The aim of The Specialist Lending Event is to help advisers boost industry acumen, product knowledge and enable strategic thinking for their business.
You can expect a packed agenda of presentations and panel discussions at any of our four event venues, which will help deepen your understanding and knowledge of the specialist parts of the market in which you currently operate or might consider in the future. The entire event also prioritises time for first class business networking between attendees, speakers and exhibitors in the specialist lending market.
Please email david.adjei@ae3media.co.uk if you are interested in attending our 2026 event.
09.35 – 09.55
Redefining the mortgage landscape – putting specialist at the forefront
The UK’s property and lending landscape is being affected by economic, social and regulatory changes. Key economic indicators such as GDP growth, inflation and unemployment will play a continued role in shaping borrower behaviour, affordability and access to finance. As the cost-of-living crisis persists, with stagnant wage growth and rising household expenses, consumers will continue to rethink their approach to debt, property ownership and financial planning. This session will explore the economic shifts, evolving borrower profiles and regulatory reform that are affecting specialist lending and advice.
Ryan Brailsford, director of business development, Pepper Money
09.55 – 10.35
Roundtable discussions
The roundtable discussions, hosted by our event sponsors, will offer advisers the opportunity to hear directly from lenders and providers on the latest developments shaping the specialist lending market, from emerging trends and regulatory changes to innovative products and evolving customer needs.
11.05 – 11.35
The new rules of engagement – positioning and competitiveness within the specialist market
Scott Howitt, sales director, Chartwell Mortgage Services
Alex Swan, deputy head of underwriting and head of AI, SDKA
Moderated by: Jason Berry, group sales director, Crystal Specialist Finance
11.35 – 12.15
Roundtable discussions
The roundtable discussions, hosted by our event sponsors, will offer advisers the opportunity to hear directly from lenders and providers on the latest developments shaping the specialist lending market, from emerging trends and regulatory changes to innovative products and evolving customer needs.
12.20 – 12.40
AI, automation and the customer journey – what can technology do for you?
Frazer Campbell, co-founder and CRO, Brickflow
13.45
Close of conference
09.35 – 09.55
Redefining the mortgage landscape – putting specialist at the forefront
The UK’s property and lending landscape is being affected by economic, social and regulatory changes. Key economic indicators such as GDP growth, inflation and unemployment will play a continued role in shaping borrower behaviour, affordability and access to finance. As the cost-of-living crisis persists, with stagnant wage growth and rising household expenses, consumers will continue to rethink their approach to debt, property ownership and financial planning. This session will explore the economic shifts, evolving borrower profiles and regulatory reform that are affecting specialist lending and advice.
Ryan Brailsford, director of business development, Pepper Money
09.55 – 11.00
Roundtable discussions
The roundtable discussions, hosted by our event sponsors, will offer advisers the opportunity to hear directly from lenders and providers on the latest developments shaping the specialist lending market, from emerging trends and regulatory changes to innovative products and evolving customer needs.
11.30 – 12.00
The new rules of engagement – positioning and competitiveness within the specialist market
Hiten Ganatra, managing director, Visionary Finance
Scott Howitt, sales director, Chartwell Mortgage Services
Alison Newsome, portfolio manager, SDKA
Moderated by: Jason Berry, group sales director, Crystal Specialist Finance
12.00 – 12.20
AI, automation and the customer journey – what can technology do for you?
Frazer Campbell, co-founder and CRO, Brickflow
13.25
Close of conference
09.35 – 09.55
Redefining the mortgage landscape – putting specialist at the forefront
The UK’s property and lending landscape is being affected by economic, social and regulatory changes. Key economic indicators such as GDP growth, inflation and unemployment will play a continued role in shaping borrower behaviour, affordability and access to finance. As the cost-of-living crisis persists, with stagnant wage growth and rising household expenses, consumers will continue to rethink their approach to debt, property ownership and financial planning. This session will explore the economic shifts, evolving borrower profiles and regulatory reform that are affecting specialist lending and advice.
