42 BANK
OF THE YEAR AWARD
SPONSORED BY HMT CORPORATE FINANCE WINNER The Royal Bank of Scotland
Above: Robin Barnes and Andrew Clayton of RBS
Right: Andrew Thomson (right) of sponsor HMT presented the award
Three banks were shortlisted for this prestigious category, sponsored by HMT Corporate Finance.
HSBC, which in an astonishing run of form has taken the title for the past four years, lined up alongside fellow finalists Lloyds Bank and The Royal Bank of Scotland, both of whom have been worthy contenders in the past.
Judges were told that HSBC’s Thames Valley Corporate Banking Centre had once again had a strong year and continues to “actively support” SMEs and private equity in the region. It was also praised for being proactive in trying to develop and build new opportunities for the local market, with one nominee admiring its “local capability” and “global firepower”.
Recent deals the HSBC team has been involved with include the acquisition of Datawright by Kerridge Commercial Systems, for whom the bank supported the original MBO in 2010 by providing debt facilities; Xafinity Consulting, which would go on to achieve its own success later in the evening; and Autologic.
Nominations for the RBS team included its role in the £70 million acquisition by AnaCap Financial Partners II of the entire issued share capital of IFG Group’s International
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Division; and the acquisition of the business and assets of Coolgas, Inc, one of the largest distributors of refrigerant gases in the US. RBS was applauded for raising the profile of the Thames Valley both locally and internationally during its work on the AnaCap acquisition.
Also praised for “always being a strong and consistent participant” in the region, RBS’ local team has worked on a wide range of corporate transactions, including the MBO of A&A Group supporting Darwin Private Equity, the MBO of Audley Travel supporting Equistone, and the MBO of Glenside with Bowmark Capital.
In its nominations, Lloyds Bank was praised for the “high visibility” of its Corporate Banking & Markets team across the Oxford, Reading and Southampton markets and its input into the local business community. At the same time, its business development team was noted for its “clear commitment” and ability to convert business opportunities across the region. Recent deals included Alliance Pharma, Lo-Q and Timbnet.
“The local Lloyds team are an active funder in the Thames Valley market, approaching M&A financing opportunities in a flexible and dynamic manner,” said one nomination. “From an advisers’ perspective, it is encouraging to see Lloyds evaluating M&A
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – MAY 2013
financing opportunities from a number of angles, often introducing alternative forms of finance from the outset – which we have seen first-hand throughout the year.”
When Andrew Thomson, managing partner of HMT Corporate Finance stepped on stage to announce the name of RBS as the winner, there was loud applause for the team.
Speaking afterwards, RBS’ Robin Barnes, regional director, Corporate and Institutional Banking, Solent and Thames Valley, said: “We are delighted to receive the award on behalf of the Thames Valley RBS team and would like to thank the advisory community in the Thames Valley for nominating deals we had worked on with them during the past year, and the judging panel for giving us the nod.
“We have a strong and dedicated team within RBS and we feel this award recognises the hard work and dedication that they consistently demonstrate. We look forward to continuing to work with everyone in the next 12 months and completing many more local transactions.”
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