Shortlist revealed for Yorkshire Rainmaker Awards 2017

The shortlist for the 2017 Rainmaker Awards has been revealed ahead of next month’s celebration of the successes of Yorkshire’s corporate finance community.

A panel of more than 20 judges from the community came together to debate and draw up the shortlist of the best deals and teams of the year in the Yorkshire region.

With a multitude of deals to consider, including IPOs, secondary buyouts, private equity exits and more, the panel of high-level judges had a lot to discuss.

Each company in the corporate finance community will be given one vote, which will be used on our online system. If your firm hasn’t received a voting code by Friday and you would like to be involved, please email yorkshire@thebusinessdesk.com.

Tickets are now on sale for the awards dinner, at The Queens Hotel, Leeds, on June 22. Click here to buy your tickets

There are also sponsorship opportunities available – contact John Sanderson on 07968 83520 or email john.sanderson@thebusinessdesk.com  to find out how your business can benefit from being part of the Rainmaker Awards.

2017 Rainmaker Awards shortlist

Public Markets Deal of the Year

1.Selby-based Drax Group acquisition of Opus for £340m

Advisers: JP Morgan Chase, Peel Hunt, Rothschild.
Legal: Gowling WLG, Slaughter & May

2. West Yorkshire’s Morses Club IPO raising £140m
Advisers: Numis Security, Panmure Gordon, Deloitte
Legal: Eversheds

3.Leeds electronics manufacturer Premier Farnell acquired for £691m by US firm Avnet
Advisers: Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Lazard
Legal: Allen & Overy, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Morrison & Foerster, Shearman & Sterling

4. Cranswick acquired poultry business Crown Chicken in a £40m deal
Advisers: Grant Thornton

Private Equity Deal of the Year

1.Zenith, the Leeds fleet management firm, was acquired by Bridgepoint in a £750m deal
Advisers: Deloitte, Evercore Partners, HSBC Bank, Investec Bank Plc, KPMG, LEK Consulting
Legal: Sidley Austin LLP, Squire Patton Boggs, Weil Gotshal & Manges, White & Case

2. Bain Capital acquired East Yorkshire’s MKM Building Supplies in a £251.9m deal
Advisers: Moelis & Co, PwC, Rothschild
Legal:Addleshaw Goddard, Ropes & Gray

3.Go Outdoors was sold to JD Sports, marking an exit for YFM Equity and 3i
Advisers: KPMG
Legal: DLA Piper, Addleshaw Goddard

4. Private equity firm Endless exited Karro Food Group in a £180m deal
Advisers: EY
Legal: Kirkland & Ellis, Walker Morris

International Deal of the Year

1. Bradford-based Redfern acquired by Brisbane’s Corporate Travel Management for £250m
Advisers: BDO
Legal: Shulmans, Osborne Clarke

2. Vp, the Harrogate rental business, acquired Australian firm TR Pty for AU$17.4m
Legal: K&L Gates, Squire Patton Boggs

3. France’s Engie acquired Keepmoat, the Doncaster-based regeneration business, in a £330m deal
Legal: Kirkland & Ellis, Stephenson Harwood

4. Premier Farnell Leeds electronics manufacturer Premier Farnell acquired for £691m by US firm Avnet
Advisers: Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Lazard
Legal: Allen & Overy, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Morrison & Foerster, Shearman & Sterling

Small Cap Deal of the Year

1. Wetherby-based waste management business Augean acquired Colt in a £14m deal
Advisers: Altium Capital Ltd, Dow Schofield Watts, N+1 Singer
Legal: Andrew Jackson, Walker Morris

2. Jaywing acquired Leeds agency Bloom Media for £8.16m
Advisers: Cenkos Securities, Grant Thornton
Legal: 3volution, Brabners, DWF, Hill Dickinson, Mills & Reeve

3. Vp, the Harrogate rental business, acquired Australian firm TR Pty for AU$17.4m
Legal: K&L Gates, Squire Patton Boggs

4. ECSC flotation which raised the Bradford cyber security business £5.9m
Legal: Freeths

M&A Deal of the Year

1. Kitwave acquired Wakefield alcohol and soft drinks wholesaler HB Clark in an £80.8m deal
Advisers: KPMG, Mazars
Legal: Eversheds, Gordons, Muckle

2. Endless-backed marketing services group Adare, acquired Banner Managed Communication creating a £230m-turnover group
Advisers: Park Place Corporate Finance
Legal: Squire Patton Boggs, Walker Morris

3. Leeds online pharmacy business Pharmacy2U acquired ChemistDirect.co.uk in a £17m deal
Advisers: Grant Thornton, KPMG
Legal: Harbottle & Lewis, Pinsent Masons, Squire Patton Boggs

4. Zenith, the Leeds fleet management firm, was acquired by Bridgepoint in a £750m deal
Advisers: Deloitte, Evercore Partners, HSBC Bank, Investec Bank Plc, KPMG, LEK Consulting
Legal: Sidley Austin LLP, Squire Patton Boggs, Weil Gotshal & Manges, White & Case

5. Private equity firm Endless exited Karro Food Group in a £180m deal
Advisers: EY
Legal: Kirkland & Ellis, Walker Morris

6. Bain Capital acquired East Yorkshire’s MKM Building Supplies in a £251.9m deal
Advisers: Moelis & Co, PwC, Rothschild
Legal:Addleshaw Goddard, Ropes & Gray

TEAMS

Legal Team of the Year The firm whose work has spanned not just one significant deal, but has been consistently at the heart of the key transactions in the region over the past 12 months.

Shortlist:

Addleshaw Goddard
Eversheds
Squire Patton Boggs
Walker Morris

VC/Private Equity Team of the Year Fund-raisings, investment activity and successful exits should be taken into account. However, the Return on Investment (ROI) that the house has generated within the past 12 months will be of primary focus.

Shortlist:

Endless
LDC
NorthEdge Capital
YFM

Corporate Finance Team of the Year The team that has led the way in the region. The shortlisted teams will have been consistently at the epicentre of significant transactional activity.

Shortlist:

Dow Schofield Watts
KPMG
Mazars
Rothschild

Funder of the Year This award will go to the banking specialists in the region that have supported the most deals in terms of quantity and quality.

Shortlist:
Barclays
HSBC
Lloyds
Yorkshire Bank

Transaction Services Team of the Year Often seen as the unsung heroes of the corporate finance world, this award will highlight the work of the Transaction Services team that has played a key role in the major deals of the year.

Shortlist:
Deloitte
Dow Schofield Watts
KPMG
PwC

Rising Star of the Year The person, aged 35 or under, who is making an impact in their part of the corporate finance community

Amy Wells, Rothschild

Andy Haigh, BHP

Matthew Jubb, Endless

Oliver Duke, Walker Morris

Rainmaker of the Year

Christian Mayo (partner and head of corporate finance, KPMG)

Darren Forshaw (founding partner, Endless)

Richard Townsend (corporate finance director, Dow Schofield Watts)

Stephen Griffiths (managing director, Rothschild)