40


MANAGEMENT TEAM SPONSORED BY PwC


OF THE YEAR AWARD


WINNER CloserStill


Above: Phil Soar of CloserStill


Right: Phil Soar with Jason Wakelam (right) of sponsor PwC


Recognising the success of the individuals behind the companies involved in the deals being celebrated on the night, this award is the only one to go to people who are not professional advisers.


This year, four worthy contenders stepped up to the plate – leading B2B exhibition organiser CloserStill; landscaping business Ground Control, software solutions company Kerridge Commercial Systems; and TT Electronics, an electronics specialist.


Sponsored by PwC, the award recognises management teams who have been successful in recent deals and have a commitment to ongoing growth.


Originally backed as a start-up by NVM Private Equity, the CloserStill team has built a highly- successful business providing CPD conference and specialised exhibitions for buyers of goods, products and services for pharmacy, veterinary and dental practices. Among the exhibitions and events in its portfolio are the London Vet Show, the Dentistry Show, the Pharmacy Show and Learning Technologies.


Last year’s deal saw the management team undertake an MBO which was backed by Phoenix Equity Partners, providing a partial exit for NVM, and enabling the company to drive further acquisitions and launches across the UK and overseas.


The management team at Ground Control, an award-winning commercial landscape


www.businessmag.co.uk


business, was nominated for its recent acquisition of two divisions of UPM Tulhill, the UK’s leading forestry and harvesting company.


Established in 1973, Ground Control has seen growth at 20% per year, and has a client base which includes Tesco, Sainsbury’s, The Co-op, Halfords, B&Q, Waitrose and many more.


At Kerridge Commercial Systems, which was also a finalist in the same category last year, the management team has continued to successfully grow the business through acquisition. The Hungerford-based business acquired TIS Software in October 2011 and followed this up in 2012 by acquiring Datawright.


Kerridge has become a market leader in trading and financial software solutions for distribution, wholesale and retail industry sectors, and the latest acquisition will enable the company to offer new functionality to customers worldwide.


For TT Electronics, it was the successful sale of Dale Power Solutions and Ottomotores in 2012 which allowed the management team to concentrate on growing its core electronics divisions. It did so by quickly acquiring ACW, headquartered in Southampton, in a pre-pack administration process which saved some 200 jobs, and paying off existing debt and preferential creditors in full.


The management team is now seeing the benefits of its strategy to invest and expand in


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – MAY 2013


emerging markets, with new customer wins in its sensors business in China and Mexico, plus continued investment in India. It completed a refinancing deal and has seen its share price continue to rise over the past six months.


As always however, there could only be one winner and it was the CloserStill team who, according to the judges, had achieved outstanding best practice.


Jason Wakelam, partner at PwC, presented Phil Soar, chairman of CloserStill, with the award, with Soar saying later: “CloserStill has grown from no more than an idea in 2009 to being the fifth biggest exhibition organiser in the UK within four years.


“We focus on healthcare and medical subjects and offer very high quality conference and seminar content to professionals – groups such as vets, pharmacists, dentists and GPs. We now run 18 events and expect to turnover in excess of £20 million in 2014 – with many events now being cloned into the French, German and Dutch markets.”


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