – taking the time to learn and understand processes in detail, sharing her knowledge generously by training others, and being the first to help those around her. An unsung hero any team would be lucky to have, and she has huge potential for her future career.
Yvonne truly embodies the spirit of an unsung hero, quietly dedicated, entirely humble, and often unaware of the profound impact she has on the people and the organisation around her. While she consistently delivers excellence in managing the Finance processes, she has also stepped up to take on responsibility for HR, undertaking her CIPD qualification to ensure she can support the business to the highest possible standard. This level of personal commitment goes far beyond what is expected and reflects her exceptional sense of responsibility. She continually introduces thoughtful initiatives that drive engagement, belonging, and wellbeing across the workplace. She is an exceptional colleague and anchor to her team.
Finance Leader of the Year
Judged by Maria and Paul, presented by Ben Love
Runner-up: Millie Graves, Lithia UK
Winner: Liz Brownell, Access
Judges comments:
Millie has been on a very impressive journey, joining as an apprentice accounts assistant and 8 years later leading a purchase ledger team of 70 people. She has grown the team as they transitioned to a shared service centre, demonstrating huge enthusiasm and a real growth mindset. She’s not afraid of change, takes people with her and demonstrates a genuine passion for collaboration and teamwork. A genuine role model for young people with aspirations for leadership roles in finance.
Liz Brownell is a transformative finance leader driving rigorous governance, AI‑enabled innovation and global team development at Access Group. Her direct, people‑first leadership empowers emerging talent, strengthens operational discipline and modernises finance through technology. A strategic, inclusive and forward‑thinking leader, she epitomises Finance Leader of the Year impact.
Operational excellence in transactional finance
Judged by John, presented by Angela Alcock
Runner-up: Jamie Davis, Solmar Villas
Winner: Terri-Ann Powe, Lithia UK
Judges comments:
Jamie is in his first Finance role and, with no prior experience, has started to make a huge impact not only on his work but also on his peers and leaders. Not content with his day-to-day tasks, he continually looks for ways in which the wider business processes can improve and is not satisfied unless improvements are made. This drive and excellence in his day-to-day BAU have enabled his leaders to step away and focus on other areas, as they have complete trust in Jamie’s accuracy, solutions, and improvement in transactional controls.
Terri has proved herself to be the subject-matter expert but has not rested on this; instead, she volunteered herself to own processes outside her team’s responsibilities. The growth that she empowers in her team and her own delivery and reliability make Terri a huge asset to the organisation and an example of team-leading at its best.
Finance Team of the Year (more than 10 staff)
Judged by Rebecca and Kerry, presented by Henry
Winner: DHU Healthcare
Runner-up: Eden Futures
Judge’s comments:
Eden Futures is a finance team that has faced a huge number of challenges over the last year and come through them with resilience, energy and togetherness. We were impressed by their ability to keep moving forward and continue supporting the organisation through a demanding period. They showed real strength as a team, and deserve recognition for the way they have handled change while remaining focused on the future.
DHU Healthcare’s finance team embody togetherness, pride and commitment to the work they do. The team have developed their ways of working, supported and encouraged new team members, and continued to deliver brilliant work in an organisation where other frontline teams can often receive more visible recognition. This is a finance team that clearly cares about its people, its purpose and the organisation it supports.
Speaking on the evening itself, Sara Smith, Finance Director at DHU Healthcare, commented: “It was a great event, both to celebrate the amazing talent in the East Midlands and to network with dynamic, like-minded people. I was pleased to see my old team, SDL Surveying, win an award and enjoyed catching up with Cooper Parry’s Commercial Director, Amy Broomhead too!”
Once again, we would like to congratulate all shortlisted businesses in the East Midlands finance community:
Access Group • Blue Light Card • Compass Community • DHU Healthcare • Dunelm • East Midlands Rail • Eden Futures • Fix Auto Leicester • Geary’s Bakery • HGV Direct • Keystone Knowledge • Link3 Recruitment • Lithia UK • P3 Charity • Pells Chartered Accountants • Perceptive • Potter Clarkson • Power Saving Solutions • Pub People • Rotherwood Group SDL • Surveying • Solmar Villas
About the EMFA:
The East Midlands Finance Awards are a non-profit event, organised and hosted by Distinct. To ensure complete fairness, all categories are judged by an external, impartial panel, many of whom are previous winners, and the process includes a dedicated interview stage for every nominee. The awards are completely free to enter, with no limit on entries.
The EMFA will return in 2027 at an exciting new venue (to be announced soon!). Entries will open towards the end of this year; keep an eye on our official event page for full details and updates.
