2026 Yorkshire Rainmaker Awards winners revealed
Jonathan Jones scooped the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award at the TheBusinessDesk.com’s Yorkshire Rainmaker Awards.
Jones, who recently stepped down as European managing partner of Squire Patton Boggs after spending more than three decades at the firm, is a stalwart of the Yorkshire corporate finance community. has also built a reputation as one of the region’s leading corporate lawyers, with more than 300 deals under his belt spanning £5m to £800m.
Accepting the accolade Jones, said he was “absolutely delighted and very flattered”, adding that success in high-level dealmaking is “very much a team sport” and that he had been fortunate to work with “extremely talented colleagues and clients” throughout his career.
Reflecting on his career highlights, he pointed to two standout moments: advising Zenith and its management team from their first deal in 2011 through four subsequent transactions, culminating in the £750m Bridgepoint deal, and his involvement in the £783m Keepmoat transaction with BoSIF in 2013.
He also noted the transformation of Hammonds (which went onto become Squire Patton Boggs) after its difficult period in 2004, saying he was “very proud that the firm has evolved into the excellent corporate-led adviser it is today — the result of a lot of hard work from a lot of people.”
Asked what advice he would give to young dealmakers in the room, Jonathan said: “Turn your clients into your friends, surround yourself with talented people and recognise the contribution they make, don’t take yourself too seriously, and above all enjoy yourself. We all spend a huge amount of time in the office, and having fun while doing deals makes the whole process easier.”
Elsewhere, Jonny Sharp of Cerelo was named Rainmaker of the Year. Sharp, who co-founded the corporate finance boutique in 2024, said: “Yorkshire has some world class businesses and it is our job to share that to the world. That’s what is next.”
Changemaker of the Year went to Jayne Dunford, LDC and the Rising Star award went to Rachel Holloway, Endless.
The principal Rainmaker awards partner was Codurance with. Datasite, Gallagher, K3 Advisory Group, Knights, Sarasin & Partners, TheBusinessGrid and Tinkle as category sponsors. Sports journalist Tanya Arnold hosted the awards.
Sheryl Moore, Yorkshire editor at TheBusinessDesk.com, said: “These awards, together with our Rainmakers platform and conference, reflect TheBusinessDesk.com’s ongoing commitment to supporting and celebrating Yorkshire’s corporate finance community, ensuring it receives the recognition and profile it deserves.
This evening’s winners exemplify the talent and achievement within the sector, and everyone here has contributed to the strength and success of this community. Congratulations to all our winners and finalists.”
The 2026 Yorkshire Rainmakers Award Winners
TEAMS
Regional Legal Team: Clarion
Blacks Solicitors, Gordons, LCF Law, Schofield Sweeney, Walker Morris
National Legal Team: Squire Patton Boggs
Addleshaw Goddard, DLA Piper, Eversheds Sutherland, Freeths, Pinsent Masons, Shoosmiths, Womble Bond Dickinson
Regional Corporate Finance Advisory Team: Sentio Partners
Castle Square Corporate Finance, Cerelo Advisory, Dow Schofield Watts, Park Place Corporate Finance, Translink
National Corporate Finance Advisory Team: Clearwater
Alvarez & Marsal, BDO, Forvis Mazars, Grant Thornton, KPMG, PwC, Rothschild, RSM
VC/Private Equity Team: LDC
BGF, Enact, Endless, Foresight, Key Capital Partners, Mercia, YFM
Debt Funder Team: HSBC
Barclays, Lloyds, NatWest, OakNorth, Santander, ThinCats, Virgin Money
Asset-based Lending Team: Shawbrook
Arbuthnot, Close Brothers, Independent Growth Finance, Leumi, Praetura, Reward Funding
Secure Trust Bank
Transaction Services Team: Grant Thornton
BDO Cortus Advisory, Dow Schofield Watts, EY, KPMG, PwC, Translink Corporate Advisory
Insurance Team: Gallagher
Aon, Howden Group, Markel, Marsh, Partners&, PIB Insurance Brokers, Tysers, Wiispa
Turnaround Team: Interpath
Alvarez & Marsal, BDO, BTG , EY, FRP, Grant Thornton, Teneo
INDIVIDUALS
Rising Star of the Year: Rachel Holloway, Endless
Ed Crocker, KPMG, Brooke Fenton, Sentio Partners, Abigail McGarry, Weightmans, Dan O’Connell, Gallagher, Richard Ralph, Foresight, Declan Savage, Translink CF, Olivia Wakefield, BDO
Changemaker of the Year: Jayne Dunford, LDC
Bridie Clews, EY, Ben Coggin, BDO, Hannah Crosland, Squire Patton Boggs, Cordelia Stephens, Gateley, Jeremy Thomas, Clearwater, Olivia Wakefield, BDO
Rainmaker of the Year: Jonny Sharp, Cerelo
Clare Boardman, Teneo, Chris Cormack, Endless, Paul Denvers, Endless, Oliver Hoffman, Forvis Mazars, Paul Mann, Squire Patton Boggs, Duncan Morpeth, Alvarez & Marsal, Mae Salem, Squire Patton Bogg
Lifetime Achievement: Jonathan Jones
DEALS
Early Stage Deal of the year: YFM Equity Partners invested £4m in workforce management software provider, S4 Labour. Freeths, Markel, Squire Patton Boggs, Wiispa
Energy Impact Partners led a Series A investment in AssetCool. Blears, CMS, Haynes Boone, Osborne Clarke, Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt, Squire Patton Boggs
ROXFIT, a digital training platform for hybrid athletes, raised £1.9m seed funding. DSW Ventures
Growth Fund 1 investment in The Pharmacist Network Group. Brown Butler, Progeny, Squire Patton Boggs, Weightmans
Anticus Partners (Finance Yorkshire) invested in Hyperfinity. Clarion, Freeths.
