Shortlist unveiled for West Midlands Rainmaker Awards 2025
The shortlist has been revealed for the West Midlands Rainmaker Awards 2025.
40 judges from across the region’s corporate finance sector met at Squire Patton Boggs’ Birmingham office on Tuesday (May 6) 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-firm, one-vote basis from within the Rainmaker community.
The winners will then be announced on Thursday, July 3, at the Macdonald Burlington Hotel in Birmingham. For more information and to book your tickets, visit the Rainmaker Awards website.
Headpoint Advisors is the headline sponsor of the West Midlands Rainmaker Awards, with AON, Dataside, Gateley Legal and Rhino Interiors also supporting the event.
TheBusinessDesk.com’s West Midlands editor Anna Cooper 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 July.”
Teams
Regional Legal Team
Ansons Solicitors
George Green
HCR Law
Higgs
Legal Clarity
Lodders
mfg Solicitors
The Wilkes Partnership
National Legal Team
Browne Jacobson
Eversheds Sutherland
Fieldfisher
Freeths
Gateley Legal
Shoosmiths
Squire Patton Boggs
Regional CF Team
Cattaneo
Clairfield
Debrett’s
Evolve Corporate Finance
Provantage
Springboard Corporate Finance
National CF Team
BDO
Clearwater
EY
Grant Thornton
KPMG
RSM
VC/PE Team
Beech Tree PE
BGF
LDC
NorthEdge
Palatine
YFM
Debt Funder Team
Barclays
Beechbrook
HSBC
OakNorth
Santander
Shawbrook
Virgin Money
Asset Based Lending Team
Arbuthnot
Close Brothers
HSBC
Leumi
Secure Trust Bank
Shawbrook
Transaction Services
BDO
Claritas Tax
Cortus Advisory
EY
KPMG
PwC
RSM
Insurance Team
AON
Gallagher
Howden
Lockton
Marsh
Partners&
RSA
Wesleyan
Turnaround Team
Alvarez & Marsal
Begbies Traynor
FRP Advisory
Interpath
Quantuma Advisory
RSM
Teneo
Early-stage Investment Team
BGF
Foresight
Maven Capital Partners
Mercia Asset Management
Midven
YFM
Deals
Small Deal of the Year (up to £10m)
YFM invested to support the MBO of Replay Maintenance
Browne Jacobson, Actons Solicitors, PSMI, Triple Point Advance Leasing, Claritas Tax, Cooper Parry, Heligan Group, Freeths
BGF’s investment in Skewb
Clearwater, Freeths, Fairgrove, Browne Jacobson, Claritas Tax
Beech Tree PE-backed Obsequio Group acquired Metro Safety
Browne Jacobson, Higgs, RSM, Kartesia, Beech Tree PE
Sale of Pet Treat Wholesale to Scandinavian pet treat consolidator, The Nutriment Company
Evolve Corporate Finance, Freeths, Claritas Tax
Deltron Lifts’ acquisition of Elevate UK Lifts
The Wilkes Partnership, Higgs, Jerroms Corporate Finance
Debrett’s PE acquisition and investment in Ortecha
Browne Jacobson, Knights, Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, Headpoint Advisors, Debrett’s Private Finance
LDC-backed Bramble Food’s acquisition of Whitakers Chocolates
Gateley, Cooper Parry
Knighthead Capital acquired a stake in the Netball Super League team Birmingham Panthers
Higgs, Squire Patton Boggs, Knighthead Capital
Medium Deal of the Year (£10m-£50m)
Sale of Phoenix Health and Safety to Wilmington
Grant Thornton, Higgs, PMSI, Strategy, Crowe, CIL, Marsh, Osborne Clarke
NorthEdge invests in Telford-headquartered EdTech software provider, PebblePad
PwC, Strategy&, Cortus Advisory, Squire Patton Boggs, Fellwood, Deloitte, Claritas Tax, Lockton, Outside In, ReThought Solutions, Swan Partners, Catalysis Advisory, Bishopsgate, Gateley Legal, Crosslake
OpenSignal’s acquisition of Stickee Technology
Freeths, KPMG, Ropes & Gray, Headpoint Advisors, Santander, Browne Jacobson, Claritas Tax, Deloitte
Management-led buy-out of Arden Fine Foods
Springboard Corporate Finance, Higgs, Hill Dickinson, Claritas Tax, Barclays
LDC’s investment in Deltron Group
Gateley Legal, BDO, PMSI, Clearwater, Higgs, LDC, Claritas Tax
Danx Carousel acquired Logik Logistics from exiting investors Debrett’s and FDC
Debrett’s, Browne Jacobson, Jerroms, KPMG, Mills & Reeve, MDP, Gateley Legal, FDC
Fullers acquired Lovely Pubs Group, a collection of 7 pubs in Warwickshire
Higgs, Wedlake Bell, Barclays, HSBC, Rabobank, Virgin, Mediobanca
The sale of Argus Fire from the shareholders of Slaidemain to Mitie Group
Gateley Legal, Headpoint Advisors, Mayer Brown
Jacopa’s sale to Rubicon Partners
Clearwater, Gateley Legal, OC&C, KPMG, PwC, Aon, Proskauer Rose, Waterman Group, Crosslake, Shawbrook
Large Deal of the Year (£50m+)
The sale of Boss Design to Japanese listed conglomerate, Okamura Corporation
EY, Higgs, PwC, ERM
Oakley Capital-backed Steer Automotive Group acquired Gemini Accident Repair Centres
RSM, HCR Law, Cooper Parry, Eversheds Sutherland
IK Partners’ investment in HSL Compliance Group alongside the management team and existing investor LDC
Clearwater, DLA Piper, KPMG, OC&C, HCR Law, Panamoure Liberty, DC Advisory, Fried Frank, Alvarez & Marsal, BCG
The sale of MSS Group to Swedish multinational Atlas Copco
Squire Patton Boggs, Heligan Group, BDO, Greenberg Traurig
BAE Systems’ acquisition of Kirintec
Clearwater, Evershed Sutherland, EY, LEK, Gleacher Shacklock, Mills & Reeves, KPMG
CBPE Capital’s acquisition of HealthNet Homecare
Eversheds Sutherland, Pinsent Masons, Hill Dickinson, Addleshaw Goddard, KPMG, PwC, Barclays, HSBC
LDC’s initial exit of Independent Governance Group to ECI Partners and its £15m reinvestment
KPMG, PwC, Gateley Legal, Eversheds Sutherland, Liberty, Squire Patton Boggs, Alvarez & Marsal, Clearwater
International food and beverage company Paulig acquires Panesar Foods
Freeths, Walker Morris, KPMG, RMY Clements, Oghma Partners
Individual
Rising Star
David Bellis, BGF
Josh Gorman, Clearwater
Rosie Hendon, Shoosmiths
Olivia Johnson, Freeths
Karen Man, LDC
Will Mason, Debrett’s
Hayley Simonds, Mills & Reeve
Rob Worsfold, Eversheds Sutherland
Changemaker
Kelly Henney, PNC
Scott Peters, Quantuma Advisory
Tom Rush, Fieldfisher
Rena Sandhu, AON
Kim Strachan, Gateley
Richard Swann, Inflexion
Sarah Taylor, Clearwater
Sophie Wardell, Higgs
Rainmaker
Rob Burden, Clearwater
Lee Clifford, Freeths
Joe Dyke, Clearwater
Gary Ecob, Clairfield
Richard Griffiths, Higgs
Chris Handy, LDC
Jeremy Harrison, EY
Beth Mather, Gateley Legal
Andy Oates, HSBC
