
Rainmaker Awards
Summer 2025 will mark the return of the Rainmaker Awards.The Rainmaker Awards will bring together Yorkshire’s deals community to celebrate the best deals and teams from the past 12 months, as voted for by the corporate finance community themselves in a one firm, one vote system.The casual dress code swaps the traditional tuxedos and long speeches for an evening that focuses on recognising and celebrating the best work from the year.The night provides an opportunity to network with the leading individuals and firms in the region.
GRAB YOUR TICKETS
Single Ticket | £250 + VAT
Table of Ten | £2000 + VAT
Premium Partner | £2500 + VAT
2025 SHORTLIST
Teams
Regional Legal Team
Brabners
Clarion
Gordons
Hill Dickinson
Schofield Sweneey
Walker Morris
Ward Hadaway
National Legal Team
Addleshaw Goddard
Eversheds Sutherland
Freeths
Pinsent Masons
Shoosmiths
Squire Patton Boggs
Womble Bond Dickinson
Regional CF Team
Castle Square Corporate Finance
Cerelo Advisory
Dow Schofield Watts
Park Place Corporate Finance
Sentio
Translink Corporate Finance
National CF Team
Azets
Clearwater
Forvis Mazars
Grant Thornton
KPMG
Rothschild
RSM
VC/PE Team
BGF
Endless
Foresight
LDC
Nimbus
YFM Equity Partners
Debt Funder Team
HSBC
Lloyds
OakNorth
Santander
ThinCats
Virgin Money
Asset Based Lending Team
Arbuthnot Commercial Asset-Based Lending
Close Brothers
Hilco Valuation
Independent Growth Finance
Reward Funding
Secure Trust Bank
Shawbrook
Ultimate Finance
XL Business Finance
Transaction Services
Cortus Advisory
Dow Schofield Watts
EY
Grant Thornton
KPMG
PwC
RSM
Translink Corporate Finance
Insurance Team
Aon
Gallagher
Howden Group
Markel
Marsh
Partners&
PIB Insurance Brokers
Tysers
Turnaround Team
Alvarez & Marsel
Begbies Traynor
Cortus Advisory
EY
FRP
Interpath
PwC
Teneo
Early-stage Investment Team
Finance Yorkshire
Lifted Ventures
Maven Capital Partners
Mercia
Northern Gritstone
Par Equity
Praetura
YFM Equity Partners
North Yorkshire Team
Crombie Wilkinson
Hunter Gee Holroyd
Lithgow Perkins
Parsons
Raworths
Ware & Kay
East Yorkshire Team
Andrew Jackson
Dutton Moore
Gosschalks Solicitors
Wilkin Chapman Rollits
Smailes Goldie
TC Group
South Yorkshire Team
Castle Square Corporate Finance
gbac
Hart Shaw
Hawsons
Hentons
Shorts
Virgin Money
Wake Smith
Deals
Small Deal of the Year (up to £10m)
Boxphish secured £3.25m from BGF
Squire Patton Boggs, BGF, The Tax Advisory Partnership, Walker Morris, KPMG
My Pension Expert acquired Tenet&You from Tenet
Addleshaw Goddard, Park Place, Palatine, Cortus Advisory, Thistle Advisory
Newsome bought equipment manufacturer Penmann
Shoosmiths, Schofield Sweeney, Castle Square Corporate Finance, Brown Butler
MBAA acquired Riva Foods and Mother Riley's Bakery
Thincats, Park Place, RSM, Irwin Mitchell, Cortus Advisory
BGF's £5.5m investment in TaperedPlus
Comhar, Dow Schofield Watts, Freeths, Deloitte, BGF, Squire Patton Boggs, BDO
Pressure Technologies sold its Precision Machined Components division to Indian group Raghu Vamsi Machine Tool
Dow Schofield Watts, Addleshaw Goddard, BDO, Shoosmiths
Whitakers Chocolates was bought by LDC-backed Bramble Foods
Gordons, Fivefold Associates, Armstrong Watson, Gateley Legal, Virgin Money, LDC
Disposal of Bartoline by Paramount Retail Group to Tetrosyl
Hill Dickinson, CG Professional, Forvis Mazars
Medium Deal of the Year (£10m-£50m)
NVM invested into Helix Tools owner MRO+ Solutions
Womble Bond Dickinson, NVM Private Equity, Browne Jacobson, Cairngorm Capital
BGF backed Hull-based Tevalis
Addleshaw Goddard, PwC, Squire Patton Boggs, BGF, BDO
Latus Health Group secured investment from NorthEdge Capital
Shoosmiths, Addleshaw Goddard, NorthEdge Capital, Pinsent Masons, Santander, Houlihan Lokey, BHP, BDO, PSMI
NorthEdge completed the sale of Cutwel to Inflexion
NorthEdge Capital, Inflexion, Womble Bond Dickinson, Sentio, Addleshaw Goddard, PwC, Virgin Money, Squire Patton Boggs
Nimbus acquired manufacturer National Floorcoverings Group
Shoosmiths, Travers Smith, Geldards, Gateley, Together Commercial Finance, Nimbus, TLT, Arbuthnot Commercial Asset-Based Lending, Squire Patton Boggs
Online florist Prestige Flowers merged with Flowerline
Squire Patton Boggs, Park Place, ThinCats, Clarion, Blacks Solicitors, Cortus Advisory
