Winners revealed at East Midlands Rainmaker Awards 2026

Deals

Out of Region Deal of the Year
Winner:

LDC exit of Shaken Udder to Idilia

Birketts, Clifford Chance, EY, Freeths, Grant Thornton, KPMG

Shortlisted:

Karali Group acquisition of Côte Brasserie

Freeths, Interpath, PKF Smith Cooper

Foresight-backed buyout of Advantiv

Browne Jacobson, Foresight, Virgin Money

Kinetic IT sale to Circet UK

Birketts, Parisi Tax, Provantage

Connells Group sale of three of its subsidiaries, trading as Mortgage Intelligence, to OneDome

Freeths, KPMG, O’Connors Legal Services, OneDome

SPGL sale to CERTANIA

Freeths, Hill Dickinson, Lydian, Provantage , Squire Patton Boggs

Early Stage Deal of the Year
Winner:  TextureJet’s seven-figure investment round led by Midlands Mindforge, alongside Foresight Group and the University of Nottingham

Browne Jacobson, Freeths

Shortlisted:

Nottingham digital marketing agency Axon Point’s £30,000 of funding through the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II

Spirit Health’s £2m debt finance package from the British Business Bank’s Midlands Engine Investment Fund II (MEIF II), managed by Maven Capital Partners

Sterling Corporate Finance

Venture Independent School’s six-figure loan from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II

Maven

Rocket-X’s six-figure funding from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II, via Maven Capital Partners

Maven

Nottingham’s Doughnotts’ six-figure loan from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II, via Maven Capital Partners, to fund its retail expansion and new franchise model

Maven, Nelsons

Kalas Packaging’s £520,000 debt funding package from the British Business Bank’s Midlands Engine Investment Fund II, managed by Maven Capital Partners

Small Deal of the Year (up to £10m)
Winner: LDC-backed acquisition of three marinas by Aquavista

Barings, Clydesdale Bank, Gateley Legal, Cooper Parry, Lloyds Bank

Shortlisted: 

Thrive Learning’s acquisitions Huler and Guider

Austin Moore & Partners, Claritas Tax, Provantage

Bloc Digital Limited’s private equity investment

Bright Advisory, Browne Jacobson, The Smith Partnership, Breeze Corporate Finance

Peppermill Interiors sale to The Flair Collective

Dains, Flint Bishop, Nelsons

TBAT Innovation sale Dains Accountants

CyberCrowd, Dains, DSW, Freeths, IK Partners, McDermott Will & Emery, PKF Smith Cooper, The Smith Partnership

Mitchells merger with SMH Group

Addleshaw Goddard, Clearwater, CMP Legal, Cortus Advisory, HSBC Asset Management, HSBC UK, Phoenix Equity Partners, Shakespeare Martineau, Squire Patton Boggs, Travers Smith

LDC backing of IDSL Group for the acquisition of Fire Doors Rite

Lloyds Bank, Browne Jacobson, Claritas Tax, Cortus Advisory

Connections Legal Management (CLM) sale to Liberty Blume

Birketts, Bishopsgate Corporate Finance

NatWest-backed acquisition of Marxman by Charles Bentley

NatWest

Medium Deal of the Year (£10m-£50m)

Winner: Eagle Eye Innovations’ eight-figure private equity investment from LDC

Armstrong, Austin Moore & Partners, BDO, Bishopsgate Corporate Finance, Claritas Tax, Clearwater, Freeths, Mactavish

Shortlisted:

BGF exit of Brisant Secure, following its acquisition by Allegion

BDO, Browne Jacobson, KPMG, PMSI

LDC investment in Bespoke Kitchen Foods

Alvarez & Marsal, AON, Browne Jacobson, Claritas Tax, Cooper Parry, Cortus Advisory, Moore Kingston Smith, Needle Partners

Millenium Site Services sale to Maple House Capital

Browne Jacobson, Buzzacott, Dains, Flint Bishop, HSBC, Jigsaw97, Marriott Harrison, PKF Smith Cooper, WaveBridge Capital

Transvac Systems Limited sale Ingersoll Rand

Browne Jacobson, Cooper Parry, PwC, Skye Corporate Finance

Hydromarque Group sale to WTR Group

Baker McKenzie, Bishopsgate, Corporate Finance, Forvis Mazars, Freeths, Knights

Leicestershire-based Abtec Group sale to Cow Corner

BDO, Clearwater

West Transport Group sale to Lockwood Group

Beswicks, Freeths, HSBC, PKF Smith Cooper, Shakespeare Martineau

Large Deal of the Year (£50m+)
Winner: LDC exit of Aquavista Watersides & Marinas to Antin Infrastructure Partners

Burness Paull, DC Advisory, Debevoise & Plimpton, Gateley Legal, PwC, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, NatWest, Lloyds Bank

Shortlisted:

Vitruvian Partners investment in Blue Light Cards

BGF, FTI Consulting, GP Bullhound, HSBC UK, K&E, OC&C, Oliver Wyman, PwC

Beech Tree exit of Obsequio Group to Warren Equity Partners

BJS, Clearwater, OC&C, PwC

Metric Search’s investment from US private equity firm Southfield Capital

Browne Jacobson, Finn Dixon & Herling, Houlihan Lokey, RSM, Simmons & Simmons

Frasers Group acquisition of the York Designer Outlet and Designer Outlet East Midlands shopping centres

BDO

Derbyshire-based Mortgage Advice Bureau transfer of its LSE listing from AIM to the Main Market

BDO

Individual

Rising Star
Winner: Andy Shepherd – Provantage

Shortlisted:
Peter Abel – Nelsons
Joe Anderson – PKF Smith Cooper
Philip Dean – Cortus Advisory
Tom Herbert – BGF
Leanne Hopper – PwC
Hannah Hutchinson – LDC
Emily McFadyen – Weightmans
Tom Rainsford – NatWest

Changemaker
Winner: Tom Summers – Evolve Corporate Finance

Shortlisted:
Paul Bevan – Breeze Corporate Finance
Thomas Boss – Breeze Corporate Finance
Katie Cash – Cooper Parry
Beth Mather – Gateley
Sally Saunders – Provantage
Hannah Tessyman – Freeths

Rainmaker
Winner: David Bains – LDC

Morgan Atherton – Bishopsgate Corporate Finance
Amanda Betts – Provantage
Matt Bolton – Browne Jacobson
Rob Burden – Clearwater
Sally Saunders – Provantage
Claire Spencer – PKF Smith Cooper
Harry Walker – DSW