Philip Olagunju of PEM Corporate Finance won the prestigious title of Dealmaker of the Year at the the initiate Central & East Dealmakers Awards 2021. Held last night at the Hilton DoubleTree, Milton Keynes, the awards recognized the achievements of the region’s leading financiers, accountants, bankers, funders, lawyers and M&A professionals. The event was sponsored by Dentons UK and Middle East LLP, Fortus Business Advisors & Accountants, Freeths LLP, Howes Percival, HSBC UK, Mercer & Hole, Shawbrook Bank and ThinCats. Foresight Group and HSBC UK sponsored the networking booklet and the drinks reception respectively.

Bank of the year
Sponsored by Mercer & Hole
Winner: Shawbrook Bank
Local Shawbrook teams adapted and maintained continuity of service throughout the pandemic. In addition to the CBILS loans, the team has provided over £ 25million in financing specifically aimed at businesses in the region. The judges were impressed with the fact that they structure tailor-made solutions that encompass multiple requirements to meet each client individually.
Pre-selected:
HSBC UK
NatWest

Corporate Finance Advisory Team of the Year
Sponsored by Howes Perceval
Winner: FRP Corporate Finance
Following the acquisition of JDC Corporate Finance in September of last year, FRP’s corporate team has been extremely busy, closing 17 regional deals and increasing fee income by over 50%. The judges were particularly impressed with the complex EOT transactions he had worked on, delivering excellent results for shareholders and employees of the companies involved.
Pre-selected:
Grant Thornton
PEM business financing
KPMG
Ensors
PwC
Mercer & Hole

Business Law Firm of the Year
Sponsored by Fortus Business Consultants and Accountants
Winner: Mills & Reeve
Mills & Reeve’s corporate teams in Cambridge and Norwich have had an excellent year advising on a number of complex transactions, many of which have a multi-jurisdictional element. In addition to the expert advice delivered to its clients, the judges were impressed by the firm’s commitment to the development and well-being of its staff, by implementing health and well-being initiatives.
Pre-selected:
Shoosmiths
Freeths LLP
Dentons UK & Middle East LLP
Birkett
Howes Perceval

Emerging Dealer of the Year
Sponsored by Shawbrook Bank
Winner: Simon Martin, Ensors
The youngest director of the firm, Simon has had a very successful year as senior advisor on 12 completed deals, with a notable increase in the size and complexity of these deals compared to last year. His willingness to challenge the status quo on the structure of transactions and offer creative solutions really impressed the judges.
Pre-selected:
Mohammed Karim, KPMG
Helen Villiers, YFM Equity Partners
Nathan Heath, BGF
Nicole Wong, Grant Thornton
Patrick Faughnan, Fortus Business Advisors & Accountants
James Thurkettle, Scrutton Bland

Entrepreneur of the year
Sponsored by HSBC UK
Winner: Graham Denny, Denny Bros
As head of family brand specialist Denny Bros., Graham has set up the Employee Ownership Trust for his 100 employees. Last year, the company headquartered in Bury St Edmunds celebrated 75 years in the business and, according to Graham, it seemed like the perfect time to become employee-owned. The judges wanted to reward this rewarding vision to engage and reward the workforce.
Pre-selected:
James Evans, Group Managing Director, Digital Origin Solutions
Guy Schanschieff, co-founder and managing director, Bambino Mio
Stephen Aldersley, (former) CEO, Goodfellow
Roger Greene, founder, RGE Services

Private Equity / Venture Capital Transaction of the Year
Sponsored by Dentons UK & Middle East LLP
Winner: Acquisition of White Clarke Group by IDS – backed by Thoma Bravo (exit of Five Arrows Principal Investments)
(Advisors: Grant Thornton; Shoosmiths; EY; Kirkland & Ellis; Addleshaw Goddard; Fieldfisher; Santander)
Asset finance firm White Clarke Group was acquired by IDS, a leader in business critical solutions for secure finance backed by global private equity giant Thoma Bravo. The deal will not only create future job opportunities, but reaffirms Milton Keynes and a UK tech and software hub, factors that have made it an exceptional deal according to the judges.
Pre-selected:
Investment in Bambino Mio by BGF
(Advisors: Grant Thornton; Shoosmiths; Gowling WLG; BDO)
MBO of RGE Services – equity financing by YFM Equity Partners
(Advisors: James Cowper Kreston; Birketts; Graph Strategy; Crowe, Grant Thornton; Stratton HR; Aon; Delta Simons; Transworld Corporate Finance; Pinnick Lewis; Pepperells)
Sale of Goodfellow to Battery Ventures
(Advisors: KPMG, Shoosmiths; Grant Thornton; PwC; CIL)

