2009 was a year most dealmakers will want to forget, but it didn’t stop more than 500 financiers descending on the Royal Armouries to look ahead to better times in 2010.
Our dinner proved that even in the darkest times there are rays of light. For instance our Deal of the Year caught the spirit of the evening with the buyout of Durham-based drugs manufacturer Quantum Specials showing that a good quality business was still able to attract good quality private equity investment in the depths of the 2009 market.
The work of LDC’s John Swarbrick on the deal led him to our individual Dealmaker of the Year title as well as the individual private equity award on the night. Collecting his award, Swarbrick said his success was testament to the Yorkshire corporate finance community “looking after its own”. “This has served us well in difficult times,” he said.
LDC’s success on the night was mirrored by accountant KPMG, Yorkshire Bank and law firm Hammonds who all did the double in each of their categories, while Endless’ restructuring of Sheffield office supplies group Vasanta earned the firm the Turnaround Deal of the Year title and nearly scooped our overall deal of the year.
Meanwhile, Yorkshire dealmaking stalwart David Forbes, managing director of Rothschild’s Leeds office, was a popular winner of the Lifetime Achievement award in memory of banker Roger Powell who died in 2007.
Date: Thu 19th November, 2009
Venue: Saviles Hall, Royal Armouries, Leeds, LS10 1LT
Number of Guests Attended: 500
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