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CORPORATE FINANCE ADVISER OF THE YEAR AWARD


SPONSORED BY HSBC WINNER Andrew Thomson of HMT


Above: Andrew Thomson of HMT


Left: Andrew Thomson with Jon Stradling (right) of sponsor HSBC


Andrew Thomson, joint winner of the title in 2012, returned to the fray this year as one of three finalists.


Lining up alongside him for the award, which was sponsored by HSBC, were Duncan Lamb of Grant Thornton and Kirsty Sandwell of Baker Tilly.


Introducing the finalists, Durden-Smith said Thomson had been busy building HMT, which has offices in Henley-on-Thames, as one of the region’s leading CF teams as well as being hands-on with a host of local deals. These included Tessella, Redeem Holdings, A&O Imaging, Elmelin, Ground Control and Braeforge.


Among Thomson’s nominations was one which said: “Any time we require some real firepower to the team, then we turn to Andrew and have never been disappointed. He has always added enormous value and we rate his commerciality very highly”.


Another commented: “Andrew and his team very quickly demonstrated an excellent understanding of what is a complex industry, and using their expertise they were able to facilitate a very positive and satisfactory solution for the company and its financial stakeholders.”


Thomson was also shortlisted for Dealmaker of the Year (under £25m) and HMT was in the frame for Corporate Finance Team of the Year.


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – MAY 2013


Lamb, who leads Grant Thornton’s CF team in the Thames Valley, and was also shortlisted later in the evening for Dealmaker of the Year (under and over £25m), has advised on at least 25 deals in the qualifying period. These include the £18 million MBO of Tessella, the £8m acquisition of Global Digital Systems by Judges Scientific and the £7.2m sale of Real Time Health to Allocate Software.


Paying tribute to his expertise, one nominee said: “For over five years, Duncan has demonstrated an ability to originate transactions and add value to the overall regional corporate finance marketplace.”


Another commented: “Duncan is one of the most proactive deal generators in the TV market and continues to create and complete deal opportunities locally. The size and number of deals Duncan and his team complete is testament to his level of activity.”


Sandwell, who has been instrumental in building Baker Tilly’s M&A and private equity offering, was also shortlisted for Dealmaker of the Year (over £25m) and would go on to enjoy her very own success later in the evening.


Among her achievements have been advising on the sale of international premium food brand Rhubarb, to ECI Capital Partners, raising £3m equity funding for Cennox, and working with


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technology and manufacturing businesses across the region.


One nomination said “Kirsty adopts a partner-led approach to all M&A deals in the region, ensuring the client receives the best team and the skills and expertise of an experienced adviser.”


One client applauded her for having a “high level of commercial awareness and a clear understanding of how to do a deal successfully”, while another said she took time to really understand the businesses she works with, building rapport and instilling confidence.


With the tension building, it was Jon Stradling, HSBC head of corporate banking for the Thames Valley, who announced the winner – Andrew Thomson of HMT.


Thomson went on to comment: “I am delighted to again be recognised as Corporate Finance Adviser of the Year at the Thames Valley Deals Awards. Whilst it is great to get this accolade, it is really an award for the whole HMT team who worked tirelessly throughout 2012 on successfully executing an extremely strong dealflow.”


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