Ryan Brailsford, director of business development, Pepper Money
09.55 – 10.50
Roundtable discussions
The roundtable discussions, hosted by our event sponsors, will offer advisers the opportunity to hear directly from lenders and providers on the latest developments shaping the specialist lending market, from emerging trends and regulatory changes to innovative products and evolving customer needs.
11.20 – 11.50
The new rules of engagement – positioning and competitiveness within the specialist market
Hiten Ganatra, managing director, Visionary Finance
Scott Howitt, sales director, Chartwell Mortgage Services
Kunal Mehta, managing director, SDKA
Moderated by: Jason Berry, group sales director, Crystal Specialist Finance
11.50 – 12.45
Roundtable discussions
The roundtable discussions, hosted by our event sponsors, will offer advisers the opportunity to hear directly from lenders and providers on the latest developments shaping the specialist lending market, from emerging trends and regulatory changes to innovative products and evolving customer needs.
12.50 – 13.10
AI, automation and the customer journey – what can technology do for you?
Frazer Campbell, co-founder and CRO, Brickflow
14.15
Close of conference
09.35 – 09.55
Redefining the mortgage landscape – putting specialist at the forefront
The UK’s property and lending landscape is being affected by economic, social and regulatory changes. Key economic indicators such as GDP growth, inflation and unemployment will play a continued role in shaping borrower behaviour, affordability and access to finance. As the cost-of-living crisis persists, with stagnant wage growth and rising household expenses, consumers will continue to rethink their approach to debt, property ownership and financial planning. This session will explore the economic shifts, evolving borrower profiles and regulatory reform that are affecting specialist lending and advice.
Ryan Brailsford, director of business development, Pepper Money
09.55 – 10.50
Roundtable discussions
The roundtable discussions, hosted by our event sponsors, will offer advisers the opportunity to hear directly from lenders and providers on the latest developments shaping the specialist lending market, from emerging trends and regulatory changes to innovative products and evolving customer needs.
11.20 – 11.50
The new rules of engagement – positioning and competitiveness within the specialist market
Hiten Ganatra, managing director, Visionary Finance
Scott Howitt, sales director, Chartwell Mortgage Services
Kunal Mehta, managing director, SDKA
Moderated by: Jason Berry, group sales director, Crystal Specialist Finance
11.50 – 12.45
Roundtable discussions
The roundtable discussions, hosted by our event sponsors, will offer advisers the opportunity to hear directly from lenders and providers on the latest developments shaping the specialist lending market, from emerging trends and regulatory changes to innovative products and evolving customer needs.
12.50 – 13.10
AI, automation and the customer journey – what can technology do for you?
Frazer Campbell, co-founder and CRO, Brickflow
14.15
Close of conference
Affirmative
Website
Affirmative is a Manchester-based lender offering development and bridging finance throughout England, Scotland and Wales.
It has been trading since 2004 and is on the panels of all the major mortgage networks, clubs and packagers. It’s also a patron of the NACFB and FIBA and a member of the BDLA.
Affirmative lends its own money and will look at funding cases from £20,000 to £5M.
It will lend up to 75% LTV, lends on a first and second charge basis and offers both regulated and non-regulated loans.
The lender specialises in regulated self builds, barn conversions, auction purchases, unmortgageable properties, time-critical completions, challenging planning / legal cases and other short-term solutions.
Affirmative lends across the residential, semi-commercial and commercial markets.
Aldermore
Website
At Aldermore we know not all clients fit a one-size-fits-all model and require a more specialist approach.
That’s why our experienced team of manual underwriters assess each client’s circumstances on a case-by-case basis, giving us more of an opportunity to help them to find the right mortgage, whatever their circumstances.
Aldermore supports a wide range of people, including first-time buyers with low deposits, the self-employed whose finances aren’t simple and straight forward, homeowners looking for a better remortgage deal, landlords big or small looking to start or grow their property portfolio, and borrowers with less than perfect credit.
