Mortgage Finance Gazette Editor, Jo Atkins and celebrity guest, Steve Cram, present Bob Jackson, with his award.

Bob Jackson was honoured at the annual Mortgage Finance Gazette Awards in London where he received the coveted 'Editor's Award' for his contribution to the financial services industry.

The Editor's Award is not given every year, and is decided upon by a panel of judges who are looking for an outstanding individual. The judges said:

"Bob Jackson has dedicated his career to a truly local building society. In his 30 years at the Cambridge he has seen staff numbers increase from 40 to 200 and assets have grown from £42 million to more than £750 million.

"Bob became chief executive in 1985 and in that time the branch network has become just that - a branch network - going from just 2 branches to 23 today - how many high street lenders can say their branch network has grown almost twelve-fold? The Cambridge can truly be described as a local building society as it only does business within the vicinity of its branches. And Bob makes sure he visits the branches and talks to all staff during the course of each year.

"Bob is well known and respected in the local community. He is a magistrate and serves on many local boards. He has raised funds for various good causes by taking part in fun runs, including the London Marathon. His commitment to the community is reflected within the Society's own community programme, which encourages all staff to give a minimum of 10 hours each year to support local community events. The time donated by staff is matched by the Society in funding for sponsorships and donations."