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Brighton, 12th October 2026: Brighton-headquartered social purpose fintech, Salad, formally received a King’s Award for Enterprise, one of the UK’s most prestigious honours, at an official presentation ceremony with The Lord-Lieutenant of East Sussex, Andrew Blackman CStJ.
Awarded annually by His Majesty The King on the advice of government ministers, the King’s Awards recognise outstanding success and achievement by UK organisations. Salad – which was created to give people underserved by mainstream credit greater access to fair, affordable loans – is the first retail lender to achieve this recognition in the 60-year history of the awards.
The ceremony took place on Friday 9th October, with the leadership team including Craig Pennington, CEO of Salad; Alan Campbell, Founder of the Salad Group; and Alex Marsh, CEO of the Salad Group. Marsh himself is a passionate Brighton community advocate and spent 10 years as a governor of Varndean School.
Salad, which has been in Brighton since 2021 and with a team of over 50, has grown to become the UK’s largest consumer lending Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI). Rather than relying on traditional credit scores, it uses Open Banking to understand real financial behaviour and assess affordability based on someone’s circumstances today. It has now supported more than 200,000 customers and has seen applications from individuals in Brighton and Hove increase by 35% from 2024-2025 (Jan-Dec), reflecting the growing demand as households continue to navigate financial pressures.
Craig Pennington, CEO of Salad, said: “We were incredibly proud to learn earlier this year that we had won a King’s Award, so officially receiving it is a major moment for everyone involved in this business. Salad was founded with the ambition to build something truly different, opening access to affordable credit to those not served or underserved by mainstream finance, and the rise in applications we have received from Brighton in the last year shows how much this is critically needed. By looking at people differently Salad has successfully leveraged technology to unlock millions of pounds to help people get on with their lives. This award reflects the talent, commitment and ambition of everyone who has been a part of that journey.”
Alan Campbell, Founder of the Salad Group, said: “We started Salad because too many people were being turned away by a financial system that didn’t understand them and wasn’t giving them a fair chance. We believed there had to be a better way to assess people and make good lending decisions, and we’ve spent the last eight years proving that. We’ve now lent to more than 200,000 people who mainstream lenders would not have supported. To receive a King’s Award recognising that hard work is a huge honour, and something that I and the whole team at Salad are incredibly proud of.”
The Lord-Lieutenant Andrew Blackman CStJ said: “I am delighted to congratulate Salad Money on receiving The King’s Award for Enterprise for Innovation. As the United Kingdom’s most prestigious business accolade, The King’s Awards recognise organisations that demonstrate outstanding achievement, make a significant contribution through their work, and showcase the very best of British enterprise. My warmest congratulations to everyone at Salad Money on this impressive achievement, of which they should be immensely proud.”
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