Three Hills invested in Operam Education Group, with BGF exiting
HSBC, Dow Schofield Watts, Squire Patton Boggs, Grant Thornton, Tax Advisory Partnership, BGF, KPMG, Addleshaw Goddard, Three Hills, DLA Piper, RSM, Clearwater, Pinsent Masons
Large Deal of the Year (£50m+)
Triple Private Equity took a majority stake in software provder SmartSearch
Squire Patton Boggs, Rothschild & Co, KPMG; Skadden, Arps, Slate; Meagher & Flom, Deloitte
Investment into Elland-based A-Safe by IK Partners
Willkie Farr & Gallagher (UK), IK Partners, HSBC, KPMG, Freeths
Apollo Global Management acquired Evri, providing an exit for Advent International
HSBC, Rothschild & Co, EY, PwC
US-based Automated Industrial Robotics bought Sewtec Automation from Endless
Endless, Rothschild & Co, Squire Patton Boggs, KPMG, EY
MBO of Huddersfield-based e-commerce retailer Interior Goods Direct and Green & Brown
Sentio, EY, Forvis Mazars, Addleshaw Goddard, Walker Morris, Santander
Goldman Sachs Alternatives acquired Adler & Allan, providing an exit for Sun Capital
Park Place; Weil, Gotshal and Manges; Houlihan Lokey, Sun Capital, KPMG, Goldman Sachs, HSBC
BJSS was bought by CGI Group Holdings Europe
Addleshaw Goddard, KPMG
Sale of Doncaster-based Senior Architectural Systems to ASSA ABLOY
Clearwater, Shakespeare Martineau, KPMG, Eversheds
Sutherland, Grant Thornton
Exponent Private Equity invested into Hippo Digital, with Growth Capital Partners exiting
Park Place, KPMG, Squire Patton Boggs, Exponent, Grant Thornton
Individual
Rising Star
Sophie Andran, KPMG
Josh Astill-Headley, Squire Patton Boggs
James Atkinson, RSM
James Baker, BGF
Rob Cunningham, Pinsent Masons
Tom Hopwood, Addleshaw Goddard
Andy Hyde, HSBC
Tom Kaye, Clearwater
Megan Thurman, Pinsent Masons
Changemaker
Jessica Armstrong, Lloyds Bank
Anna Ashford, ALT Legal
Ben Coggin, EY
Alexandra Fogal, EY
Hannah Kendrick, Squire Patton Boggs
Rebecca Rennison, EY
Jeremy Thomas, Clearwater
Rainmaker
Andy Barlow, Sentio
Richard Goldsack, Clearwater
Carly Gulliver, Addleshaw Goddard
Barry Jackson, BGF
Paul Mann, Squire Patton Boggs
Ben Peacock, Park Place
Andrew Ross, Endless
Giles Taylor, KPMG
PREMIUM PARTNERS
SUBSCRIBE
TheBusinessDesk has launched RAINMAKERS, a dedicated platform of insights, commentary and analysis of M&A and fundraising activity across the North.A serious upgrade to our regular daily news updates.
2024 WINNERS - Yorkshire
Teams
Regional Legal Team
Clarion
Freeths
Gordons
Schofield Sweeney
Walker Morris
Ward Hadaway
National Legal Team
Addleshaw Goddard
DLA Piper
Eversheds Sutherland
Pinsent Masons
Shoosmiths
Squire Patton Boggs
Womble Bond Dickinson
Regional Corporate Finance Advisory Team
Azets
Castle Square
Dow Schofield Watts
Park Place Corporate Finance
Sentio Partners
Translink Corporate Finance
National Corporate Finance Advisory Team
Clearwater
EY
Grant Thornton
KPMG
PwC
Rothschild & Co
VC/Private Equity Team
BGF
Endless
Foresight Group
LDC
YFM Equity Partners
Debt Funder Team
HSBC
Santander
Shawbrook
TDC
ThinCats
Virgin Money
Asset-based Lending Team
Arbuthnot
BZ
Close Brothers
Shawbrook
Due Diligence Team
Cortus Advisory
Dow Schofield Watts
Grant Thornton
KPMG
PwC
RSM
Tax Advisory
Deloitte
EY
Grant Thornton
KPMG
RSM
Tax Advisory Partnership
Translink Corporate Finance
Deals
Private Equity Exit of the Year
LDC invested in The 55 Group, providing an exit for Maven Capital Partners
Addleshaw Goddard, Squire Patton Boggs, Gateley, DLA Piper, KPMG, Rothschild, DSW, PMSI, Better Faster Growth, Catalysis, Park Place, HSBC, Maven Capital Partners, LDC
International Deal of the Year
Assisi Pet Care Group acquired by Wind Point Partners providing a successful exit for Harwood Private Equity
Clarion, Shoosmiths, Reed Smith, Addleshaw Goddard, Reed Smith, Park Place, Tax Advisory Partnership, KPMG, Crescent Capital
Small Deal of the Year (up to £10m)
Operam Education, backed by BGF, acquires Provision Recruitment
Squire Patton Boggs, Nelsons Solicitors, Pinsent Masons, Gordons, BGF, HSBC, Connect Corporate Finance
Medium Deal of the Year (£10m-£50m)
LDC Investment in Boston Energy
SPG, Addleshaw Goddard, KPMG, Clearwater, Grant Thornton, LDC
Large Deal of the Year (over £50m)
LDC investment in Sheffield based student accommodation advertising platform, UniHomes.
