LOVE Energy Savings finance director Chris Todd has been recognised for his achievements with a prestigious industry prize.

The 32-year-old, who joined the Bolton-based energy comparison company in 2012, took home the ‘Best Northern Finance Director of a Limited Company up to £25 million’ at the Northern Finance Director Awards in Leeds Town Hall on Tuesday night.

Judges for the awards included Alexandra Fogal, a director for Barclays Corporate Banking, and NBS chief financial officer Chris Blaxall.

During his time with Love Energy Savings Chris has negotiated two management buyouts and last month he was part of the team that secured a £25million investment from private equity firm LDC.

After collecting his trophy he said: “I am delighted to win this award and proud of what I have achieved in my six years with Love Energy Savings.

“I would like to thank all of my colleagues for their support and look forward to many more years of success as the company grows and strengthens its position in the market.”

Chris began his finance career at the age of 16 with an accountancy practice and became ACA qualified seven years later.

He joined Love Energy Savings as financial controller in 2012 and a year later negotiated a £500,000 investment through the Greater Manchester Loan Fund.

As part of an ambitious three-year growth plan, Chris went on to secure a £4.5million private equity investment with NVM.

This injection helped support considerable turnover growth – from £6.5m in 2015 to £17.3m in 2017, with £24m forecast in 2018.

Chris was appointed Finance Director three years after his arrival at Love Energy Savings and has been crucial to increasing profitability and maintaining the company’s industry-leading position.

His achievements include innovative pricing strategies and a real-time analytics platform that have established a competitive advantage in a saturated market, resulting in market share growth and increased customer retention rates.

He has also helped Love Energy Savings become recognised as a fast-growth private tech company resulting in it ranking 30th in The Sunday Times Hiscox Tech Track 100 last year.

Phil Foster, CEO of Love Energy Savings, said: “I would like to congratulate Chris on winning this richly-deserved award that recognises his hard work and commitment to our company.

“He has displayed shrewd commercial acumen, bold ambition and an ability to make tough decisions.

“Chris has also established a high level of credibility amongst colleagues, investors and suppliers and despite his many successes he remains grounded and focused on the task in hand.”

The Northern Finance Director Awards, which was compared by comedian Jo Caulfield, was sponsored by Ernst & Young, Barclays and Squire Patton Boggs and saw 200 people attend the ceremony in West Yorkshire.