The Thames Valley Deals Awards, staged by The Business Magazine, is the leading event in the region’s corporate finance calendar.
The Thames Valley Deals Awards brings together corporate finance advisers, lawyers, bankers, private equity investors, accountants, and funding specialists – plus of course, the management teams that have led the deals themselves.
For more information on the event, contact the events team.
For information on event and category sponsorship, contact Peter Laurie
We are delighted to welcome back the ever-popular Mark Durden-Smith to add his highly entertaining style of presenting to the evening’s celebrations.
Mark, who is one of Britain’s most versatile presenters, has hosted the Aviva Premiership and the Anglo-Welsh Cup rugby highlights on Channel 5. He has also previously hosted Sky Sports Centre and fronted Sky’s BAFTA winning rugby coverage and ITV’s Boat Race Coverage for which he was nominated for a Broadcast Award.
Mark has presented ITV’s flagship show This Morning, teaming up with Kate Thornton and Myleene Klass and has been a newspaper pundit on Lorraine Kelly’s sofa on ITV’s Lorraine.
He has also been a regular guest presenter for The Breakfast Show on BBC London Radio alongside Gaby Roslin. Mark was the anchor for the launch of RI:SE Channel 4’s breakfast show back in 2002. In 2007 he presented ITV1’s holiday series Wish You Were Here - Now and Then. Other presenting credits include: Freeze Out, Package Holidays Undercover (ITV),
I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here Now, and Hell’s Kitchen Extra Portions (ITV 2), Millionaire Manor (BBC 1), The Underdog Show (Living), Gutted (Home) and three series of The Match (Sky One). Mark’s writing credits include a regular column for Metro Newspapers as the ‘Voice of 02’ for the England Rugby Team at the Rugby World Cup.
1st July 2023 - 30th June 2024
Got a Question?An award for the corporate-to-corporate transaction that recognises success within, and has the most potential impact on, the local economy. Eligible transactions will involve the sale of a business in the region to a strategic acquirer, whether in the UK or overseas, and could be for reasons of growth, client base, capability or geographical expansion
This Award recognises professionals that have excelled in providing valuable advice and services to clients, investors and providers of capital.
Successful candidates will have shown excellence in deal success and impact, client satisfaction, industry expertise, deal size, and volume.
This Award recognises the team that has had the most significant impact on completion of deals within the region.
The successful team should have examples of the following: deal value and complexity, innovation, client satisfaction, cross-functional collaboration, market impact, efficiency, compliance, teamwork and leadership.
In memory of David Murray who founded The Business Magazine in September 1993 and played a big part in recognising and celebrating the achievements of the Corporate Finance community. The award will be presented to the person who has had the most significant impact on completion of deals within the community.
To recognise the team that has had the most significant impact on completion of deals within the region.
Successful candidates will have shown excellence in their thoroughness and accuracy, deal impact, risk assessment, and mitigation within the Thames Valley.
Large Deal of the Year (over £50m) will be presented to the deal which is the most significant in terms of its complexity, innovative solution, speed of completion, impact on businesses involved, and impact on local economy.
Presented to the law firm that has had the most significant impact on completion of deals within the region.
The following factors will be considered: deal volume and size, deal complexity, client satisfaction, timeliness, ethics and client retention.
Presented to the lawyer who has had the most significant impact on completion of deals within the region.
Successful candidates will have shown excellence in their ability to navigate complex transactions when providing valuable legal counsel to ensure successful deal outcomes.
Lender of the year is awarded to any lender providing commercial finance products.
The winner will have had significant impact within the region on the completion of deals and demonstrated support (financing and other) to businesses.
Funding can include asset finance/leasing products, peer-to-peer and crowdfunding platforms in support of businesses in the region.
Mid-range Deal of the Year (£10m - £50m) will be presented to the deal which is the most significant in terms of its complexity, innovative solution, speed of completion and impact on local economy.
Private Equity Firm of the Year will be presented to a PE firm that has done the deals; either a specific deal or multiple transactions. The PE firm can be Thames Valley or even London based, providing the deal was within the region i.e ‘on patch’.
Private Equity Firm of the Year will be presented to a PE firm that has done the deals; either a specific deal or multiple transactions. The PE firm can be Thames Valley or even London based, providing the deal was within the region i.e ‘on patch’.
