Insider Media Limited

Keith Melling of Napthens has won the Dealmaker of the Year award at Insider's Lancashire Dealmakers Awards. The event, held at Ewood Park, gathered together more than 150 of the region's leading professionals to celebrate the successes of the last year. The perseverance, tenacity and creativity of the region's dealmakers have ensured that good businesses in the region can continue to grow and thrive despite a backdrop of ongoing uncertainty. The event was hosted by Insider's editorial director Michael Taylor and raised money for the youth charity Onside Northwest.

Corporate Finance Advisory Team of the Year
Winner: Pierce Corporate Finance Limited
Pierce's entry included detailed accounts of deal processes that had gone off the boil, where the team turned the heat back on, how they sourced buyers and “went the extra mile”.
Shortlisted: PM&M, RSM Tenon, Moore & Smalley
Sponsored by: Garricks

Corporate Law Firm of the Year
Winner: Napthens
Napthens battled to get work for their clients – accurate, articulate, highly skilled and good humoured were the tributes paid to Andrew Clare and Keith Melling.
Shortlisted: Forbes Solicitors, Harrison Drury, Garricks, Marsden Rawsthorn

Corporate Banking Team of the Year
Winner: Yorkshire Bank
It is so important that the banks support local businesses; lending is tough, getting deals through credit required empathy and dedication. Yorkshire's team backed City Block, Weltonhurst and the Waterside Hotel and Moorhouses Brewery.
Shortlisted: Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays
Sponsored by: Pierce Corporate Finance

Real Lancashire Deal of the Year
Winner: Sale of Science in Sport to Provexis
A renowned family business in Blackburn producing sports energy drinks was sold to Provexis PLC – it involved complex issues right from the start and has been successful due to the careful management of Jim Akrill.
Shortlisted: Sale of Micro Applications Packages to Autodesk; Acquisition of Stainless Metric Stock by Stainless Investments; Sale of JWP to Meyer Group

Management Buyout Deal of the Year
Winner: Inspired Energy
A rare AIM deal saw this named as Lancashire's deal of the month back in November. It raised £3.4m and was supported by Yorkshire Bank and Praetura Capital, which Mike Fletcher is involved in, as well as various other institutional funders.
Shortlisted: Intrinsic Technology

Lancashire’s Entrepreneur of the Year
Winner: Brian Davidson, Crown Paints
Since Brian Davidson took over at the Darwen-based paint manufacturer he has improved productivity, taken the business into profit and steered the business through an acquisition to Danish business Hempel. In so doing he delivered an incredible return for investors Endless and continues to lead the business to a bight future.
Sponsored by: First Investments
Shortlisted: Matt Newing, Elite Telecom; Wayne Wild, WEC; Peter Street, The Cardboard Box Company;
Tim Webber, Barnfield Construction

Flat Cap Award 2012
Winner: Daniel Milnes, Forbes Solicitors.
This fun award is designed to recognise the Dealmaker in Lancashire who conducts themselves with humour, wit and warmth – all true Lancashire values. Forbes’ top blogger and livewire Daniel Milnes was a popular choice and will wear the cap with pride.
Sponsored by: Freshfield
Shortlisted: Oliver Burton, RBS Corporate; John Palich, Handelsbanken; Les Nutter, Cassons Chartered Accountants; Daniel Milnes, Forbes Solicitors

Young Dealmaker of the Year
Winner: Pauline Rigby, Forbes Solicitors
A real rising star in the offices of Forbes, Pauline Rigby has been shortlisted in this award before and has even seen her colleagues win it in previous years, but this was her year.
Shortlisted: Oliver Burton, RBS Corporate; Robert Dobson, Napthens; David Filmer, Harrison Drury; Mark Alexander, Marsden Rawsthorn

Deal of the Year
Winner: Sale of Crown Paints to Hempel
Crown’s sale by turnaround private equity funder Endless was an incredible deal – with a trade buyer eventually outbidding private equity interest. The award was picked up by Warwick Ley, one of the management team from Endless who has since left the business.
Sponsored by: AFR Consulting
Shortlisted: Sale of Tangerine Confectionery to Blackstone; Refinancing of EH Booth & Co; Float of Inspired Energy; Sale of Smith Group to Imtech; Sale of Micro Applications Packages to Autodesk

Dealmaker of the Year
Winner: Keith Melling, Napthens
This award was won by a lawyer for the first time as a mark of the energy of Keith Melling, but also as a mark of his dedication in originating deals and seeing through some complex processes. He proved to be a very popular choice.
Sponsored by: Forbes Solicitors
Shortlisted: David Sharp, Pierce Corporate Finance; Craig Richardson, Dow Schofield Watts; Oliver Burton, RBS; Stephen Gregson, Moore & Smalley; Kevin Hughes, Yorkshire Bank