2017 Rainmaker Award winners revealed
The winners of this year’s corporate finance Rainmaker Awards, including the coveted Rainmaker and Rising Star categories, have been revealed at a glittering awards ceremony tonight.
HSBC and Michael Page Finance have sponsored this year’s awards, held at The Queens Hotel in Leeds, which honour the best of Yorkshire’s corporate finance community.
With major deals going on in the region and a strong pipeline in everything from M&A deals, international and small cap deals, there was much to choose from.
The shortlisted was drawn up by groups of senior people representing the breadth of the region’s deals community, and the final vote on winners was made via an anonymous online vote, with only one vote allowed per firm. The winners were all therefore recognised by the people best-placed to judge their successes – their peers.
Alex Turner, editor of TheBusinessDesk.com, said: “Yorkshire’s corporate finance community has proved that despite political challenges and uncertainties, the deals market in the region is still strong and resilient, and will only continue to grow.
“It was clear from tonight’s winners that there is a great deal of resilience in the region – and our rainmakers are justifiably optimistic about the rest of the year and the future.”
2017 Rainmakers Winners and Shortlist
Public Markets Deal of the Year
WINNER: 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
Selby-based Drax Group acquisition of Opus for £340m
West Yorkshire’s Morses Club IPO raising £140m
Cranswick acquired poultry business Crown Chicken in a £40m deal
Private Equity Deal of the Year
WINNER: Private equity firm Endless exited Karro Food Group in a £180m deal
Advisers: EY
Legal: Kirkland & Ellis, Walker Morris
Zenith, the Leeds fleet management firm, was acquired by Bridgepoint in a £750m deal
Bain Capital acquired East Yorkshire’s MKM Building Supplies in a £251.9m deal
Go Outdoors was sold to JD Sports, marking an exit for YFM Equity and 3i
International Deal of the Year
WINNER: Vp, the Harrogate rental business, acquired Australian firm TR Pty for AU$17.4m
Premier Farnell Leeds electronics manufacturer Premier Farnell acquired for £691m by US firm Avnet
Bradford-based Redfern acquired by Brisbane’s Corporate Travel Management for £250m
France’s Engie acquired Keepmoat, the Doncaster-based regeneration business, in a £330m deal
Small Cap Deal of the Year
WINNER: 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
Jaywing acquired Leeds agency Bloom Media for £8.16m
Vp, the Harrogate rental business, acquired Australian firm TR Pty for AU$17.4m
ECSC flotation which raised the Bradford cyber security business £5.9m
M&A Deal of the Year
WINNER: Private equity firm Endless exited Karro Food Group in a £180m deal
Advisers: EY
Legal: Kirkland & Ellis, Walker Morris
Kitwave acquired Wakefield alcohol and soft drinks wholesaler HB Clark in an £80.8m deal
Endless-backed marketing services group Adare, acquired Banner Managed Communication creating a £230m-turnover group
Leeds online pharmacy business Pharmacy2U acquired ChemistDirect.co.uk in a £17m deal
Zenith, the Leeds fleet management firm, was acquired by Bridgepoint in a £750m deal
Bain Capital acquired East Yorkshire’s MKM Building Supplies in a £251.9m deal
22 June 2017.
Thebusinessdesk.com Rainmaker Awards 2017 at the Queens Hotel, Leeds.
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.
WINNER: Squire Patton Boggs
Addleshaw Goddard
Eversheds
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.
WINNER: 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.
WINNER: 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.
WINNER: HSBC
Barclays
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.
WINNER: Dow Schofield Watts
Deloitte
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
WINNER: Amy Wells, Rothschild
Andy Haigh, BHP
Matthew Jubb, Endless
Oliver Duke, Walker Morris
Rainmaker of the Year
WINNER: Darren Forshaw (founding partner, Endless)
Christian Mayo (partner and head of corporate finance, KPMG)
Richard Townsend (corporate finance director, Dow Schofield Watts)
Stephen Griffiths (managing director, Rothschild)