Small Deal of the Year (under £10m) is awarded to the deal which is the most significant in terms of its complexity, innovative solution, speed of completion and impact on businesses involved and impact on local economy.
This Award recognises the exceptional achievements of a young professional in completing deals and making significant contributions to the business landscape.
The following factors will be considered: deal volume and size, deal complexity, negotiation skills, client testimonials, innovation, communication and efficiency.
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Thames Valley Deals Awards
Ticket includes networking drinks reception upon arrival,
Three-course gala dinner,
Half bottle of wine per person,
Teas and coffee.
Price excludes VAT
£1,800.00
Thames Valley Deals Awards
Ticket includes networking drinks reception upon arrival,
Three-course gala dinner,
Half bottle of wine per person,
Teas and coffee.
Price excludes VAT
£1,000.00
SPONSORSHIP OF OUR AWARDS OFFERS MORE THAN JUST BRANDING
Positioning your brand as a key supporter of the region and more...
Partnership with an award delivers more than simply brand presence.
Sponsorship benefits include:
- Brand building and brand positioning
- Corporate Hospitality
- Business networking
- Business development
Register your interest in next year's event
RegisterAnother tightly contested Thames Valley Deals Awards saw winners announced in 14 categories that recognised the cream of the region’s dealmaking community.
Winners and finalists were applauded by a lively audience during the ceremony at Reading’s Select Car Leasing Stadium.
The category sponsors for this year’s awards were Gateley Legal, IBB Law, R3vamp, ThinCats, BDO LLP, HCR Law, Crowe UK, HMT LLP, LDC and YFM Equity Partners. The supporting partners BDB Pitmans and SG Kleinwort Hambros.
Richard Thompson, Chief Executive of The Business Magazine, said the high quality of submissions made judging as difficult as ever. He thanked the independent judges for reviewing every nomination.
“Their contribution plays a significant part in the overall judging process, so a big thank you for your time and effort,” he said.
This year, the independent judges were Sue Elliott at British Business Bank, Jeremy Hill at Kleinwort Hambros, Doug Edmunds at CapEQ, and Peter Jacobs at Apiary Capital.
For the Small, Mid-Range and Large Deal of the Year awards, the judges’ choices made up 70% of the vote. On the evening, the audience vote counted for the remaining 30%.
TV presenter Mark Durden-Smith presided over the awards. During the evening guests raised a significant sum for the supported charity, MNDA (motor neurone disease association).
Winner: Fastlane Paint and Body sale to Steer Automotive Group
“This was a really collaborative deal, with a well-run sales process that was prepared well in advance and executed strongly. It led to a good outcome for the vendors and the acquirer. One of the things the vendors were looking for in the deal was clarity of advice.” Matt Lister, Partner, Transaction Services, BDO
Winner: Mark Allen – Crowe UK LLP
“We have a relatively small team that we’ve been building up and that helped us have a standout year. In particular, we closed two large and complex cross-border deals. The team has worked really hard so it’s nice to receive this recognition. In October 2024, we completed over 30 deals and have a decent pipeline, so we’re confident about the year ahead.” Mark Allen, Corporate Finance Partner, Crowe UK
Winner: James Cowper Kreston
“It’s been another great year for the team following on from a successful previous year, both on buyside and sellside work. Deal highlights for us include YFM Equity Partners investment in Psychology Tools and the Oakford Advisers sale to Centralis. Our pipeline is busy and we’re very confident about the future.” Stuart Williams, Corporate Finance Partner, James Cowper Kreston
Winner: Adam Dowdney – IBB Law
“It’s been such a busy year for everyone in the Thames Valley dealmaking community. The Autumn Budget meant there’s been a huge amount of deal generation going on. For me, it’s been great to be part of it. I’m very honoured to receive this award as there are a lot of excellent dealmakers out there who put a lot into the Thames Valley deals community. I think the key to success is working collaboratively, working hard and doing all you can to get deals over the line.” Adam Dowdney, Partner and Head of the Reading Office, IBB Law
Winner: James Cowper Kreston
“We had a good year and have doubled the size of our team. There’s a lot of activity in the market and we expect to continue strongly into next year.” Nikul Patel, Corporate Finance Director, James Cowper Kreston
Winner: NVM Private Equity sale of Pareto FM
Winner: Osborne Clarke