Bath Building Society
Website
Bath Building Society has a specialist approach to mortgage lending, offering innovative products your customers might find tricky to find elsewhere – specialising in mortgages for first-time buyers, students and older borrowers.
Pop along to the Bath Building Society stand to have a chat about how a spare room can help your customers afford the mortgage they need. The Rent-A-Room (lodger) products can improve affordability up to a maximum of eight times income by using future rental income towards affordability calculations.
A flexible, common-sense approach to underwriting means the lender is willing to consider cases that fall outside of standard criteria. Applications are individually assessed by its underwriting team with no automated credit scoring.
Buckinghamshire Building Society
Website
Buckinghamshire Building Society has been helping people achieve homeownership since 1907.
As a mutually owned, independent Society based in the beautiful village of Chalfont St Giles, it is proud to do things The Bucks Way – combining a personal, human approach with specialist mortgage expertise.
It lends predominantly through intermediaries and truly values the strong relationships it has built with brokers over the years.
The lender’s manual underwriting and flexible criteria means it can support a wide range of borrowers, from first-time buyers to applicants with credit blips and everything in between – even when circumstances are a little out of the ordinary.
Working together with its broker partners, Buckinghamshire Building Society aims to find solutions that help people own their home, no matter what stage of life they’re at.
Fluent
Website
Fluent Money are a multi award winning business and the UK’s largest specialist broker. Our suite of products includes secured loans, mortgages, buy to let, equity release, bridging and commercial.
We have an excellent reputation and relationship with our Lenders and we use this to create additional products in areas where we can see customers are being underserved.
We continue to take a strong message to the intermediary sector via our field account managers and our team of internal business development officers, championing the use of specialist lending products.
The Fluent Money Group represents the best example of a modern specialist brokerage.
Foundation
Website
Foundation Lending
Foundation Lending is the home of specialist buy-to-let and residential mortgage lending.
With its dedicated sales and underwriting teams, the lender offers support to you throughout all the stages of your clients’ applications. Intermediaries like Foundation’s easy-to-use portal and flexible underwriting. It’s the lender’s aim to be the most trusted lender in the specialist sector.
Residential
Buy to Let
Market Financial Solutions
Website
Market Financial Solutions is an award-winning specialist finance lender with almost 20 years of industry experience. It offers specialist residential buy-to-let, commercial and semi-commercial term buy-to-let mortgage products, as well as bespoke bridging finance, and a unique hybrid bridging-buy-to-let product called Bridge Fusion.
Focusing on providing brokers with accessibility and flexibility, every enquiry receives a response within four hours and you can speak directly with the underwriter assigned to your case. MFS can provide loans as large as £65m, with some products offering no maximum, for UK and overseas investors purchasing property in England or Wales.
Market Financial Solutions works alongside brokers, taking on all the heavy lifting, and underwrites loans from day one to find the best solution for the borrower. With no tick-box criteria, it looks for reasons to lend, so you can move forward with your client’s case, confidently.
Nomo Bank
Website
Nomo Property Finance is a digital-first, Sharia-compliant finance product helping those who want to buy or refinance either residential or rental property in the UK.
The bank accepts applications from GCC (Gulf Corporation Council) country residents.
This includes the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Get in touch to find out more about how Nomo can help you unlock international demand.
Pepper Money
Website
Pepper Money is a broad specialist lender. It exists to help people succeed.
Championing individuality and looking for opportunities to say yes, rather than
reasons to say no.
It understands that brokers have a range of different needs, because their
customers do, too. These clients may want to take the next step in their
homeowning journey. Brokers want to help them, in the most efficient and
profitable ways.
Pepper Money is here to help both parties fulfil their ambitions. By offering simple, inclusive
products. By having a human approach to decision-making. By being easy to
work with. And by providing specialist expertise that can be relied on.
After all, when you keep an open mind and listen to people, everyone succeeds.
