40 Under 40 Awards 2025 Nominations
In This Section
Do you know an emerging leader who’s making an impact? A young professional who goes above and beyond? Nominate them for a 2025 SFNet 40 Under 40 Award. This recognition highlights their hard work, contributions, and commitment—and offers a prestigious boost to their professional journey.
We are accepting nominations until February 1, 2025. Submit your nomination to SFNetAwards@sfnet.com. If you do not receive a confirmation of your submission within 24 hours, contact Michele Ocejo at mocejo@sfnet.com. Nominations sent to any other email may not be processed.
Nominees and nominators must be employed by an SFNet member organization. Not sure if your organization is a member? Click here to confirm.
Winners will be announced in mid-March 2025. They will be honored in the June 2025 issue of The Secured Lender and celebrated at our 40 Under 40 Awards Gala in New York City on June 12.
View Sample 40 Under 40 Nomination Letters for various categories. Note that these letters are from previous years. Review the instructions for additional criteria.
SFNet 40 Under 40 Awards Committee Chair
Rules/Form
Attach the Nomination Form along with a letter of nomination (250-500 words) in Word explaining why your nominee should be considered for this award and email it to SFNetAwards@sfnet.com. Be sure to include:
- Career achievements
- Leadership skills with examples (utilizing this definition as a guide: “The ability to create a vision and influence, motivate, inspire and transform others to achieve certain goals towards that vision.”)
- Community and/or industry activities (such as charity work, coaching community sports, pro bono work)
- Involvement with SFNet and the secured finance community (articles written, chapter involvement, work on SFNet committees, etc.)
Nominees must not turn 40 before June 12, 2025. Nominators must be the direct supervisor or manager of the nominee. Nominees and nominators must be employed by an SFNet member organization. For information on becoming an SFNet
member organization, please contact James Kravitz at jkravitz@sfnet.com.
Explain the direct impact this individual has had on your company and/or the
industry (with objective, concrete criteria, for example, if the candidate is in business development, the revenue they have generated, number of deals closed, etc.)
In addition to the letter, nominators are strongly encouraged to submit a video (no more than 5 minutes) of themselves speaking about the nominee to supplement the information supplied in the nomination letter. Note: the substance is more important than the quality of the video.
Attach the nominee’s resume or include a link to the nominee’s LinkedIn profile in the letter of nomination. ONE of these is REQUIRED. You may also attach optional published articles written by the nominee. Incomplete nominations will not be accepted. If you are not notified within 24 hours that your nomination was received, contact Michele Ocejo at mocejo@sfnet.com.
2025 Categories
- Business Consulting/Turnaround
- Business Development
- CPA Firm
- Credit Insurance
- External Field Exam
- Internal Field Exam
- Investment Banker/Advisor
- Legal Services
- Liquidation/Appraisal/Auctioneer
- Loan Documentation/Advice on Deal Structure
- Operations
- Portfolio/Risk Management
- Software
- UCC Services/Background Investigations
- Underwriting
FAQs
When do nominations begin?
Nominations open November 8, 2024. The deadline for submissions is February 1, 2025.
What are the qualifications for an SFNet 40 Under 40 Awards nominee?
We are looking for people who are making an indelible impact on our industry. We are also interested in those who exemplify true excellence in their careers and who bring a strong voice and commitment to their profession and to the industry at large. Community service, as well as participation in trade groups, etc. should also be included in the nomination information. Nominees must not turn 40 prior to June 12, 2025, and must work full-time.
Who chooses the SFNet 40 Under 40 Award winners?
Winners are selected by a panel of SFNet member industry leaders.
Can I call you or send you an email with the name of the person I'd like to nominate?
No. You must submit a competed nomination form, including contact information for the person you are nominating. A nomination letter as well as the nominee’s resume or LinkedIn profile is also required.
I want to nominate someone, can I remain anonymous?
No, we need to know who you are. However, we do not share nominator information.
Can I nominate myself?
No, we do not accept self-nominations.
I want to nominate my boss but would it be better if someone higher up nominated him? Can I nominate a family member?
A nominator must be a senior leader or manager in the same SFNet member organization as the nominee. All nominations must provide clear, business-oriented reasons for the nomination, regardless of the relationship between nominator and nominee.
Does it help if many people nominate the same person?
No. In fact, evidence of an organized campaign to send many nominations is viewed negatively.
Will more than one nominee from the same company be accepted?
Yes, all qualifying nominations will be accepted.
I would like to nominate someone, but they turned 40 before June 12, 2025. Can I still nominate that person?
No. Nominations for anyone not meeting the age requirement are discarded. We will verify the birth dates of our finalists.
How does the process work?
After we receive the nominations, SFNet’s panel of judges will hold a series of meetings to determine which candidates will be chosen. We aspire to have a list of winners that represents the diversity in our industry.
What is required of those who are selected?
Winners must provide a photo and profile (see last year’s profiles HERE). We encourage all winners to attend the ceremony.
Can I contact you to see how my nominee is doing in the judging process?
No. We will not provide status reports. Should we need any additional information, we will contact the nominee or nominator.
I was not selected for an SFNet 40 Under 40 Award. Can you tell me why?
With only 40 slots and a large industry, many nominees will not be chosen. Nomination itself is a form of recognition and an honor. We encourage nominators to re-nominate if their candidate was not chosen.
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