“We've had a very busy year in the Thames Valley corporate and banking teams. We've completed a lot of transactions across the corporate spectrum, covering both buyside and sell side M&A, private equity and venture capital. Our team of 20 lawyers has been very active in our key sectors, which has included telecoms, life sciences and the wider technology sector (fintech, cleantech and AI). We have seen particular interest from overseas acquirers and investors, principally from the US and the Far East.” Rob Hayes, Corporate Partner and Head of the Reading office, Osborne Clarke
Winner: Rachel Turner – HCR Law
“It’s been an absolutely fantastic year. One of our busiest – we’ve done more deals than ever. This award is recognition for the whole HCR team. We worked with more referrers and contacts in the Thames Valley with a lot of transactions having really solid local connections. It’s been fun and hard work. All the lawyers, bankers and accountants have been working incredibly hard together to get deals done.” Rachel Turner, Corporate Partner, HCR Law
Winner: Shawbrook Bank
“It’s been a challenging market with a lot of volatility in terms of the direction of travel on interest rates but we’ve had a really strong year. The market is as competitive as ever and what we’re proudest of is the variety of deals we have done in the region across different lending products, both sponsored and non-sponsored.” Jack Longden, Director, Shawbrook Bank
Winner: MBO of Message Direct backed by LDC
Winner: LDC
“We outperformed the markets in what was a tough environment. We did well due to the types of investment we do and the brilliant entrepreneurs and businesses in the region. We had to work a lot harder this year and with more conviction in what we were doing. That meant getting a better understanding by going ‘under the covers’ of businesses. Looking forward, we see more of the same: we have capital deploy and there are plenty of excellent businesses out there.” Aylesh Patel, Partner, LDC
Winner: YFM Equity Partners
“It was a really strong year for us – our best yet with investment into new companies, growing companies and also our strongest for investing within our portfolio. Now that we have some political certainty we are in a really strong position to continue supporting SMEs and have lots of capital to deploy.” David Wrench, Partner, YFM Equity Partners
Winner: Psychology Tools investment by YFM Equity Partners
Winner: Laurel Knight – Gateley Legal
“Highlights of the year for me include a couple of deals that are finalists at these awards: the MBO of DSP and the Huntswood Group sale to ResultsCX. They were fantastic deals to be involved with. It’s been a busy year for everyone, but I work well under pressure, so this year has been a test of that ability.” Laurel Knight, Senior Associate, Gateley Legal
Winner: Jonathan Caswell - LDC
“I’m delighted with this recognition but I’m only a small part contributing to a fantastic team that’s doing great things and long may it continue. I succeed as a consequence of working in a brilliant region with lots of great advisers and plenty of deal activity. If anything, I think we are all as hungry for deals today as we ever were. LDC has a strong team that makes deals happen and helps businesses to grow. Another important aspect for me is mentoring our team to help people come through the ranks and share the firm’s ambition.” Jonathan Caswell, Origination Director, LDC
It’s very much up to you, but typically the main entry is 300-500 words.
Most nominations are completed quickly in less than 30 minutes.
From supporting documents that bring your entry to life, through to testimonials that demonstrate the support from your clients and customers (dated testimonials are better as we then know that they are current).
Executive Summaries at the start of your nomination that clearly lay out who you are, your achievements and why you think you should win are also great ways to stand out.
All of our awards have both category judges and independent judges.
After the nomination period has ended, judges are invited to a judging day where finalists and winners are decided.
All judges have a say in the winner for each award.
We will contact all finalists after the judging day and the list of finalists will be published in an article on https://thebusinessmagazine.co.uk
Not really, it’s set at 1000 words for the main category, but most nominations are 300-500 words.
Yes, it’s totally free to enter a nomination.
Absolutely
Yes, but please confirm that they are aware that you are making the nomination.
Contact us at [email protected] we’ll be glad to help
If you've saved a nomination and are having trouble recovering it, please get in touch. We can help retrieve your entry for you. Our team is always here to assist with any technical difficulties or issues that may arise during the nomination process. [email protected]
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