Daisy scores deals award double

LANCASHIRE’S deal-hungry Daisy Communications stole the show at last night’s North West Dealmaker Awards.

The Nelson firm, which through a £204m reverse takeover in July, took a listing on AIM, and has since made a clutch of acquisitions, was named overall deal of the year and AIM transaction of the year at the event organised by the Insider magazine.

Corporate development director Steve Smith collected the awards,  and said “watch this space” when asked if there were more deals in the pipeline.

KPMG’s Northern corporate finance chief, Jonathan Boyers, was named overall dealmaker of the year. Despite the recession his team has been among the most active in the market. He saw off competition from last year’s winner Andy Westbrook of Deloitte, Turner Parkinson’s Nick Davenport and Paul Stringer of Cowgill Holloway.

Mr Boyers paid tribute to his “fantastic team” who he said had shone in “some very difficult times” and completed 17 deals in the last 12 months. Among the many transactions was advising glass giant Pilkington on the sale of its French and Swiss businesses.

“Next year will pick up and if it doesn’t we’ll just keep going any way,” he said.
 
Deloitte did not leave empty-handed though, as Richard Bell’s transaction services team won that category for the second year in a row, for its work with retailer JJB Sports.

Cowgill Holloway, the Bolton-based practice caused something of a stir in seeing off the larger city firms to win corporate finance advisory team of the year, for its work on the sale of Garic to Liverpool’s Bibby Line Group.

Turner Parkinson took law firm of the year. The Manchester practice, led by senior partner Nick Davenport, has won a number of industry awards in the last month for its creative online response to the recession, TP Deals.

TP Deals is a weekly match-making newsletter sent out to the corporate finance community, listing businesses and assets for sale. Its popularity is growing weekly.

Lloyds TSB Development Capital won the private equity team of the year.
Despite the credit crunch LDC remained active and in June backed a  £19m management buyout of Oldham-based drain management firm ANSA Holdings.

Asset-based lender of the year was KBC Business Capital, while Yorkshire Bank won the banking team of the year.

The award was collected on behalf of the team by Richard Kennerley, who is leaving the UK to take on a new job with the bank’s parent company, NAB, in Australia.

One of the most active banks throughout the last 12 months, Yorkshire’s corporate and structured finance team has backed a number of the leading deals including ANSA, the take private of Ascribe and James Fisher’s refinancing.

The small deal of the year was won by Warrington-based Terra Consult, while the turnaround and rescue category was taken by Trafford-based shopfitter Styles & Wood.

The sale in September of Manchester diagnostics business DxS to a Dutch group for £80m, landed the new technology deal of the year.

Fund of the Year was taken by YFM for its North West Business Investment Scheme.

Corporate finance advisory team of the year – Cowgill Holloway

Corporate law firm of the year – Turner Parkinson

Private equity team of the year – LDC

Asset-based lender of the year – KBC Business Capital

Transaction services team of the year – Deloitte

Banking team of the year – Yorkshire Bank

AIM deal of the year – Daisy Communications

Small deal of the year – Terra Consult

Turnaround/rescue of the year – Styles & Wood

New technology deal of the year – DxS sale to Quiagen

Fund of the year – YFM

Deal of the year – Daisy Communications

Dealmaker of the year – Jonathan Boyers, KPMG