Womble Bond Dickinson, Freeths, EY, Castle Square, Shoosmiths, HSBC
Individual
Rising Star of the Year
Megan Atack, Freeths
James Baker, BGF
Olivia Field, Ward Hadaway
Joshua Astill-Headley, Squire Patton Boggs
Thomas Hopwood, Addleshaw Goddard
Anthony West, LDC
Changemaker of the Year
Jessica Armstrong, Lloyds
Alexandra Fogal, EY
Carly Gulliver, Addleshaw Goddard
Linda Nguyenova, BGF
Rebecca Rennison, EY
Jeremy Thomas, Deloitte
Rainmaker of the Year
Chris Boyes, BGF
Richard Goldsack, Clearwater
Richard Hunt, Addleshaw Goddard
Paul Mann, Squire Patton Boggs
Amy Pierechod, Gordons
Dan Smith, LDC
2024 WINNERS - NORTH WEST
Teams
Regional Legal Team
Brabners
Browne Jacobson
Hill Dickinson
JMW Solicitors
Napthens Solicitors
Pannone Corporate
National Legal Team
Addleshaw Goddard
DLA Piper
DWF
Eversheds Sutherland
Pinsent Masons
Squire Patton Boggs
Regional Corporate Finance Advisory Team
Cortus Advisory
Cowgills
Dow Schofield Watts
Hurst Corporate Finance
MHA
Rickitt Mitchell
National Corporate Finance Advisory Team
Clearwater
DC Advisory
EY
Grant Thornton
Houlihan Lokey
KPMG
PwC
VC/Private Equity Team
BGF
Foresight Group
LDC
Palatine
Praetura Ventures
WestBridge
Debt Funder Team
HSBC
OakNorth Bank
Shawbrook
ThinCats
TDC
Virgin Money
Asset-based Lending Team
Arbuthnot Latham
Close Brothers
Cynergy Business Finance
Praetura Commercial Finance Group
Secure Trust Bank
Shawbrook
Due Diligence Team
BDO
Cortus Advisory
Deloitte
Dow Schofield Watts
KPMG
Saffery
Tax Advisory
Alexander & Co
BDO
Claritas Tax
KPMG
PwC
RSM UK
Deals
Private Equity Exit of the Year
Anthesis acquired by Carlyle, with Palatine reinvesting
Eversheds Sutherland, Lazard, Deloitte
International Deal of the Year
Trawlers, the acquisition vehicle of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Chairman of INEOS Group, acquired 25% of Manchester United
Latham & Watkins, Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, Slaughter and May, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Cazenove, Raine Group LLC, Rothschild & Co - Red Football LLC
Small Deal of the Year (up to £10m)
Management buyout of Resulting IT backed by YFM
Brabners, Hill Dickinson, Alexander & Co, BDO, Blacksquare Advisory, Cortus Advisory, RSM, YFM Equity Partners, KPMG
Medium Deal of the Year (£10m-£50m)
Waterland Invests in Cumbria Waste Group
Dow Schofield Watts, Waterland Private Equity Investments, Pinsent Masons, Hill Dickinson, DWF
Large Deal of the Year (over £50m)
Apadmi secures investment from CBPE
Weightmans, CBPE, Addleshaw Goddard, Deloitte, PwC, Clearwater, Alantra
Individual
Rising Star of the Year
Ryan Brown, Browne Jacobson
Tom Chappell, TDC
Grant Goodwin, LDC
Greg Holmes, Palatine
James Kennedy, Cowgills
Katie Parker, Addleshaw Goddard
Rachael Taplin, Palatine
Changemaker of the Year
Beth Houghton, Palatine
Catriona Lang, Dow Schofield Watts
Nicola Merritt, Cortus Advisory
Lucie Mills, NorthEdge
Rebecca Rennison, EY
Lizzy Tindall, Eversheds Sutherland
Rainmaker of the Year
Claire Alvarez, Foresight Group
Giles Chesher, Squire Patton Boggs
Sam Davies, Cowgills
Gary Davison, TDC
Andrew Feeke, MHA
Michael Loudon, Clearwater
Nicola Merritt, Cortus Advisory
2024 WINNERS - WEST MIDLANDS
Teams
Regional Legal Team
HCR Law
Higgs
Lodders
Mills & Reeve
The Wilkes Partnership
Wright Hassall
National Legal Team
Browne Jacobson
Eversheds Sutherland
Freeths
Gateley Legal
Shoosmiths
Squire Patton Boggs
Regional Corporate Finance Advisory Team
Clairfield
Cooper Parry
Evolve Corporate Finance
Heligan Group
Provantage
Springboard Corporate Finance
National Corporate Finance Advisory Team
Alantra
Clearwater