Precise
Website
Precise believes lending shouldn’t be complicated, so it cuts the faff and get straight to the point.
Whether it’s a residential or bridging finance, the lender helps people when they need it through its nationwide intermediary base.
Precise doesn’t think that underserved customers should be shunned by circumstance or complicated criteria. That’s why it has kept its process simple to give you a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ quickly and with as little fuss as possible.
It’s why the lender has won so many awards recently, and it’s pretty proud of them.
So, what are you waiting for? Get in touch with Precise today.
Precise, along with Rely and InterBay, is a specialist lending brand of OSB GROUP PLC.
Quantum Mortgages
Website
Quantum Mortgages understands the world of specialist lending better than most. The senior leadership team has been working with intermediaries for virtually their entire careers. This deep understanding of the needs of landlords, property investors and intermediaries has led to the creation of a thoroughly unique proposition.
While many lenders continue to chase the technology dream of full automation, Quantum Mortgages remains focused on offering greater product choice, modern lending criteria, and the ability to listen to and understand individual circumstances.
After successfully disrupting the buy-to-let market, Quantum Mortgages expanded into bridging finance in 2025, delivering flexible and tailored solutions to meet the diverse needs of property investors.
In 2026, it is taking the next step by launching into the residential mortgage space. Its goal is to bring the same innovation, choice, and service-led approach to residential lending, continuing its mission to challenge the status quo and deliver products that truly work for brokers and their clients.
Rely
Website
A buy to let lending powerhouse, Rely was born to fuel the success of property investors and their brokers through speed, clarity and insight.
Powered by an intuitive technology platform and a team of specialists dedicated to delivering solutions where others fail, its comprehensive offering redefines the lending experience.”
Alongside acclaimed specialist lending brands Precise and InterBay, it’s part of OSB GROUP PLC.
Rely on us to give you the winning edge.
Suffolk Building Society
Website
Suffolk has been writing mortgages since 1849, although its flexible approach and can-do attitude to lending mean it seems younger than 175.
It’s manual where it counts (underwriting), but it knows that time is money, so it is continually working on its intermediary journey.
Award-winning proposition:
The Brightstar Group
Website
The Brightstar Group comprises Brightstar Financial, Sirius Finance, Solstar Insurance, and The School Fees Company.
Brightstar Financial is the UK’s leading specialist lending distributor, helping brokers grow their businesses by providing the knowledge, expertise and resources needed to diversify into new lending areas. This includes specialist residential, complex buy-to-let, secured loans, commercial finance, and bridging and development finance.
Sirius Finance, launched in 2018, has grown rapidly to become one of the most recognised brands in the property finance sector, operating from its London offices. Sirius provides a client-facing specialist property debt advisory service across commercial, investment, development, and residential transactions.
Solstar Insurance recognises that every individual, family, and business has unique insurance and protection needs. It delivers personalised solutions that provide peace of mind and long-term financial security.
The School Fees Company supports parents in managing the rising cost of private education through practical and innovative financial solutions, from advance fee planning to unlocking property equity.
The Brightstar Group has won more than 145 national awards, including The Sunday Times Best Small Company to Work For in 2019 and 2020, and Investors in People Gold accreditation.
With over 30 years in financial services, Jason has played a major role in Crystal’s award-winning growth since joining in 2020. He is also a passionate advocate for wellbeing across the mortgage sector through his work with MIMHC.
Jason began his career as a financial adviser in 1991 before moving into senior leadership roles. At Platform Home Loans, he led the sales division through the 2008 financial crisis, strengthening credit risk management and helping return the business to profitability. He later joined Uinsure as director of sales, where he helped the fintech insurer become an award-winning market leader and grow its general insurance market share to 35%.
Today, Jason is recognised as a respected industry voice, combining commercial expertise with a strong commitment to mental health and positive cultural change.
