Stuart Stepney of Castle Corporate Finance was called Dealmaker of the Year at the 2023 Insider South East Dealmakers Awards. Last night’s occasion – which was held at Copthorne Hotel Effingham Park and compered by Fred MacAulay – commemorated the area’s significant deals and experts who are making it possible for an entire host of mergers and acquisitions. The awards were sponsored by Arbuthnot Commercial Asset Based Lending, Buzzacott, FRP Corporate Finance, IGF, PDT Solicitors, Polestar Corporate Finance, Shawbrook and SRC Corporate Finance.
Asset Based Lending Team of the Year
Winner: IGF
Sponsored by: PDT Solicitors LLP
The IGF group has actually supported the dealmaking neighborhood throughout the area, providing a variety of considerable ABL centers to a variety of businesses in varied sectors. The judges felt their solution-led method makes it possible for business financing companies to perform and negotiate with certainty, made IGF the winning ABL group this year.
Shortlisted
Close Brothers Invoice Finance
Arbuthnot Commercial ABL
Leumi ABL
Transaction Services Team of The Year
Winner: Crowe UK
The Crowe group has actually had another strong year, encouraging on a considerable variety of complex and prominent deals throughout the South East, particularly those including personal equity. The reality that the group increased the variety of Vendor Due Diligence tasks, including additional worth to both the buy-side and sell-side of deals stuck out for the judges.
Shortlisted
Knill James
Thomson Snell & Passmore
Menzies LLP
Azets
KPMG
Buzzacott Corporate Finance
Corporate Banker of the Year
Sponsored by: Polestar Corporate Finance
Winner: Gavin Potter, Lloyds
Part of the Mid-Corporate banking Team in the South East, Gavin has actually been associated with supporting a a great deal of businesses in the area with banking centers. As well as bringing terrific enthusiasm, interest and drive to each of the deals he is associated with, the judges kept in mind Gavin’s imagination in providing services for his customers marked him out this year.
Shortlisted
Steven Munt, Shawbrook
Alan Austin, Metro Bank
Mohith Sondhi, OakNorth Bank
Corporate Law Firm of the Year
Sponsored by: SRC Corporate Finance
Winner: Cripps
The South East was a strong area for the Cripps M&A group in 2022, with almost half of the offers based in the area. The typical offer worth in the area was £19.1m and overall worth of South East in excess of £420m for many years. This success, paired with the reality that the group had actually grown by over 12% over the last 12 months made Cripps the impressive South East law practice, according to the judges.
Shortlisted
PDT Solicitors
Stevens & Bolton
Thomson Snell & Passmore
Gaby Hardwicke Solicitors
DMH Stallard
Entrepreneur of the Year
Winner: Chris Bennett, EVORA Global
Chris established EVORA, an independent sustainability consultancy, software supplier and engineering practice, specialising in realty financial investment. Since 2011 the business has actually grown in size, proficiency and ability. The judges kept in mind that in 2015 the business had actually presented its brand-new SIERA software, had actually doubled headcount and turnover and had actually gotten in the green financial obligation market, all under Chris’ astute management.
Shortlisted
Nick Thompson, One Beyond
Dom Bourne and Louise Tapia, Take 1
Corporate Finance Adviser of the Year
Sponsored by: Arbuthnot Commercial Asset Based Lending
Winner: Kirsty Wilson, Knill James
Kirsty, who was just recently made Corporate Finance Partner, has actually led the Corporate Finance group at Knill James to a record year, with charge earnings up by an impressive 154%. She likewise finished her biggest deal to date and effectively encouraged regional businesses on deals amounting to more than £100m in offer worth. All this made her the noteworthy business advisor according to the judges.
Shortlisted
Ryan Smith, EMC
Victoria Ansell, Castle Corporate Finance
Ian Barton, Quantuma Advisory
David Ellis, Azets
Geert Struyven, Crowe UK
Corporate Bank of the Year
Sponsored by: FRP Corporate Finance
Winner: Lloyds
An effective year for the Lloyds’ group in the South East who continued to support regional businesses. Stand-out deals consisted of a £4.5m center to Hall Hunter, a £5m working capital center to Woolovers and £5m SSRCF to support a secondary buyout of Aker Systems. The judges were especially amazed with their dedication to assist in and support ecologically and socially sustainable financial activity and development.
Shortlisted
Shawbrook
OakNorth Bank
Private Equity / Venture Capital Deal of the Year
Winner: Series B Fundraising for HiiRoc (Cripps; Gowling WLG; Freeths; Ashurst; RW Blears LLP)
Energy business HiiRoc had actually established an ingenious electrolysis procedure and required more funds to continue the commercialisation and take it to market. £26m was invested as equity by financiers consisting of Centrica, Hyundai and Kia. The judges acknowledged this offer had actually drawn considerable financial investment from worldwide gamers and likewise that it was one that adds to the hydrogen economy’s shift to Net Zero.
Shortlisted
Investment in Brompton Technology by Connection Capital (BDO Growth; Osborne Clarke; Gateley Legal; Plural Strategy; HMT; Confidas People; Vista Insurance Brokers)
Sale of Brownell to Roko AB (Gerald Edelman; Fladgate; Hill Dickinson; Ava Law; KPMG)
Investment in Acora by LDC (DC Advisory; Eversheds Sutherland; RSM; BDO; HSBC)
Investment in Lightning Fibre by Foresight Group (EMC Corporate Finance; DMH Stallard; CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP)
Sale of In Situ Site Investigation to CTS Group (backed by Palatine Private Equity) (EMC Corporate Finance; Gaby Hardwicke; Browne Jacobson; Grant Thornton)
Corporate Lawyer of the Year
Sponsored by: Buzzacott
Winner: Helen Mead, DMH Stallard
Helen led a variety of other deals within the certifying duration, consisting of the sale of Bolney to Freixenet Copestick and the MBO of SafeGroup Services. Helen has actually contributed in assisting the Guildford Corporate group to grow income by 36% over the last 3 years. The judges felt Helen’s excellent offer success and her clear management qualities made her the noteworthy legal representative this year.
