With Birmingham retaining its title as the ‘most entrepreneurial regional city’ again this year, it is no wonder that so many talented young professionals work in the city’s financial sector.

There is just a week to go before the celebrated Birmingham Young Professional of the Year Awards (BYPY) ceremony (on Thursday May 12) at the ICC in Birmingham city centre – which will be hosted by television and radio broadcaster, Jake Humphrey.

BT Sport presenter Jake Humphrey
BT Sport presenter Jake Humphrey

Here we take a close look at the three finalists in the Financial Category, sponsored by Hotel La Tour.

Andy Lee – As NatWest Regional Enterprise Manager for the Midlands & East of England, Andy works closely with specialist business teams within the bank to make it a place where start-up firms can thrive and grow.

In addition to championing enterprise, Andy is a school governor at Selly Park Technology College; a trustee of Relate Birmingham; helped run TEDxBrum in 2013 and 2014; and helped Impact Hub Birmingham secure a £65,000 Kickstarter fund.

Ben Collins – Assistant Director in EY’s Transaction Advisory Services team, working on a large number of deals, involving project management of due diligence teams and advising corporates and private equity on transactions, key deal drivers, and completion processes.

More: All 18 BYPY finalists are announced

Having spent eight years at EY, Ben has completed a number of secondments including two extended secondments to a FTSE 250 company advising on the sale of a key division as well as bolt-on acquisition. He is also trustee of Cheatle Trust.

Riyaz SachedinaDeutsche Bank’s Assistant Vice President and has extensive experience in delivering a range of Risk Assurance services across several industries. This includes auditing, consulting, implementing, proposition development and business management.

Riyaz has also specialised in creating data governance structures and frameworks that enable and monitor data quality on a regular basis. He works with the process owners and key stakeholders to firstly understand their processes, technology and people related issues.

BYPY 2015 at the ICC, Birmingham - Chair of Judges Paul Kehoe and Rachel Riley have a selfie on stag
BYPY 2015 at the ICC, Birmingham - Chair of Judges Paul Kehoe and Rachel Riley have a selfie on stage

Andy, Ben and Riyaz will go head to head at BYPY 2016 to compete to become category winner alongside fellow professionals competing to win awards in Property & Construction; HR, Recruitment & Training; Legal; Marketing & Communications; and Technology.

The category winners will then go forward for the coveted overall BYPY16 title.

Host Jake Humphrey, best known as the face of Premier League Football on BT Sport, said: “I know from starting my own business, just how important professional services are to achieving success. I can’t wait to celebrate some great people and their stories.”

• To find out more about the awards, and book tickets and tables, visit here