With over 20 years’ experience in financial services, predominantly in specialist lending, there’s not much Ryan hasn’t seen. Throughout his career, Ryan has always been passionate about helping intermediaries place cases that are underserved by mainstream lenders. In his role at Pepper Money as business development director, he oversees the strategic objectives of a multi-faceted field and telephone-based sales team. Working closely with a diverse range of broker partners, Ryan plays a crucial role in identifying present and future challenges and relays this to Pepper to ensure its offering is broad and inclusive. His attention to detail and desire to leave no stone unturned has resulted in Pepper’s sales service levels becoming market-leading, winning industry-wide recognition and plaudits.
Frazer Campbell is the C0-Founder and CRO of Brickflow. During Frazer’s time at Brickflow, the company has gone through a period of remarkable achievement and growth and he has demonstrated relentless dedication, passion and hard work, playing a pivotal role in shaping Brickflow into what it has become.
Frazer has always been fully committed – not only to driving the business forward but also to fostering a company culture grounded in collaboration, innovation and continuous growth. His unwavering belief in Brickflow’s potential and his tireless efforts in every aspect of the business set him apart.
Frazer shares a bold vision for the future of Brickflow with his co-founders, which is what led to his appointment as a Co-Founder. His alignment of ideas and passion for innovation fuels the company’s progress, enabling the team to explore new opportunities, tackle challenges head-on and work relentlessly to expand Brickflow’s impact.
Hiten has worked in property finance since 2008, building a strong reputation for insight, integrity and results. He leads both Mortimer Street Capital and its sister company, Visionary Finance – a well-regarded mortgage brokerage known for its reach across the UK and international markets. Together, the two firms serve a wide range of clients, from private individuals to large property companies and portfolio investors, across the full mortgage and real estate funding markets.
Hiten is a regular voice in industry media and was recently named a Change Maker at the British Mortgage Awards, recognised for his efforts in shaping a more inclusive and balanced sector.
With over 25 years’ experience in the financial services mortgage sector, Scott spent the majority of his career at Mortgage Talk heading up various divisions of the business.
He then joined Meridian Mortgages in January 2013, specialising in new build mortgages and working alongside some the UK’s biggest new homes developers.
He is now the Sales Director at Chartwell Mortage Services, where he has been since 2019.
Kunal’s passion for service and delivery stems from his previous career as a commercial airline pilot. With a strong personal interest in property investment and development, he founded SDKA in 2016 and the business has continued to grow under his leadership. He drives the team with a clear focus on supporting clients and enabling their business growth.
At SDKA, Kunal ensures that everyone is given a fair opportunity. When the team identifies genuine business acumen, they provide support regardless of experience, remaining open-minded and focused on potential rather than barriers.
Kunal finds it incredibly rewarding to see the value his team brings to clients – helping them expand their portfolios, strengthen their businesses and build long-term wealth.
Alison is passionate about developing strong client relationships while overseeing the servicing of loans. Working collaboratively with stakeholders and the wider SDKA team, she is responsible for effectively managing loan book redemptions.
With an extensive background in financial services – spanning roles from Bank Manager to Risk Manager and Commercial Relationship Manager, as well as experience in Portfolio Management – Alison brings the depth of expertise needed to manage a diversified portfolio for SDKA.
In her approach to portfolio management, Alison leverages her interpersonal skills alongside her problem-solving and planning abilities to build professional relationships. She thrives on working with clients to help turn their ambitions into reality and is genuinely passionate about nurturing the meaningful connections she forms with them.
Alex holds the position of Deputy Head of Underwriting and Head of AI, where he is responsible for structuring loans and guiding them through to completion. He provides support throughout the application process, ensuring all necessary documentation is in place. Having entered the specialist lending sector as a graduate, Alex has valued the opportunity to apply his logical mindset to decision-making across a wide range of deals.
In his work, Alex thrives on the analysis and practical reasoning that specialist lending demands. He appreciates moving beyond tick-box processes and instead applying clear, logical thought to each decision. Every application presents a unique combination of properties, borrowers, and circumstances – an aspect of the role that Alex particularly enjoys.