EY
KPMG
PwC
RSM
VC/Private Equity Team
Beech Tree PE
BGF
LDC
NorthEdge Capital
Palatine Private Equity
YFM
Debt Funder Team
FDC
HSBC
Santander
Shawbrook
Thincats
Virgin Money
Asset-based Lending Team
Close Brothers Group
HSBC
Leumi UK
PNC
Shawbrook
Due Diligence Team
BDO
Cortus Advisory
Grant Thornton
KPMG
PwC
RSM
Tax Advisory
Claritas Tax
EY
Grant Thornton
PKF Smith Cooper
PwC
RSM
Deals
Private Equity Exit of the Year
YFM-backed an MBO of Antser Group, with BGF completing its exit
Mills & Reeve, Freeths, Gateley, Shoosmiths, Roythornes, Claritas, Heligan, PwC, Cooper Parry Corporate Finance, Springboard Corporate Finance, EY, Crowe, YFM Private Equity
International Deal of the Year
Knighthead Capital Management took a 46% stake in Birmingham City
Squire Patton Boggs, Deloitte, Knighthead Capital Management
Small Deal of the Year (up to £10m)
Forward Glass was acquired by Cornwall Group
Higgs, Springboard Corporate Finance, Claritas
Medium Deal of the Year (£10m-£50m)
Palatine took a significant minority shareholding in the accountancy firm BK Plus
Eversheds Sutherland, Gateley, Irwin Mitchell, Cortus, RSM, Clearwater, Palatine, Shawbrook
Large Deal of the Year (over £50m)
Waterland-backed Cooper Parry acquired Haines Watts London
Clearwater, Waterland, Squire Patton Boggs
Individual
Rising Star of the Year
Mo Abbas, Freeths
Charlotte Casserly, Deloitte
Tom Joy, PKF Smith Cooper
Emily Parkes, Higgs
Hayley Simmonds, Mills & Reeve
Kieran Virr, Clearwater
Changemaker of the Year
Ayesha Ali, LDC
Satvir Bungar, BDO
Kelly Henney, PNC
Deepak Parekh, Shawbrook Bank
Janai Parker, Gateley
Rick Smyth, The Wilkes Partnership
Rainmaker of the Year
Helen Brocklebank, RSM
Rob Burden, Clearwater
Joe Dyke, Clearwater
Paul Franks, Beech Tree Private Equity
Sarah Taylor, Clearwater
Richard Thomas, Palatine
2023 WINNERS - Yorkshire
Teams
Legal
Addleshaw Goddard
Corporate Finance
Sentio Partners
VC/Private Equity
LDC
Funder
HSBC
Transaction Services
Grant Thornton
Deals
Small Cap (up to £15m)
YorkTest Laboratories secured a £10m investment from NVM Private Equity
Squire Patton Boggs, Walker Morris, Ward Hadaway, Mazars, PwC, NVM Private Equity
Private Equity Exit
Phoenix Equity Partners exited Nexus Vehicle Rental after its sale to Equistone
Addleshaw Goddard, Squire Patten Boggs, Rothschild & Co, PwC, Park Place
M&A
Hippo Digital acquired data consultancy The Data Shed
Grant Thornton, Squire Patton Boggs, Armstrong, KPMG, DWF, Vista Insurance, NatWest, Addleshaw Goddard
International
Irish utilities group Beauparc Utilities acquired Acumen Waste Services
Burges Salmon, Clarion Solicitors, BDO, Park Place Corporate Finance
Public Markets
Marshalls acquired Marley in a £535m deal, part-funded by a £187m placing and open offer
Pinsent Masons, Slaughter & May, Grant Thornton, Numis Securities, Rothschild & co
Private Company
Arc Inspirations received a £19m investment, from BGF to support the accelerated rollout of its Banyan Bar & Kitchen, BOX and Manahatta brands
Gordons, Squire Patton Boggs, KPMG, BGF
Individual
Rising Star
Hannah Kirkup - Key Capital Partners
Changemaker
Nicola McQuaid - NorthEdge
Rainmaker
Jonathan Simms - Clarion
2023 WINNERS - North West
Teams
Legal
Addleshaw Goddard
Corporate Finance
Clearwater International
VC/Private Equity
Palatine Private Equity
Funder
TDC
Transaction Services
Cortus Advisory
Deals
Small Cap (up to £15m)
Maven Capital Partners acquired ProofID for £15m
Clearwater International, Maven Capital Partners
Private Equity Exit
WestBridge took a majority stake in Alpine Fire Engineers, investing £18.7m, while Soho Square Capital exited.