International Agreement of the Year
Winner: Sale of Goodfellow to Battery Ventures
(Advisors: KPMG, Shoosmiths; Grant Thornton; PwC; CIL)
Goodfellow is a global supplier of metals, alloys and other materials for the research, development and production needs of science and industry. Battery Ventures is one of the world’s leading investors in industrial technologies. The judges ruled that the cross-border agreement will create wealth and jobs in the region with positive secondary benefits for the regional R&D ecosystem, making this the agreement that stands out.
Pre-selected:
Reverse merger of F-star Therapeutics and Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals
(Advisors: Mills & Reeve; Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo PC; Ladenburg Thalmann & Co.; Lowenstein Sandler LLP)
Sale of Bowman Ingredients to Solina Group
(Advisors: Birketts; Grant Thornton; Eversheds)
Sale of the Industrial Chemicals Group subsidiary to Brenntag
(Advisors: FRP Corporate Finance; Mills & Reeve; KPMG; Addleshaw Goddard)
Sale of Boddingtons Electrical to the Sicame Group
(Advisors: Forward Corporate Finance; Holmes & Hills; Allium Wood)
Sale of Optimum Group Services to BGIS
(Advisors: PwC; Stephenson Harwood; RPC)

Alternative Financing Provider of the Year
Winner: Thin cats
During the qualification period, the ThinCats team completed ten deals, totaling £ 20.3million to support SMEs in the region. The judges valued the team’s ability to perform in-depth analysis of client needs, as well as be flexible, and made them the outstanding alternative finance provider this year.
Pre-selected:
Propel finance
BGF
Foresight group

Deal of the Year (under £ 10million)
Winner: Acquisition of the European activity by Alpha CRC
(Donor and advisor: Shawbrook Bank; Forward Corporate Finance; Pinsent Masons; Birketts; Moore Kingston Smith)
Alpha CRC employs over 360 people and operates in a variety of industries including experience and digital technologies and games, operating from 16 offices in 14 countries. The judges found the deal to be complex but transformative for Alpha CRC, as it allows the company to continue to grow, providing valuable employment opportunities as it grows and strengthens its presence in countries in which it operates.
Pre-selected:
Acquisition of Sandringham Hospital by Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Trust
(Consultants: Mills & Reeve; DAC Beachcroft)
Sale of FFEI to Xaar plc
(Advisors: Grant Thornton; Taylor Walton LLP; Proximus LLC, PwC, Mills & Reeve)
MBO of RGE Services – equity financing by YFM Equity Partners
(Advisors: James Cowper Kreston; Birketts; Graph Strategy; Crowe, Grant Thornton; Stratton HR; Aon; Delta Simons; Transworld Corporate Finance; Pinnick Lewis; Pepperells)
Investment in Cambridge Energy Partners by BGF
(Advisors: Mills & Reeve)
Sale of Dalkeith Laboratories to Kent Pharma UK
(Advisors: Freeths LLP; Andrew Waide Associates; DLA Piper UK LLP)
Sale of lumber and building materials from 3 counties to Grant and Stone
(Funders and Advisors: Cairngorm Capital; Fortus Business Advisors & Accountants; Franklins Solicitors)

Deal of the Year (£ 10million +)
Sponsored by Thin cats
Winner: Acquisition of OSIsoft. By Groupe AVEVA plc
(Advisors: PwC; Numis, Lazard; Ashurst)
Aveva Group plc, which provides engineering design and information management software solutions, has acquired a US software company that operates in the same market. This acquisition made AVEVA a world leader in operational industrial software, the company as a significant player in the UK technology landscape, a fact that really impressed the judges.
Pre-selected:
Sale of PCML to Total Capital Partners
(Advisors: KPMG; Taylor Wessing, Grant Thornton, Shoosmiths)
Denny Bros Employee Share Ownership Trust (EOT)
(Funders and advisers: FRP Corporate Finance; Birketts; Greene & Greene; Barclays)
Merger of Carlsberg UK and Marston’s PLC
(Advisors: PwC; Freeths LLP; Norton Rose; EY; JP Morgan; Slaughter & May; Nomura; Mercer)
Acquisition of White Clarke Group by IDS – backed by Thoma Bravo (exit of Five Arrows Principal Investments)
(Advisors: Grant Thornton; Shoosmiths; EY; Kirkland & Ellis; Addleshaw Goddard; Fieldfisher; Santander)
Sale of Peter Brotherhood, subsidiary of Avingtrans plc, to the Howden group
(Advisors: KPMG; Shakespeare Martineau)

Dealer of the year
Sponsored by Freeths LLP
Winner: Philip Olagunju, PEM Corporate Finance
Philip led seven successful transactions and several valuation projects during the qualification period. Promoted to associate this year, he has developed a solid professional network and regularly refers his work to the legal and financial community across the region. This desire to work collaboratively and nurture the region’s advisory community, made Philip the exceptional dealmaker this year according to the judges.
Pre-selected:
David Scrivener, Ensors
Chris Wilson, KPMG
Mike Hughes, Grant Thornton
James Syrotiuk, BGF
Laurence Whitehead, MHA MacIntyre Hudson
Matt McLoughlin, Foresight Group