Shortlists revealed for South Yorkshire Dealmakers Awards

South Yorkshire’s corporate finance community will gather again on 9 June to celebrate the sterling work of the region’s dealmaking community. Returning to the Mercure St Paul’s Hotel & Spa in Sheffield, South Yorkshire Dealmakers will honour deals and individuals in ten categories, including the Lifetime Achievement Award. Castle Square Corporate Finance was a big winner last year, scooping a string of awards including Deal of the Year (up to GBP2.5m) for the management buyout of Castings Technology International (CTI), Corporate Finance Advisory Firm of the Year, Emerging Dealmaker of the Year, and Dealmaker of the Year.

DLA Piper won Corporate Law Firm of the Year, and Bank of the Year was awarded to Santander. The sponsors of this year’s awards are BHP Corporate Finance, Castle Square Corporate Finance, Freeths law firm, HSBC UK, and alternative finance provider, ThinCats. The shortlists for Insider’s South Yorkshire Dealmakers Awards 2022 are:

Deal of the Year (up to GBP2.5m)
Acquisition of AppToPay by Secure Trust Bank (DLA Piper, LCF Law)
Secure Trust Bank acquired AppToPay, owner of a proprietary technology platform, to support its planned entry into the digital buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) market, reducing the product development time required. Management buyout (MBO) of Airflow World Group (Hentons Corporate Finance, Taylor & Emmet)
The MBO of Airflow World Group, an industrial oven manufacturer, was completed by Samantha Hancock-Ridge and Gary Clark who have worked at the company for a total of 35 years. Funding round completed by Mindtech Global (NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance, Deeptech Labs, In-Q-Tel)
The Sheffield-based startup, with a platform that trains robots to recognise images, completed a GBP2.3m funding round in July to help build its team in Yorkshire and expand sales of its product worldwide.

Mid-Market Deal of the Year (GBP2.5m to GBP10m)
Sale of Build-Lite (UK) to EOT (Hentons Corporate Finance, Leonard Curtis Legal, Mackenzie Spencer)
Build-Lite (UK) sold the shares in the holding company to an employee-owned trust formed for the benefit of its 15-strong workforce. The Rotherham-based company develops, manufactures and supplies a range of building products and architectural mouldings for the construction industry. Acquisition of 3G Truck and Trailer Parts (BHP Corporate Finance, Knights, HSBC UK, Gordons, Schofield Sweeney)
The Rotherham company was sold to TVS Europe Distribution in 2020.

The transaction was subsequently voluntarily referred to the Competition and Markets Authority, which directed TVS to dispose of its shareholding. Following a competitive sale process, a joint venture between John Bruce and Peter Beaumont and commercial vehicle brake specialist Thos Winnard & Sons agreed a deal to buy back the company. Acquisition of 3Squared by EPM Group (Shorts, Addleshaw Goddard)
3Squared is a Queen’s Award-winning transport software business that aims to enable the transportation sector to become safer, greener and more efficient through digitalisation.

The acquisition will support EPM’s focus on integrated transport while diversifying its activities into the rail sector. National/International Deal of the Year
MBO of Direct Valeting (Castle Square Corporate Finance, Alcentra, Progeny Law, Capel, NatWest)
The Staffordshire-headquartered valet parking company has changed hands following an MBO. It has been acquired from specialist global credit management firm Alcentra and works with more than 450 clients, including Perry’s, Renault Retail Group, PSA Group, Pentagon and Listers.

Acquisition of Lifting Gear by Axel Johnson (BHP Corporate Finance, Knights, Grant Thornton, NR Barton, Pinsent Masons)
The owners of Skelmersdale-headquartered Lifting Gear UK have sold their company to the lifting solutions business group of Axel Johnson International. Family owned until the sale to the Swedish group, Lifting Gear UK is the largest privately owned lifting equipment provider in the UK. Acquisition of PEAK Pipe Systems by Simona Group (DLA Piper, Dow Schofield Watts, Mazars, Brachers)
Thermoplastic product manufacturer Simona Group has acquired Chesterfield-based PEAK Pipe Systems, a polyethylene pipe system specialist, from Bridgstock, a family-run holding company.

Deal of the Year (GBP10m+)
Acquisition of HodgeClemco by SurfacePrep (Freeths, BHP Corporate Finance, Gibson Dunn)
Formed in 1959, Sheffield-based Hodge Clemco is a leader in the manufacture and supply of abrasive blasting (sandblasting) equipment and surface treatment equipment. SurfacePrep was formed in May 2020 by private equity firm CenterOak Partners, through a combination of its legacy investment in GNAP and a total of ten strategic acquisitions over the prior 18 months. Acquisition of Hydro-X by Marlowe (BHP Corporate Finance, DLA Piper, Fieldfisher)
Listed business-critical services and software specialist Marlowe agreed a GBP30m deal to acquire the 180-strong Sheffield-based water treatment and hygiene company.

The business is said to provide attractive synergies with Marlowe’s TIC (testing, certification and inspection) division. Acquisition of the Floow by Otonomo (Freeths, Osborne Clark, Allen & Overy, Latham & Watkins, Cavendish, PwC, KPMG)
A cash and shares deal worth up to £69m (GBP51m) was agreed for the acquisition of the Sheffield-based telematics technology specialist which works with prominent insurers across the world. GBP11m fundraise by Additive Manufacturing Technologies (AMT) (Freeths, BHP Corporate Finance, Foresight Group, DSM Venturing, Midwest Additive Ventures, NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance)
The UK-based provider of automated post-processing systems for the 3D printing industry, completed a £15m (GBP11m) Series B funding round in October.

The funding, led by Foresight Group’s Foresight Williams Technology Funds, brings AMT’s total capital raised to £25m (GBP18m). Funder of the Year
Shawbrook Bank
HSBC UK
Santander
ThinCats Corporate Finance Advisory Firm of the Year
Castle Square Corporate Finance
BHP Corporate Finance
Hentons
Shorts

Corporate Law Firm of the Year
DLA Piper
Freeths
CMS
Knights Dealmaker of the Year
Patrick Lynch, Castle Square Corporate Finance
Don Gray, BHP Corporate Finance
Kevin Davies, BHP Corporate Finance
Andy Ryder, Shorts
Paul Trudgill, Knights Emerging Dealmaker of the Year
Russell Bainbridge, Knights
Connor Marshall, Shorts
Joe Briggs, BHP Corporate Finance
Tom Haywood, Taylor & Emmet
Joe Potts, Castle Square Corporate Finance

To find out more about the awards dinner, click here.