Addleshaw Goddard, Pinsent Masons, BDO, Blick Rothenberg, Clearwater International. Grant Thornton, Jamieson Corporate Finance, Soso Square Capital, WestBridge, Shawbrook
M&A
RSK made seven acquisitions of consultancy businesses around the UK in six weeks
Dow Schofield Watts, Cortus Advisory, DWF
International
Fishawack acquired American healthcare advisers Avalere Health
Clearsight Advisors
Public Markets
Sun European Partners bought K3 Capital Group for £270m
Houlihan Lokey, Numis Securities Ltd, Addleshaw Goddard
Private Company
The Modern Milkman raised £50m in its Series C funding round
Willkie Farr & Gallagher, ETF Partners, Insight Partners, Praetura Ventures
Individual
Rising Star
Jacob Leone - LDC
Changemaker
Nicola Merritt - Cortus Advisory
Rainmaker
Andrew Feeke - MHA Moore & Smalley
2023 WINNERS - West MIDLANDS
Teams
Legal
Sponsored by Rhino Interiors
Shoosmiths
Corporate Finance
Clearwater International
VC/Private Equity
Sponsored by Kuboid
NorthEdge
Funder
HSBC
Transaction Services
RSM
Deals
Small Cap (up to £15m)
Premier Paper Group bought Wine Box Company
Gateley, Harrison Clark Rickerbys, BDO, Orbis Partners
Private Equity Exit
Palatine achieved a 5.8x return on its investment in CTS Group, through a sale to Oakley Capital
Palatine, Clearwater, Gateley, Browne Jacobson, Deloitte
M&A
Telecoms firm Wavenet, acquired OGL Computer Support Holdings and its two subsidiaries OGL Computer Support and CyberGuard Technologies
DWF, Squire Patton Boggs, Orbis Partners
International
Birmingham marketing tech firm Inspired Thinking Group (Team ITG) acquired New Zealand-based Brand Machine
Public Markets
Mercia Asset Management acquired Frontier Development Capital, for £7m and with a further £4m dependent on performance
Canaccord Genuity, Mercia Asset Management
Private Company
Friend MTS was backed by private equity firm NorthEdge
Alantra, Fredrikson & Byron PA, Freeths, Gateley, Squire Patton Boggs, Walkers, Appleby, BDO LLP, Friend LLP, KPMG, Keystone Partners, Mazars
Individual
Rising Star
Matthew Guest, Springboard Corporate Finance
Changemaker
Beth Mather, Gateley
Rainmaker
Sponsored by Michael Page
Sarah Taylor, Clearwater International
2022 Winners - North West
Teams
Legal
Addleshaw Goddard
Corporate Finance
Houlihan Lokey
VC/Private Equity
Foresight Group
Funder
Tosca Debt Capital
Deals
Deal under £15m
Apprentify acquired Netcom Training, backed by £5m investment from BGF
Private Equity Exit
DA Languages was bought by IK Partners, with Foresight exiting
Private Company
Matillion raised $150m in a funding round led by General Atlantic
Public Markets
Victorian Plumbing floated on AIM, raising nearly £300m
M&A
Inflexion bought ANS, to combine with existing investment UKFast
International
Blue Prism was acquired by US fintech giant SS&C for £1.24bn
Individual
Rising Star (under 35)
Peter Barkley - WestBridge
Changemaker
Beth Houghton - Palatine Private Equity
Rainmaker
Dominic Orsini - Houlihan Lokey
2022 Winners - Yorkshire
Teams
Legal
Clarion
Corporate Finance
Clearwater International
VC/Private Equity
BGF
Funder
HSBC
Deals
Small Cap (under £20m)
Sheffield Forgemasters was acquired by the Ministry of Defence
Private Equity Exit
The sale of Estio Training to BPP Education Group was the first exit from Palatine’s Impact Fund
M&A
Succession and growth finance raising for Carnaby Caravans
Rising Stars
Legal
Mae Salem, Squire Patton Boggs
Corporate Finance
Duncan Morpeth, Grant Thornton
Investment
Paul Denvers, Enact
Funder
Rebecca Rennison, EY
Individual
Changemaker
Rob Atkinson, Virgin Money
Rainmaker
Stephen Griffiths, Rothschild & Co
Summer 2025 will mark the return of the Rainmaker Awards.The Rainmaker Awards will bring together the North West's deals community to celebrate the best deals and teams from the past 12 months, as voted for by the corporate finance community themselves in a one firm, one vote system.The casual dress code swaps the traditional tuxedos and long speeches for an evening that focuses on recognising and celebrating the best work from the year.The night provides an opportunity to network with the leading individuals and firms in the region.
GRAB YOUR TICKETS
Single Ticket | £250 + VAT
Table of Ten | £2000 + VAT
Premium Partner | £2500 + VAT
2025 SHORTLIST
Teams
Regional Legal Team
Brabners
Browne Jacobson
CG Professional
Hill Dickinson
Leonard Curtis Legal
Mills & Reeve
Napthens
Pannone Corporate
National Legal Team
Addleshaw Goddard
DLA Piper UK
DWF
Eversheds Sutherland
Gateley Legal
Pinsent Masons
Squire Patton Boggs
TLT
Regional CF Team
Carbon
Cortus Advisory Group
Cowgills
Dow Schofield Watts
Knight Corporate Finance
MHA
Rickitt Mitchell
National CF Team
Alvarez & Marsal
BDO
Clearwater
