deals 17


HIG-funded acquisitions


Fibercore


On February 16, HIG Europe announced that its funds had acquired Southampton- based Fibercore from US networking technology giant Cisco Systems Inc.


Fibercore provides a wide range of specialty optical fibre products to customers all over the world within the aerospace, defence and telecommunications industries. Since it was founded in 1982 the company has been awarded four Queen’s Awards and is the only company ever to have held them in all three categories (International Trade, Innovation and Sustainable Development).


In supporting the management’s buyout of the business, HIG underwrote the entire deal including both equity and debt components.


Finalists revealed


The top dealmakers from across the south were coming together this month for a gala evening of prizes – the 2011 Thames Valley and Solent Deals Awards.


More than 370 corporate finance specialists were attending the Awards Night at Oakley Hall, Oakley, near Basingstoke, where 12 prizes were being presented.


Hosted by The Business Magazine, the evening was being compered by television presenter Mark Durden-Smith, known for live rugby coverage and I’m A Celebrity, as well as for being the son of Judith Chalmers.


In all, the Deals Awards attracted 380 nominations – that’s 100 more than the number of entries in 2010.


THE FINALISTS


Deal of the Year (over £25m deal value) Sponsored by The Business Magazine


AIRCOM International


HIG’s funds have acquired Leatherhead-based AIRCOM in a secondary buyout from Advent International. AIRCOM is the world’s largest independent provider of network planning and optimisation software and services to the mobile telecoms industry. Its customers include the top 20 global mobile telephone operators.


AIRCOM employs 900 people in 14 offices worldwide who service customers in 135 countries. The company’s services improve network coverage and service quality for more than 1.1 billion mobile telephone subscribers worldwide.


AIRCOM is forecast to deliver over £90m in revenues in its current financial year to June 2011. HSBC and Barclays also provided a joint debt package to support the Group going forward.


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – APRIL 2011 www.businessmag.co.uk


• brightsolid acquisition of Friends Reunited (£25 million deal in which brightsolid, the online technology arm of DC Thomson, acquired Friends Reunited) • HobbyCraft Group (£100m deal involving sale of Dorset-based business to management, backed by Bridgepoint Capital) • XLN Telecom (£78m sale by Palatine in a secondary buyout led by ECI Partners)


Deal of the Year (under £25m deal value) Sponsored by The Business Magazine


• Box-It Data Management (Merger of Winchester-based Box-It with Stortext in £4m deal) • Guralp Systems (£20m deal with Guralp of Aldermaston sold to Primary Capital) • Kerridge Systems (management buyout by Hungerford company from ADP Inc. Value: £9m)


Dealmaker (over £25m) Sponsored by Barclays Corporate


• Ian Barton (Deloitte) • Tony Dickin (Palatine/Zeus) • David Rolfe (PwC)


Dealmaker (under £25m) Sponsored by Pitmans


• Mark Allen (Deloitte) • Peter Barrand (HMT) • Duncan Lamb (Grant Thornton)


Management Team of the Year Sponsored by PwC


• Atlantic Foods • Equiniti (Xafinity) • Leasedrive Velo


Corporate Bank of the Year Sponsored by HMT


• Barclays • HSBC • Lloyds • RBS


Corporate Banker Sponsored by Paris Smith


• Mike Donaldson (Santander) • Nigel Gibson (Lloyds) • Richard Povey (HSBC)


Corporate Finance Adviser Sponsored by HSBC


• Peter Barrand (HMT) • Ian Barton (Deloitte) • Duncan Lamb (Grant Thornton)


Corporate Finance Team Sponsored by HSBC


• BDO • Deloitte • Grant Thornton • HMT


Corporate Lawyer Sponsored by Lloyds


• Adam Dowdney (Pitmans) • Rob Hayes (Manches) • Sara Valentine (Osborne Clarke)


Corporate Law Firm Sponsored by Grant Thornton


• Blake Lapthorn • Osborne Clarke • Pitmans


• Shoosmiths


VC/Private Equity Firm Sponsored by Leumi ABL


• HIG • LDC • NVM • Palatine (Zeus)


Nominations were deal-led, and highlighted the breadth of corporate finance activity in the qualifying period – January 2010 to end-February 2011 – despite the economic downturn.


ADEALS


THAMES VALLEY & SOLENT


WARDS 2011


The shortlisted firms and individuals for the Thames Valley and Solent Deals Awards 2011 are listed below.


The winners of the two main Deal of the Year categories, and the two Dealmaker categories, were being decided by keypad voting on the awards night itself. Other category winners were announced from the stage.


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