The 2026 Financial Reporter 30 Under 30 list is here.
Meet the 30 rising stars shaping the future of our industry below.

Ben Harding combines marketing and data experience to lead Barclays' mortgage intermediary engagement strategy and develop its broker communications.

Benjamin Austin moved from retail management into mortgages after serving Landmark Private Finance's managing director, becoming the firm's youngest broker in January 2026.

Benjamin Howell brought his data expertise to OSB Group, where he has helped manage banking migrations and led a winning hackathon team.

Chelsea Pordage began as a banking apprentice at 17 and now helps brokers navigate specialist lending as a business development manager at Aldermore.

Christine Chau moved into banking from software development across several sectors and designed an integration architecture that still underpins Tandem's Connect V2 platform.

Daniel Casey combines broker support and training at Coventry Building Society, developing resources that help colleagues navigate lending criteria and business change.

Dylan Humphreys moved from the Army into finance and has completed more than 100 bridging deals worth over £26 million at Clifton Private Finance.

Francesca Starkey entered specialist property finance without sector experience and has built an industry network of more than 6,000 at Project & Co.

Hannah Parker led Gen H's expansion into Scotland and has helped improve governance and underwriting processes as its chief of staff.

Harrison Avery progressed from insurance apprentice to regional sales manager at Primis, where he supports more than 100 mortgage firms.

Hristina Hristeva founded Onyx Financial three months after becoming a mother, building a team and growing the business through client recommendations.

Ismail Azam progressed from trainee to Rising Star award winner at L&C, while developing resources and training to support fellow advisers.

Jack Cope used his specialist lending experience to establish Bridgemore Mortgages, completing £22 million across 50 cases in its first year.

Joe Brown began in his family's mortgage business at 19, gained CeMAP and founded Brown & Co at 22.

Katie Murphy progressed from mortgage processing to relationship management at Mortgage 1st, developing support for difficult cases and helping establish remote employee roles.

Kayla Joseph manages Blue Moon Mortgages' first home buying cases after advice, while training colleagues and working towards becoming an adviser herself.

Levi Culshaw draws on experience across advice, compliance and management to develop Mortgage Advice Bureau's later life proposition and support its advisers.

Lewis Bray has progressed from apprentice to corporate underwriter at Together, helping develop its lending to social housing and healthcare providers.

Natalie Schofield has progressed from digital marketing executive to senior responsibilities at Roma Finance, leading website development and supporting broker education.

Niquita Edmonds creates visual tools to explain complex planning and develops colleagues while progressing towards financial advice at Squirrel Financial Planning.

Oliver Jordan turned a mortgage administration apprenticeship into a career in specialist protection advice and the launch of his own firm, Check Financial.

Ollie Whyte progressed into customer success leadership at Acre, improving support processes and bringing broker feedback into product and operational decisions.

Paige Newey built experience across The Cambridge Building Society before becoming a mortgage adviser, and now contributes to training and lending technology projects.

Phoebe Lane began in mortgage administration and achieved chartered financial planner status at 23, alongside developing her client bank and mentoring trainees.

Rebecca Vickers built her career in branch banking and broker support before moving into lender relationships at Legal & General.

Robyn James moved from mortgage administration into advice and development, creating The Right Mortgage's new build proposition and its adviser accreditation programme.

Samuel Mason founded The Mortgage and Protection Hub from his kitchen table and has grown it into a team of nine.

Saocha Murphy moved from collections into new business engagement at Paragon, supporting complex property enquiries while developing her specialist lending knowledge.

Thomas Steer progressed from a lending apprenticeship to head of underwriting at LendInvest, where he has led product launches and increased underwriting capacity.

William Thorneycroft combines experience in law, construction and mortgages to build tools that support consultants and customer feedback at Connells Group.