DC Advisory
EY
Grant Thornton
Houlihan Lokey
KPMG
Rothschild & Co
VC/PE Team
BGF
Endless
Foresight
LDC
Maven
NorthEdge Capital
Palatine
Praetura Ventures
River Capital
YFM Equity Partners
Debt Funder Team
HSBC
Lloyds
OakNorth
Santander UK
Shawbrook Bank
TDC
Thincats
Virgin Money
Asset Based Lending Team
Arbuthnot Commercial Asset-Based Lending
Close Brothers Invoice Finance
Cynergy Business Finance
IGF
Secure Trust
Shawbrook
Virgin Money
Transaction Services
BDO
Claritas Tax
Cortus Advisory Group
Cowgills
EY
PwC
RSM Corporate Finance
Saffery
Insurance Team
Aon
Gallagher
Howden
Marsh
Wiispa
Turnaround Team
Alvarez & Marsal
Begbies Traynor
EY
FRP
Interpath
Leonard Curtis
Teneo
Early-stage Investment Team
Deepbridge
Dow Schofield Watts Ventures
Maven
Mercia
Northern Gritstone
Praetura Ventures
River Capital
Liverpool City Region Team
Bermans
Brabners
Hill Dickinson
LYVA Labs
Napthens
River Capital
Cheshire Team
Aaron & Partners
DTM
JS. Accountants & Business Advisors
Myerson
SJC
Lancashire Team
Ashworth Treasure
MHA
Napthens
Pierce
PM+M
Rosebud
Deals
Small Deal of the Year (up to £10m)
Eleven Sports Media, investment by BGF
DLA Piper, Hurst, Squire Patton Boggs, RSM, BGF
Launch of SKOF
Knights, DLA Piper
Investment into Street Group
Praetura, Gateley, Squire Patton Boggs
Armstrong bought by Foresight
Addleshaw Goddard, Cowgills, Foresight
The Networking People Ltd investment by YFM Equity Partners
Knight Corporate Finance, Hill Dickinson, Cowgills, Cyber DueDil, Megabuyte, Confidas, Lockton, MHA, Claritas Tax
Exciting Instruments investment by Northern Gritstone
Mills & Reeve, Taylor Wessing, Northern Gritstone
Medium Deal of the Year (£10m-£50m)
Classic Football Shirts investment
DWF, Carbon
APEM acquires Biosis
Dow Schofield Watts, WestBridge Capital
Beyond Corporate investment by Waterland
Pinsent Masons, Squire Patton Boggs, Beyond Corporate
Blueprintx investment by Palatine
Browne Jacobson, Gateley, Clearwater, RSM, Armstrong, Lockton, Cyberfort, StrattonHR, GHF Advisory, Hurst, Palatine
Latus Group buyout
Addleshaw Goddard, BDO
Aliter Capital LLP’s buyout of BBS Law
Browne Jacobson, BDO, FRP, Addleshaw Goddard
Zelus sale to Sullivan Street
Rickitt Mitchell, Addleshaw Goddard, Sullivan Street Partners, Deloitte, DLA Piper, Blazehill
Digital Rewards Group’s investment from Maven Capital Partners
DC Advisory, Grant Thornton, Gateley, Hill Dickinson, Maven
Large Deal of the Year (£50m+)
Sale of Ultimate Performance to Inflexion
CMS, Addleshaw Goddard, PwC, Inflexion, Pinsent Masons
Sale of NRG and DTM by Palatine
Palatine, Clearwater, Gateley, PwC, Deloitte
Sale of MirrorWeb to Mainsail
DC Advisory, Squire Patton Boggs, BDO, Mainsail Capital, Charles Russell Speechlys, Pinsent Masons, Addleshaw Goddard
Sale of Edge Worldwide Logistics to DP World
DC Advisory, DLA Piper
Applied Nutrition IPO
Addleshaw Goddard, Pinsent Masons, Deutsche Numis, BDO
CMap sale by NorthEdge to ECI
NorthEdge, Houlihan Lokey, DWF, PwC, Crosslake, Liberty
Primary sale of Metamark to UPM
Rothschild & Co, DLA Piper, Primary Capital Partners, PwC, MCF Corporate Finance, Burges Salmon, EY, Anthesis, Aon
Sale of DR&P to BMS
DWF, Skadden Arps, PwC, Hines Associates, Deloitte
Individual
Rising Star
Josh Bean, BGF
Ffion Brumwell-Hughes, Gateley Legal
Louise Chapman, Praetura
Thomas Dutton, WestBridge
Daniel Gallagher, Cortus Advisory Group
Simon Keppie, Grant Thornton
Brett Marsden, Cowgills
Laura Wiggins, YFM Equity Partners
Changemaker
Tom Astbury, Fletchers Solicitors
Fiona Hatch, Foresight
Greg Holmes, Palatine
Jenny Kirkham, Cortus Advisory Group
Michelle Mullany, MHA
Rebecca Rennison, EY
Louise Stephenson, DRAX Executive
Lizzy Tindall, Eversheds Sutherland
Rainmaker
Claire Alvarez, Foresight
Hayley Brightmore-Cox, Saffery
Giles Chesher, Squire Patton Boggs
Richard Darlington, DC Advisory
Sam Davies, Cowgills
Roger Hart, Addleshaw Goddard
Michael Loudon, Clearwater
Pete Terry, Grant Thornton
Premium Partners
SUBSCRIBE
TheBusinessDesk has launched RAINMAKERS, a dedicated platform of insights, commentary and analysis of M&A and fundraising activity across the North.A serious upgrade to our regular daily news updates.
Summer 2025 will mark the return of the Rainmaker Awards.The Rainmaker Awards will bring together the West Midlands deals community to celebrate the best deals and teams from the past 12 months, as voted for by the corporate finance community themselves in a one firm, one vote system.The casual dress code swaps the traditional tuxedos and long speeches for an evening that focuses on recognising and celebrating the best work from the year.The night provides an opportunity to network with the leading individuals and firms in the region.
