Shortlist revealed for Rainmaker Awards 2025
The shortlist has been revealed for the 2025 North West Rainmaker Awards.
More than 50 judges from across the region’s corporate finance sector met in Manchester last Thursday (1 May 2025) to review the deals from the last 12 months, and to decide which teams and individuals have had the biggest impact.
Winners will be chosen on a one-team, one-vote basis from within the Rainmaker community.
The winners will then be announced on Thursday, June 19 at the Hilton Deansgate Hotel in Manchester. For more information and to book your tickets, visit the Rainmaker Awards website.
Michael Page is the headline sponsor of the North West Rainmaker Awards, with Brown Shipley, Datasite, Gateley Legal, IGF, and Pinsent Masons also supporting the event.
TheBusinessDesk.com’s North West editor Michael Taylor said: “We are always innovating and evolving these community awards, and so we’d like to especially thank our judges for being part of a lively shortlisting process where they brought their collective wisdom, experience and market knowledge to the process.
“We are now looking forward to celebrating the very best of the region’s corporate finance community at the awards dinner in June.”
Last year’s event sold out, and we are moving to a larger room, but demand is high, so please book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Visit rainmakers.thebusinessdesk.com and sign-up for your 14-day free trial
The 2025 North West Rainmaker Award Shortlist
INDIVIDUAL
Rainmaker
Claire Alvarez, Foresight
Hayley Brightmore-Cox, Saffery
Giles Chesher, Squire Patton Boggs
Richard Darlington, DC Advisory
Sam Davies, Cowgills
Roger Hart, Addleshaw Goddard
Michael Loudon, Clearwater
Pete Terry, Grant Thornton
Rising Star
Josh Bean, BGF
Ffion Brumwell-Hughes, Gateley Legal
Louise Chapman, Praetura
Thomas Dutton, WestBridge
Daniel Gallagher, Cortus Advisory Group
Simon Keppie, Grant Thornton
Brett Marsden, Cowgills
Laura Wiggins, YFM
Changemaker
Tom Astbury, Fletchers Solicitors
Fiona Hatch, Foresight
Greg Holmes, Palatine
Jenny Kirkham, Cortus Advisory Group
Michelle Mullany, MHA
Rebecca Rennison, EY
Louise Stephenson, DRAX Executive
Lizzy Tindall, Eversheds Sutherland LLP
DEALS
Small Deal of the Year (up to £10m)
Eleven Sports Media, investment by BGF (Advised by DLA Piper, Hurst, Squire Patton Boggs, RSM)
Launch of SKOF (Knights, DLA Piper)
Investment into Street Group (Praetura, Gateley, Squire Patton Boggs)
Armstrong bought by Foresight (Addleshaw Goddard, Cowgills)
The Networking People Ltd investment by YFM (Knight Corporate Finance, Hill Dickinson, Cowgills, Cyber DueDil, Megabuyte, Confidas, Lockton, MHA)
Exciting Instruments investment by Northern Gritstone (Mills & Reeve LLP, Taylor Wessing)
Medium Deal of the Year (£10m-£50m)
Classic Football Shirts investment (DWF, Carbon)
APEM acquisition of Biosis (Dow Schofield Watts, WestBridge Capital)
Beyond Corporate investment by Waterland (Pinsent Masons, Squire Patton Boggs, Beyond Corporate)
Blueprintx investment by Palatine (Browne Jacobson, Gateley, Clearwater, RSM, Armstrong, Lockton, Cyberfort, StrattonHR, GHF Advisory, Hurst)
Latus Group buyout (Addleshaw Goddard)
Aliter Capital LLP’s buyout of BBS Law (Browne Jacobson, BDO, FRP, Addleshaw Goddard)
Zelus sale to Sullivan Street (Rickitt Mitchell, Addleshaw Goddard, Sullivan Street Partners, Deloitte, DLA Piper, Blazehill)
Digital Rewards Group’s investment from Maven Capital Partners (Grant Thornton, DC Advisory, Gateley, Hill Dickinson)
Large Deal of the Year (£50m+)
Sale of Ultimate Performance to Inflexion (CMS, Addleshaw Goddard, PwC)
Sale of NRG and DTM by Palatine (Clearwater, Gateley, PwC, Deloitte)
Sale of MirrorWeb to Mainsail (DC Advisory, Squire Patton Boggs, BDO, Mainsail Capital, Charles Russell Speechlys, Pinsent Masons LLP, Addleshaw Goddard)
Sale of Edge Worldwide Logistics to DP World (DC Advisory, DLA Piper)
Applied Nutrition IPO (Addleshaw Goddard, Deutsche Numis)
CMap sale by NorthEdge to ECI (Houlihan Lokey, DWF, PwC, Crosslake, Liberty)
Metamark acquisition by UPM (Rothschild & Co, DLA Piper, Primary Capital Partners, PwC, MCF Corporate Finance, Burgess Salmon, EY, Anthesis, Aon)
Sale of DR&P to BMS (DWF, Skadden Arps, PwC, Hines Associates, Deloitte)
TEAMS
Regional Legal Team
Brabners
Browne Jacobson
CG Professional
Hill Dickinson
Leonard Curtis Legal
Mills & Reeve
Napthens
Pannone Corporate
National Legal Team
Addleshaw Goddard
DLA Piper UK
DWF
Eversheds Sutherland
Gateley Legal
Pinsent Masons
Squire Patton Boggs
TLT
Regional Corporate Finance Team
Carbon
Cortus Advisory Group
Cowgills
Dow Schofield Watts
Knight Corporate Finance
MHA
Rickitt Mitchell
National CF Team
Alvarez & Marsal
BDO
Clearwater
DC Advisory
EY
Grant Thornton
Houlihan Lokey
KPMG
Rothschild & Co
VC/PE Team
BGF
Endless
Foresight
LDC
Maven
NorthEdge Capital
Palatine
Praetura Ventures
River Capital
YFM Equity Partners
Debt Funder Team
HSBC
Lloyds
OakNorth
Santander UK
Shawbrook Bank
TDC
Thincats
Virgin Money
Asset Based Lending Team
Arbuthnot
Close Brothers Invoice Finance
Cynergy Business Finance
IGF
Secure Trust
Shawbrook
Virgin Money
Transaction Services
BDO
Claritas Tax
Cortus Advisory Group
Cowgills
EY
PwC
RSM Corporate Finance
Saffery
Insurance Team
Aon
Gallagher
Howden
Marsh
Wiispa
Turnaround Team
Alvarez & Marsal
Begbies Traynor
EY
FRP
Interpath
Leonard Curtis
Teneo
Early-stage Investment Team
Deepbridge
DSW Ventures
Maven
Mercia
Northern Gritstone
Praetura Ventures
River Capital
Liverpool City Region Team
Bermans
Brabners
Hill Dickinson
LYVA Labs
Napthens
River Capital
Cheshire Team
Aaron & Partners
DTM
JS
Myerson
SJC
Lancashire Team
Ashworth Treasure
MHA
Napthens
Pierce
PM+M
Rosebud
