Charlotte Partridge: Female Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist 2026

We have some news we’re genuinely proud to share. Charlotte Partridge, Managing Director of Partridge Homes, has been named a finalist for Female Entrepreneur of the Year at the UK Small Business Awards 2026, representing Birmingham and Solihull at the national level. For everyone at Partridge Homes, this is more than an award nomination. It’s a recognition of nearly two decades of work, of a business built on the right values, and of the kind of leadership that doesn’t always make headlines but makes all the difference.

Nearly Twenty Years in the Making

Charlotte’s story with Partridge Homes begins close to twenty years ago, when she co-founded the business alongside her father-in-law, Kevin Partridge. What started as a family operation serving South East Birmingham and Solihull has grown into an established independent estate and letting agency, now managing more than 500 properties across the region and approaching its 20th anniversary in February 2027.

That growth hasn’t happened by accident. Charlotte has been at the centre of it throughout, as co-founder, as a driving force behind the business’s expansion, and now as Managing Director overseeing a growing team and a broadening range of services: residential sales, lettings, property management and specialist relocation.

The numbers reflect the momentum. In the first four months of 2026 alone, Partridge Homes arranged 129 new lettings, a 79% increase on the same period the previous year, at a time when national rental demand figures were pointing in the opposite direction. The business has set a target of 365 new tenancies for 2026, which would comfortably exceed its previous annual record of 215, achieved in 2025. Strategic partnerships with two Solihull estate agents to manage their lettings divisions, with a third in discussion, point to a business that others in the sector are actively seeking out.

Building Something That Lasts

Growth statistics tell part of the story. They don’t tell all of it.

Running an independent business across nearly two decades means navigating difficult markets, legislative change, economic pressure, and the kind of personal setbacks that no business plan accounts for. Losing Kevin Partridge in 2022 was one of those moments. He was a co-founder, a family member, and a central part of what Partridge Homes was built to be. That loss was significant, both personally and for the business.

Charlotte has continued to move the company forward since then, while making sure that the values Kevin helped to establish remain part of its future. Multiple generations of the Partridge family now work alongside a wider team, and the culture that defined the business from the start has been protected rather than sacrificed in the name of growth. That is not a small thing. Many independent businesses that scale at this rate lose something in the process. Partridge Homes hasn’t.

Awards Built on Service, Not Votes

The UK Small Business Awards is one of the UK’s most recognised programmes for independent businesses, with the 2026 Grand Final taking place on 19 December in Birmingham. Finalists are selected through a rigorous process, and the nomination places Charlotte among the top independent business leaders in the country.

It adds to a strong track record of industry recognition. Partridge Homes has won the British Property Awards for Best Letting Agents in Solihull four years running, and in 2026 also won Best Letting Agents in B90 to B91. These awards are judged anonymously through service testing and performance monitoring rather than paid voting or popularity contests, which gives them genuine weight.

The business also joined Propertymark in 2026, the professional body representing property agents across the UK, reflecting a commitment to operating to the highest professional standards at a time when the sector faces increasing regulatory scrutiny.

What the Recognition Really Reflects

Charlotte would be the first to point out that none of this has been done alone. The team, the family, the clients who have trusted Partridge Homes with their homes and their investments across nearly two decades: they are all part of what this nomination represents.

Female entrepreneurship continues to face structural headwinds in the UK. According to a 2025 report from the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee, just 2% of UK venture capital investment goes to female founders, while all-male teams receive more than 80% of available funding. In that context, award visibility matters. It signals to others what is possible, and it recognises the kind of leadership that builds quietly, sustainably, and with purpose.

For Charlotte, success has never been defined by size alone. It has been about building something sustainable, creating genuine opportunities for the people who work within the business, and never losing sight of the values it was founded on: look after your people, look after your customers, and never forget where you came from.

That is a philosophy that has taken Partridge Homes from a family start-up to a multi-award-winning agency managing 500-plus properties, approaching its 20th year, and now represented on a national stage.

Congratulations, Charlotte. From everyone at Partridge Homes, and from everyone who has watched this business grow: this one is thoroughly deserved.

If you’re a landlord in Birmingham or Solihull looking for an agent who genuinely understands the local market and takes property management seriously, we’d welcome the chance to talk. Speak to the team at Partridge Homes about your portfolio, or find out what your rental property is worth with a no-obligation valuation.