Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner Andrew Coombe
Coombe, who retired from Keeble Hawson in April this year after 21 years advising on mergers and acquisitions throughout South Yorkshire and beyond, received his award to a standing ovation from the audience at the Hotel Mercure St Paul's in Sheffield. "It's been an immense pleasure for me to have worked in South Yorkshire with people like you in this room," he told the audience.
He later told Insider that he felt a new excitement about the potential South Yorkshire and Sheffield had to offer. “This city has been a sleeping giant for too long. In the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s we accounted for much of the national GNP. But since then with the coal and the steel falling off and thanks to the actions of the then council we have completely slid off the map, and it has taken a long time to recover. But we are recovering now. It’s great to see all the young people transferring their skills to new sectors such as financial services. I only wish I was 20 years younger.”
Sponsor Bank of Scotland Corporate
Deal of the Year
Winner ESS MBO
This £56m deal saw Baird Capital Partners put a stake in this Sheffield company, which supplies steel and engineering products to the oil industry. Yorkshire Bank also backed the deal, which saw founding partner Alex Miller hand over the reins to a new management team. But it was perhaps the presence of an all-South Yorkhsire based advice team that really persuaded voters to back this one. Patrick Abel at PKF led the deal and introduced Baird to the management team. Hart Shaw advised the vendor, while legal advice came from both HLW and DLA Piper. Miller told Insider that he was very keen to keep the deal local in gratitude to his adopted city. "As a Scot who came to Sheffield 26 years ago I knew I had to keep everything in Sheffield," he said. "This is second home to me."
The deal sees Miller exit the company he founded, and the 49-year-old was being very guarded about what he might do next, although he did not rule out the possibility of starting all over again with a new company.
Shortlist ESS MBO, Adel Cash & Carry MBO, Cloud Electronics MBO, Davy Markham MBO, Firth Rixson sale
Sponsor Sewell Moorhouse
Corporate Finance Advisory Firm of the Year
Winner Barber Harrison & Platt
The Sheffield office of Ingram Forrest merged with Barber Harrison & Platt two years ago and the combined operation has not looked back since, advising on a wide range of deals this year. Partner David Forrest said: “The team has come together really well and I’m so proud. The team we’ve got is largest and the most experienced in the area and the region and they deserve it. In the world of corporate finance what you don’t want is the status quo. Whether the market is up or down - wherever there’s movement – there are opportunities for value creation.”
Shortlist Barber Harrison & Platt, Hart Shaw, PKF, Strategic Corporate Finance
Sponsor Nabarro
Corporate Bank of the Year
Winner Bank of Scotland Corporate
Bank of Scotland's work this year has included not just funding major deals in South Yorkshire but working on a refinancing package for Innocent Drinks too. David Hunt, director of commercial banking for Bank of Scotland in Sheffield, said: “We had a record year last year and that is recognised by the fact we now have a new regional office based in Leeds covering Yorkshire and the North East. We’re very pleased to be involved in more deals than ever and to help drive corporate finance and dealmaking in Sheffield.”
Shortlist Bank of Scotland Corporate, Alliance & Leicester, Lloyds TSB, Yorkshire Bank
Sponsor Barber Harrison & Platt
Corporate Law Firm of the Year
Winner DLA Piper
DLA Piper's work this year has included advising on the Firth Rixson, ESS, and Bond Bryan deals. Richard May, corporate partner at DLA Piper, said: “The last 12 months has been the best year we’ve ever had. We have been involved in four deals of over £200m and have completed 55 deals to the value of £3.5bn. We have a team of 14 people and they have all contributed massively to that performance. We have been working on some cracking deals and shown South Yorkshire in a fantastic light."
Shortlist DLA Piper, HLW Commercial Lawyers, Keeble Hawson, Nabarro
Sponsor Grant Thornton
Dealmaking Firm of the Year
Winner DLA Piper
In a 'best of best' category made up of the winners of the three team prizes, DLA romped home among the nominations. Stephen Sly, managing partner of DLA Piper’s Sheffield office, said: “Last year was an exceptional year for us. We have had the most complex and highest value deals in the region, like Firth Rixson, and we have had the regionally relevant deals, like Cloud Electronics. We’re delighted to get the recognition from our peer group."
Shortlist DLA Piper, Bank of Scotland Corporate, Barber Harrison & Platt
Sponsor Enterprise Ventures
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