18 | Influential Businesswoman Awards 2025 AIM-May25036 Marketing Director of the Year 2025 (UK): Julie Warren s Marketing Director at Propel, Julie has been instrumental in driving and supporting the company’s extraordinary 344% growth over three consecutive years, leading to Propel’s recognition for the “Fastest Sustained Growth by an Asset Finance Lender” from 2021 to 2024 by Asset Finance UK 50. Her strategic leadership during the transformative rebrand from Henry Howard Finance to Propel in 2020 was pivotal to the future of the business, winning the PR Week Global Awards for Corporate Branding and positioning the company as an innovative, purpose-driven Tier 1 UK lender rather than a niche regional provider. Since then, under Julie’s Marketing direction, the business has not looked back. Propel has secured landmark multi-year partnerships with industry giants including Barclays Business Banking and Azets, providing over one million UK SMEs with access to business-critical finance. These partnerships have not only expanded Propel’s market reach, but also solidified its position as an industry leader. Julie’s influence extends to Propel’s revolutionary online asset finance portal, Propeller, which has transformed vendor and partner sales through its £10m+ investment in fintech innovation that redefined the customer finance journey in SME lending through a distinctive ‘humandigital’ approach. Julie and her team mapped the end-to-end customer journey across all channels and touchpoints, identifying key customer experience insights through voice of customer research to create an ongoing programme of actionable improvements. Customer service excellence has been a significant focus, with Propel consistently achieving a class leading 9.7/10 customer satisfaction and industry high Trustpilot 4.7/5 scores. Julie has brought in sophisticated propensity modelling to Propel’s direct marketing and conducted extensive research in core markets. Her data-driven approach to marketing planning has enabled precise targeting of high-value prospects, optimising acquisition costs while increasing conversion rates. “It’s not enough to have a great marketing idea. You need to be able to deliver it consistently, without losing sight of your customers, your people, or your purpose.” - Julie Warren, Marketing Director, Propel Finance. Julie’s dedication to innovation extends to sustainability, as she oversaw the promotion of green finance options with Barclays Business Banking to support SMEs in meeting their environmental objectives. Julie is a respected thought leader in the fintech space, regularly sharing her expertise as a featured speaker at prestigious industry events including Asset Finance Connect. Her insights on digital transformation and customer-centric finance have positioned her as an authoritative voice in the UK finance sector. Beyond her business achievements, Julie has been instrumental in developing talent within Propel and championing women in finance. Under her leadership, Propel has achieved a notably high representation of women in leadership positions, bucking industry trends in financial services. Her commitment to mentorship has created pathways for emerging female leaders and contributed to the company’s diverse and innovative culture. Her advice to women entering the sector is to embrace complexity, build cross-functional expertise, and challenge assumptions. “This is an industry that rewards clarity of thinking and strength of execution”, she says. “Women bring both - and now is the time to drive and empower future leadership.” Julie’s win at the Influential Businesswoman Awards also recognises the complexity of the challenge she chose to take on. Asset finance has historically been defined by traditional processes, legacy systems, and cautious approaches to change. Julie’s greatest challenge - and proudest achievement - has been leading marketing innovation in such an environment. She has succeeded in introducing new technologies, launching digital-first propositions, and winning the support of stakeholders in an industry often reluctant to embrace change. Julie is clear that marketing success isn’t driven by technology alone, but by a relentless focus on customer-centric execution. “It’s not enough to have a great marketing idea,” she says. “You need to be able to deliver it consistently, without losing sight of your customers, your people, or your purpose.” Julie Warren exemplifies the modern influential businesswoman - visionary, results-driven, and committed to leveraging technology and innovation to enhance customer experience and drive significant revenue growth. Her transformative impact on the UK fintech landscape makes her a deserving winner of the Marketing Director of the Year (UK) award. Contact: Julie Waren Company: Propel Finance Email: contact@propelfinance.co.uk Web Address: www.propelfinance.co.uk Julie Warren, Marketing Director at Propel Finance, has been named Marketing Director of the Year (UK) at the Influential Businesswoman Awards. The recognition reflects not only her immense contribution to the UK finance sector, but her pivotal role in redefining how thousands of small and medium-sized businesses access funding. A
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