Thames Valley: Deals Awards highlights the best of the best

From MBOs to mergers, acquisitions to sales, growth funding to stockmarket flotation “.  . . we have seen some cracking deals,” announced David Murray, founder of The Business Magazine, as he welcomed guests to the 2017 Thames Valley Deals Awards at the Royal Berkshire Conference Centre, Reading, last night.

The big winners were private equity firm LDC and Spectrum Corporate Finance as 330 dealmakers and professionals packed into the Madejski Stadium to celebrate the past 15 months of transactions.

“In the past year or so we have seen some of the region’s most successful companies either being sold or buying. One purchase was one of the largest takeover deals by a British business in years – that was Berkshire buying out a chunk of Palo Alto. Couldn’t be better…,” said Murray, referencing the Micro Focus acquisition of HPE's software division.

“The Thames Valley is buoyant – evidenced by a record 680 entries – and continues to excel as a place in which to do deals. The region’s corporate finance community has a wealth of high-calibre dealmakers on patch, and a market of fast-growing, entrepreneurial targets and acquirers ready to make the transactions.”

Accommodating that scope of dealmaking talent, plus growing deal volumes and values, the TVDA introduced a new Young Dealmaker category this year and increased its Deals of the Year awards to cover Small, Medium and Large.

Private Equity Firm of the Year – sponsored by HMT

Winner: LDC

Other finalists: Connection Capital, Maven Capital Partners, Mobeus Equity Partners, NVM Private Equity

Alternative Lender of the Year – sponsored by Wilson Partners

Winner: Leumi ABL

Other finalists: IGF Business Credit, PNC Business Credit, Santander (Breakthrough)

Lawyer of the Year – sponsored by NVM Private Equity

Winner: John Hutchinson (Pitmans Law)

Other finalists: Will Axtel (Penningtons Manches), Emma Gibson (Shoosmiths), Hugh Jones (Osborne Clarke), Sara Valentine (Osborne Clarke).

Management Team of the Year – sponsored by PwC

Winner: Micro Focus – led by Stephen Murdoch and Kevin Loosemore

Other finalists: Opus Energy – led by Charlie Crossley-Cooke and Fred Esiri; Property Software Group – led by Mark Goddard; Ridgeway – led by John O’Hanlon, Dan Taylor and David Newman; Xafinity – led by Paul Cuff and Ben Bramhall.

Due Diligence Team of the Year – sponsored by The Business Magazine

Winner: HMT

Other finalists: BDO, PwC, RSM

Corporate Finance Team of the Year – sponsored by HSBC

Winner: Spectrum Corporate Finance

Other finalists: Deloitte, HMT, James Cowper Kreston, Wilson Partners

Law Firm of the Year – sponsored by Grant Thornton

Winner: Shoosmiths

Other finalists: Osborne Clarke, Penningtons Manches, Pitmans

Corporate Finance Adviser of the Year – sponsored by Gateley plc

Winner: Clive Hatchard (Spectrum)

Other finalists: Simon Davies (Spectrum), Andrew Thomson (HMT), Adam Wardle (Wilson Partners)

Bank of the Year – sponsored by Crowe Clark Whitehill

Winner: HSBC

Other finalists: Barclays, RBS NatWest, Santander

Young Dealmaker of the Year – sponsored by Herrington Carmichael

Winner: Chris Baker of LDC

Other finalists:  Rinesh Dookhee (Deloitte), James Mines (Spectrum), Stuart Williams (James Cowper Kreston), David Wrench (Grant Thornton)

Small Deal of the Year (up to £10m) – sponsored by Landid/Brockton JV

Winner: Channel Mum investment by NVM

involving NVM, HMT, Shoosmiths, Nabarro, Wilson Partners, RPL, Quinn Partnership, and Phillip Hare

Mid-Range Deal of the Year (£10m- £50m) – sponsored by Boyes Turner

Winner: Rush Hair Group investment by LDC

involving LDC, Deloitte, Spectrum, Osborne Clarke, Shoosmiths, and KPMG.

Large Deal of the Year (above £50m) – sponsored by BDO

Winner: ByBox MBO funded by LDC

involving LDC, RBS, Spectrum, Liberty, PwC, Shoosmiths, Osborne Clarke, Addleshaw Goddard, and BDO.