Sitehop raised an additional £7.5m led by investor Northern Gritstone
Holdson raised £1.5m in a round led by The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II
University of Leeds spin-out IVFmicro raised £3.5m in pre-seed funding, led by Northern Gritstone. Innovate UK Investor Partnerships Programme
Small Deal of the year (up to £10m): Key Capital acquisition of CellTech Communications. Addleshaw Goddard, BDO, Cavu Corporate Finance, Cortus Advisory, Key Capital Partners, RPL
Halifax Rack & Screw Cutting sale to Innovative Power and Metal Technologies. Bermans, Dentons, Gordons, Sentio Partners
Sale of APP Lifting to Amplex AB. Clarion, Park Place
Sale of Intelligent Servers and its subsidiary Intelligence Hosting Services to Danish Renewtech. Brabners, DSW, Gorrissen Federspiel
Management buyout of Rotherham-based Home Décor. Dentons, HSBC, Knights, Shorts, Wake Smith Solicitors
Enact acquired Par-Pak Europe and Holfeld Plastics (trading as Waddington Europe). DLA Piper, Foot Anstey
Thurston Group, a manufacturer of modular and off-site buildings sold to GCH Corporation. Hilco Valuation Services, Squire Patton Boggs, Teneo Financial Advisory
University of Sheffield spin-out Phlux Technology raised £9m in a Series A round led by BGF, alongside Octopus Ventures, Northern Gritstone and Foresight
Medium Deal of the year (£10m-£50m): Enact sale of Greenray Turbine Solutions to Flowserve Corporation. Gallagher, Gordons, KPMG, Piper Sandler, Sidley Austin
Digital prescribing and pharmacy platform, CloudRx, sale to Vulcan Two. Claritas, HaysMac, Parisi Tax, Pinsent Masons, Sentio Partners, Stephenson Harwood
Vespa Capital investment in re-clinical contract research organisation, FibroFind. BDO, Candesic, DLA Piper, Grant Thornton, Mills & Reeve
Brigantia Partners sale to Elovade Beteiligings GmbH. BDO, KPMG, Squire Patton Boggs, Wilkie Farr & Gallagher
Sale of Brisant Secure, a designer of residential security hardware, by BGF to Allegion. BDO, Browne Jacobson, Cooper Parry, EY, Fieldfisher, KPMG, PMSI
Beech Tree Private Equity acquisition of Doncaster-based Inspiro Learning. Alvarez & Marsal, Beech Tree PE, CIL, Clearwater, DLA Piper, Gallagher, Lewis Silkin, Mayer Brown, RSM, Shoosmiths
AppsAnywhere sale to Cordance Software (North Carolina) for £17m. BHP, Clarion, Exbo Group, Goodwin Procter, Grant Thornton, Translink CF
LDC investment in ARC Building Solutions, a provider of passive fire protection and thermal insulation products. CMS, Collinson Grant, Dow Schofield Watts, Pinsent Masons, PMSI, RSM, Shoosmiths, Virgin Money, Walker Morris
Large Deal of the Year (over £50m): Macquarie Group investment in UniHomes, with LDC reinvesting a minority stake, Alvarez & Marsal, DC Advisory, EY, KPMG, LDC, OC&C, Squire Patton Boggs, Travers Smith, Womble Bond Dickinson
Sale of majority holding in Symphony Group to W&R Barnett. Davidson McDonnell, EY, KPMG, Lewis Silkin, Macfarlanes, McKinsey, PwC, Sentio Partners, Walker Morris
Star Brands Group sale to NYSE-listed RPM International. Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath, Freeths, Travers Smith
Great Rail Journeys sale to Vitruvian Partners. Clearwater, DLA Piper, FTI, Harris Williams, Liberty, Mayer Brown, PwC
Realise Training Group sold by Enact to AQA. CIL, Deloitte, Grant Thornton, KPMG, Myerson Solicitors, RSM, Sentio Partners, Tax Advisory Partnership, Womble Bond Dickinson
EMIS Group was sold by UnitedHealth Group to TPG. EY, Bank of America
Airedale Group acquired by Brenntag, the global market leader in chemicals distribution. Addleshaw Goddard, Clearwater, CMS, KPMG, PwC, Roland Berger
Polypipe (Genuit Group) acquired Davidson Holdings. BDO, Squire Patton Boggs, Shoosmiths