Shortlisted
Jason Varney, Thomson Snell & Passmore
Abigail Owen, DMH Stallard
Nick Atkins, Stevens & Bolton
Mark Williams, Gaby Hardwicke Solicitors
Claire Williams, Brachers
Deal of the Year (sub £10m)
Winner: Sale of Take 1 to Verbit UK (Castle Corporate Finance; Brachers; Moore Kingston Smith; Cuadra Vollmer & Cia, Abogados; Wofsey, Rosen, Kweskin & Kuriansky LLP; Harbottle & Lewis)
Take 1 specialises in start-to-finish transcription and captioning services for video material. The acquisition of Take 1 has actually improved Verbit, an Israeli tech business, as a prominent provider of services on every media gain access to requirement. The judges kept in mind that this complicated offer has actually increased Take 1’s existence in the area and likewise increase the varieties of individuals used.
Shortlisted
EOT of Kent architectural practice (Knill James; Gaby Hardwicke; Capitalise; SME Capital)
Sale of OSET Bikes to Triumph Motorcycles (Gaby Hardwicke Solicitors; Eversheds Sutherland; Cooper Parry; KPMG)
Sale of Adelard to NCC Group (Azets; Girlings)
Funding to produce Learn 2 Live Youth Clinic by LAVA Advisory Partners (Farrer & Co; Irwin Mitchell; Beaumont Finance; Evelyn Partners)
Sale of Southdowns Environmental Consultants to RWDI (Knill James; MHA Macintyre Hudson; Greene & Greene)
Investment in Custodian Data Centres by Growth Lending (previously increase&Co) (Azets; Knight Corporate Finance)
Emerging Dealmaker of the Year
Sponsored by: Shawbrook
Winner: Edward Hulbert, Azets
In the in 2015, Edward has actually dealt with 13 deals throughout lead advisory and deal services, along with 2 fundraises, 2 monetary modelling tasks, and numerous business evaluations. He has actually advanced to now separately and effectively leading deals end-to-end. The judges were impressed with Edward’s decision in solving concerns and discovering services for customers.
Shortlisted
Calvin Bond, Quantuma Advisory
Alex Nursey, Castle Corporate Finance
Rebecca Minear, Stevens & Bolton
Kieran Lambe, Crowe UK
James Wood, Buzzacott Corporate Finance
Joe Hartland, Thomson Snell & Passmore
Corporate Finance Advisory Team of the Year
Sponsored by: IGF
Winner: Polestar Corporate Finance
It’s been a year that’s seen Polestar’s charge earnings more than double from in 2015, having actually finished offers throughout a variety of sectors and locations, half of which including a global purchaser or funder. The judges feel that its activity in 2022 plainly shows Polestar is seriously punching above its weight, making it the noteworthy advisory company.
Shortlisted
Crowe UK
Quantuma Advisory
FRP Corporate Finance
Castle Corporate Finance
EMC
Deal of the Year (£10m+)
Winner: Sale of Leander International Pet Foods to Alphapet (Knill James; PDT Solicitors; Deloitte; Allen & Overy; Oppenheimer; Ashfords; Sonntag & Partner; LutzAbel)
Leander International Pet Foods’ Arden Grange brand name was gotten by Alphapet, the leading technology-drive brand name platform for premium family pet food in Europe. This complicated global offer saw the sale of a nationally acknowledged brand name, the name of which has actually been kept, in addition to the regional labor force, making this the noteworthy offer according to the judges.
Shortlisted
Investment in PHL by Ethos Partners (FRP Corporate Finance; HCR; Latitude Consulting; Safferys; Vista Insurance Brokers, ThinCats)
Sale of Credence Background Screening to Certn (Castle Corporate Finance; Cripps; Creaseys; Farris LLP; Taylor Wessing; Cascadia Capital)
Investment in nDreams by AONIC (KPMG; Sheridans)
Sale of Kew Electrical to Edmundson Electrical (EMC; UHY; Irwin Mitchell; KPMG)
Refinancing and acquisition financing for Denmaur (Castle Corporate Finance; Leumi ABL; Outset; Higgs LLP)
Sale of Fabco Sanctuary to Skorskogen (EMC; DMH Stallard; Blue Spire; CF2Go; Spencer Legal)
Sale of Aqualisa to Fortune Brands (exit for LDC) (Rothschild, Gowling WLG; OC&C; EY)
Sale of Berry Gardens to Driscoll’s (Cripps; Spayne Lindsay; Kreston Reeves; Euclid Law; Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP; Deloitte; Norton Rose; Howdens; Blake Morgan; HSBC)
Dealmaker of the Year Award
Winner: Stuart Stepney, Castle Corporate Finance
Stuart is a premium dealmaker who has actually been running at the greatest level of M&A for several years, having business nous and entrepreneurial spirit by the bucketful. His solid and ruthless drive effects not just on offers however likewise on Castle’s strong development given that taking control of the reins of the company almost 10 years earlier.
Shortlisted
Charlie Whelan, Polestar Corporate Finance
Rupert Rawcliffe, SRC Corporate Finance
Michael Pay, EMC
Meera Shah, Buzzacott Corporate Finance