GRAB YOUR TICKETS
Single Ticket | £250 + VAT
Table of Ten | £2000 + VAT
Premium Partner | £2500 + VAT
2025 SHORTLIST
Teams
Regional Legal Team
Ansons Solicitors
George Green
HCR Law
Higgs
Legal Clarity
Lodders
mfg Solicitors
The Wilkes Partnership
National Legal Team
Browne Jacobson
Eversheds Sutherland
Fieldfisher
Freeths
Gateley Legal
Shoosmiths
Squire Patton Boggs
Regional CF Team
Cattaneo
Clairfield
Debrett's
Evolve Corporate Finance
Provantage
Springboard Corporate Finance
National CF Team
BDO
Clearwater
EY
Grant Thornton
KPMG
RSM
VC/PE Team
Beech Tree PE
BGF
LDC
NorthEdge
Palatine
YFM Equity Partners
Debt Funder Team
Barclays
Beechbrook
HSBC
OakNorth
Santander
Shawbrook
Virgin Money
Asset Based Lending Team
Arbuthnot Commercial Asset-Based Lending
Close Brothers
HSBC
Leumi
Secure Trust Bank
Shawbrook
Transaction Services
BDO
Claritas Tax
Cortus Advisory
EY
KPMG
PwC
RSM
Insurance Team
AON
Gallagher
Howden
Lockton
Marsh
Partners&
RSA
Wesleyan
Turnaround Team
Alvarez & Marsal
Begbies Traynor
FRP Advisory
Interpath
Quantuma Advisory
RSM
Teneo
Early-stage Investment Team
BGF
Foresight
Maven Capital Partners
Mercia Asset Management
Midven
YFM Equity Partners
Deals
Small Deal of the Year (up to £10m)
YFM Equity Partners invested to support the MBO of Replay Maintenance
Browne Jacobson, Actons Solicitors, PSMI, Triple Point Advance Leasing, Claritas Tax, Cooper Parry, Heligan Group, Freeths, Bishopsgate Corporate Finance
BGF's investment in Skewb
Clearwater, Freeths, Fairgrove, Browne Jacobson, Claritas Tax
Beech Tree PE-backed Obsequio Group acquired Metro Safety
Browne Jacobson, Higgs, RSM, Kartesia, Beech Tree PE
Sale of Pet Treat Wholesale to Scandinavian pet treat consolidator The Nutriment Company
Evolve Corporate Finance, Freeths, Claritas Tax
Deltron Lifts acquisition of Elevate UK Lifts
The Wilkes Partnership, Higgs, Jerroms Corporate Finance
Debrett’s PE acquisition and investment into Ortecha
Browne Jacobson, Knights, Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, Headpoint Advisors, Debrett's Private Finance
LDC-backed Bramble Food’s acquisition of Whitakers Chocolates
Gateley, Cooper Parry
Knighthead Capital acquired a stake in Netball Super League team Birmingham Panthers
Higgs, Squire Patton Boggs , Knighthead Capital
Medium Deal of the Year (£10m-£50m)
Sale of Phoenix Health and Safety to Wilmington
Grant Thornton, Higgs, PMSI, Strategy, Crowe, CIL, Marsh, Osborne Clarke
NorthEdge invests in Telford-headquartered EdTech software provider, PebblePad
PwC, Strategy&, Cortus Advisory, Squire Patton Boggs, Fellwood, Deloitte, Claritas Tax, Lockton, Outside In, ReThought Solutions, Swan Partners, Catalysis Advisory, Bishopsgate, Gateley Legal, Crosslake
OpenSignal's acquisition of Stickee Technology
Freeths, KPMG, Ropes & Gray, Headpoint Advisors, Santander, Browne Jacobson, Claritas Tax, Deloitte
Management led buy-out of Arden Fine Foods
Springboard Corporate Finance, Higgs, Hill Dickinson, Claritas Tax, Barclays
LDC’s investment in Deltron Group
Gateley Legal, BDO, PMSI, Clearwater, Higgs, LDC, Claritas Tax
Danx Carousel acquired Logik Logistics from exiting investors Debrett’s and FDC
Debrett's, Browne Jacobson, Jerroms, KPMG, Mills & Reeve, MDP, Gateley Legal, FDC
Fullers acquired Lovely Pubs Group, a collection of 7 pubs in Warwickshire
Higgs, Wedlake Bell, Barclays, HSBC, Rabobank, Virgin, Mediobanca
The sale of Argus Fire from the shareholders of Slademain to Mitie Group
Gateley Legal, Headpoint Advisors, Mayer Brown
Jacopa's sale to Rubicon Partners
Clearwater, Gateley Legal, OC&C, KPMG, PwC, Aon, Proskauer Rose, Waterman Group, Crosslake, Shawbrook
Large Deal of the Year (£50m+)
The sale of Boss Design to Japanese listed conglomerate, Okamura Corporation
EY, Higgs, PwC, ERM
Oakley Capital backed Steer Automotive Group acquired Gemini Accident Repair Centres
RSM, HCR Law, Cooper Parry, Eversheds Sutherland
IK Partners investment in HSL Compliance Group alongside the management team and existing investor LDC
Clearwater, DLA Piper, KPMG, OC&C, HCR Law, Panamoure Liberty, DC Advisory, Fried Frank, Alvarez & Marsal, BCG
The sale of MSS Group to Swedish multinational Atlas Copco
Squire Patton Boggs, Heligan Group, BDO, Greenberg Traurig
