Charnley replaces Mepham as CEO of Sancus Lending
Rory Mepham has resigned as chief executive of specialist lender Sancus Lending and will be replaced by Andrew Charnley.
Mepham has served as CEO of Sancus Lending for five years and brought the lender back to profitability under his leadership. Its most recent set of results for the year ending 2025 showed it had a profit of £2.6m, up from £2.4m in 2024.
Charnley has worked for the lender since 2024, initially as its managing director, where he led its transformation, strengthened its proposition, improved operational processes, established teams and embedded risk management disciplines.
Sancus Lending said these improvements had led to strong growth, with the UK business completing £93.5m in new lending in 2025, up from £48.3m the year before, contributing to a 49% increase in assets under management.
Charnley has more than 30 years of experience in financial services. He has previously held senior leadership roles including Assetz Capital, Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group and Together Money, with responsibilities including business growth and improvement, and maintaining a strong risk focus.
Charnley’s role is effective from 10 July, and Mepham will oversee the transition of responsibilities and take up a role with Sancus Lending’s majority shareholder, Somerston Group.
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Sancus Lending’s business impacted by economy in first half
Sancus Lending also announced it had issued £500,000 of bonds to Somerston Fintech, a subsidiary of Somerston, which will provide the lender with additional working capital.
In its recent trading update, the Sancus Lending board said it was encouraged by progress in its lending business, but the macroeconomic environment had impacted activity and profitability in the first half. The group has introduced measures to return to operating profitability during the second half of the year.
Charnley to lead the next phase
Steve Smith, chair of Sancus Lending, thanked Mepham for his “commitment to Sancus and his hard work over the last five years, during which time he has resolved numerous legacy issues and renewed the strategic focus of the business”.
He added: “We are delighted that Andrew has agreed to take on the CEO role following an extensive career in performance-driven business leadership and a successful spell as MD of our UK business. We look forward to supporting him as he leads the group in its next growth phase.”
Mepham said: “It has been a privilege to lead Sancus over the past five years. In that time, the group has worked through a substantial legacy loan book, rebuilt its team, simplified its capital structure and returned to growth, with its UK and Irish businesses now established as significant lending operations in their own right. That progress has been very much a collective effort, and I am grateful to colleagues across the group, and to our shareholders, for their support throughout.
“With these foundations in place, this is the right time to hand over, and Andrew is the right person to lead the business through its next phase. His leadership of our UK business has demonstrated his ability to drive performance, strengthen customer relationships and build high-performing teams. I wish Andrew and the broader Sancus team every success.”
Charnley said he was “delighted to become CEO of Sancus”, adding: “The progress Sancus UK has made in the last 18 months has established a very good foundation for its future profitable growth.
“I am now excited to work with the colleagues across the broader group and our other partners and stakeholders to deliver strong operating performance and discipline across our entire business, delivering controlled and sustainable growth as well as long-term value for our shareholders.”
