Corporate finance teams chosen for expertise and execution

THE successes of corporate finance teams across the region were showcased at the glittering ceremony last night for Yorkshire’s first ever Rainmaker Awards.

The teams that won and were shortlisted showed ambition, innovation, and their collaborations within their sector were top-notch.

First up was the Legal Team of the Year accolade, which was bestowed upon Addleshaw Goddard, who fought off strong competition for the trophy.

Addleshaw Goddard advised on Coalfield Resources’ reverse takeover of Harworth estates, as well as the MBOs at SSP and Sumo Digital.

Garry Elliott of Addleshaw Goddard said: “The SSP transaction really stood out for me this year. We’re local advisors, and local businesses are what we’re all about – that’s where we get our buzz. It was just a great team effort all round.

“We have a great corporate finance community in Yorkshire and when we work together there’s a good collegiate spirit, we do deals the right way.”

The Corporate Finance Team of the Year, which was presented by David Colgrave from sponsors financial recruitment firm Watson Moore, was won by Deloitte.

Practice senior partner Martin Jenkins wasn’t able to be there on the night, as he was walking the 110 miles of the Cleveland Way to raise money for Maggie’s (http://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Martin-Jenkins6), but Anil Gupta however was there, and he said: “The team have had a fantastic year with a range of transactions from Sumo to SSP, we had a really good mix of them.

“As a team, SSP has been a fantastic story and really stood out for us, we’ve seen it through many acquisitions and a float and now this transaction with the LDC team.”

Rainmaker Awards 2015 - VC Private Equity Team of the Year, Endless

Endless  began their winning streak by winning VC/Private Equity Team of the Year. Darren Forshaw of Endless said: “We have an ethos of just cracking on. Every time we go out there we want to get businesses fixed and sold quickly and efficiently.

“It was a great year for us, we raised funds twice the size of previous years. We’ve done much bigger deals that before, and we’re having fun doing it.”

The award for Prolific Team of the Year was given to KPMG, for the volume of deals they did during the year, and they were up against stiff competition.

Corporate finance partner at KPMG’s Leeds office Christian Mayo said: “I have a good team that does a lot of hard work for me.

“You always remember the big ones such as the Victoria Plumb deal. But there are small ones, such as Hi-Level (a motorcycle parts firm that was sold to a US buyer) for Paul Levine, who never told his wife until the end of it because he didn’t know what would happen. It’s the little things about a deal you remember then.”

The Funder of the Year award recognised the most active player in the regional corporate finance market, in both quality and quantum.

HSBC won out against major competitors for the accolade, after backing Slingsby’s acquisition of ESE Direct, aiding VTL Group’s expansion as well as Elevation Group’s MBO and Mojo’s national expansion plans. 

Shortlists:

Legal Team of the Year – Winner: Addleshaw Goddard
Squire Patton Boggs
Walker Morris

Corporate Finance Team of the Year – Winner: Deloitte
KPMG
Rothschild

VC/Private Equity Team of the Year – Winner: Endless
LDC
NorthEdge Capital

Prolific Team of the Year – Winner: KPMG
Addleshaw Goddard
Deloitte
Rothschild

Funder of the Year – HSBC
Lloyds Banking Group
Royal Bank of Scotland
Yorkshire Bank

 

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