BAE Systems acquisition of Kirintec
Clearwater, Evershed Sutherland, EY, LEK, Gleacher Shacklock, Mills & Reeves, KPMG
CBPE Capital's acquisition of HealthNet Homecare
Eversheds Sutherland, Pinsent Masons, Hill Dickinson, Addleshaw Goddard, KPMG, PwC, Barclays, HSBC
LDC initial exit of Independent Governance Group to ECI Partners and its £15m reinvestment
KPMG, PwC, Gateley Legal, Eversheds Sutherland, Liberty, Squire Patton Boggs, Alvarez & Marsal, Clearwater
International food and beverage company Paulig acquires Panesar Foods
Freeths, Walker Morris, KPMG, RMY Clements, Oghma Partners
Individual
Rising Star
David Bellis, BGF
Josh Gorman, Clearwater
Rosie Hendon, Shoosmiths
Olivia Johnson, Freeths
Karen Mann, LDC
Will Mason, Debrett's
Hayley Simonds, Mills & Reeve
Rob Worsfold, Eversheds Sutherland
Changemaker
Kelly Henney, PNC
Scott Peters, Quantuma Advisory
Tom Rush, Fieldfisher
Rena Sandhu, AON
Kim Strachan, Gateley
Richard Swann, Inflexion
Sarah Taylor, Clearwater
Sophie Wardell, Higgs
Rainmaker
Rob Burden, Clearwater
Lee Clifford, Freeths
Joe Dyke, Clearwater
Gary Ecob, Clairfield
Richard Griffiths, Higgs
Chris Handy, LDC
Jeremy Harrison, EY
Beth Mather, Gateley Legal
Andy Oates, HSBC
SUBSCRIBE
TheBusinessDesk has launched RAINMAKERS, a dedicated platform of insights, commentary and analysis of M&A and fundraising activity across the North.A serious upgrade to our regular daily news updates.
TheBusinessDesk.com brought the Rainmaker Awards to the East Midlands for the first time due to the awards' success in the North West, Yorkshire and West Midlands.The Rainmaker Awards brings together the East Midlands deals community to celebrate the best deals and teams from the past 12 months, as voted for by the corporate finance community themselves in a one firm, one vote system.The casual dress code swaps the traditional tuxedos and long speeches for an evening that focuses on recognising and celebrating the best work from the year.The night will provide an opportunity to network with the leading individuals and firms in the region.
2024 SHORTLIST & winners
Teams
Legal Team
Browne Jacobson
Flint Bishop
Freeths
Gateley
Howes Percival
Shakespeare Martineau
Corporate Finance Advisory Team
Bishopsgate Corporate Finance
Breeze Corporate Finance
Cooper Parry
DSW
Grant Thornton
Provantage Corporate Finance
VC/Private Equity Team
BGF
Foresight
Maven
Mercia
LDC
Palatine
Debt Funder Team
Beechbrook
HSBC
OakNorth
Shawbrook
ThinCats
Asset-based Lending Team
Close Brothers
IGF
Leumi UK
Shawbrook
Due Diligence Team
BDO
Cooper Parry
Cortus Advisory
PKF Smith Cooper
RSM
Tax Advisory Team
BDO
Claritas Tax
Cooper Parry
KPMG
PKF Smith Cooper
RSM
Deals
Private Equity Exit of the Year
YFM exit of DSP Group and sale to LDC
Browne Jacobson, Gateley Legal, BDO, Alantra, CMS, YFM, PwC, LDC
International Deal of the Year
Sale of Serif to Canva
Gateley, Provantage Corporate Finance
Small Deal of the Year (up to £10m)
Dains' acquisition of HSKSG
Dains, DSW, Deloitte, HSBC
Medium Deal of the Year (£10m-£50m)
LDC investment into Integrated Doorset Solutions
Browne Jacobson, RSM, Keystone Law, Claritas Tax, Magma, Cortus Advisory
Large Deal of the Year (over £50m)
Sale of Serif Group to Canva
Gateley, Provantage Corporate Finance
Individual
Rising Star of the Year
Amanda Betts - Provantage Corporate Finance
Matt Bolton - Browne Jacobson
Line Gauteplass - Foresight
Adam Huckerby - BGF
Hannah Tapsel - Mercia
Hannah Tessyman - Freeths
Changemaker of the Year
David Browne - Provantage Corporate Finance
Paul Kithoray - Cortus Advisory
Beth Mather - Gateley
Ses Memhi - Claritas Tax
Deepak Parekh - Shawbrook
Sandy Reid - Mercia
Rainmaker of the Year
Morgan Atherton - Bishopsgate Corporate Finance
David Bains - LDC
Paul Bevan - Breeze Corporate Finance
Nigel Blackwell - Browne Jacobson
David Browne - Provantage Corporate Finance
Sally Saunders - Provantage Corporate Finance
SUBSCRIBE
TheBusinessDesk has launched RAINMAKERS, a dedicated platform of insights, commentary and analysis of M&A and fundraising activity across the North.A serious upgrade to our regular daily news updates.
WEST MIDLANDS RAINMAKER AWARDS 2024
NORTH WEST RAINMAKER SUMMER PARTY 2022