34 DEALMAKER WINNER
OF THE YEAR AWARD
SPONSORED BY LLOYDS BANK COMMERCIAL BANKING Darren Thompson of Meridian Corporate Finance
Above: Darren Thompson of Meridian
Right: Clive Coleman with Darren Thompson receiving his award from Stephen Ogborn of sponsor Lloyds Bank
Described by Clive Coleman as the “Battle of the Darrens“ – the contenders to win Dealmaker of the Year saw Meridian‘s Darren Thompson go head-to-head with Darren Miller of RSM Tenon.
Sponsored by Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, it was the first of the awards to be voted for by the audience and it was clear that it was a difficult decision. Not only were nominations outstanding for both individuals, but Thompson was a former winner and Meridian had just won CF Team of the Year, while Miller had already scooped CF Adviser of the Year.
Among the many nominations for Thompson, Gary Franklin, a Meridian client during the sale of his business, Coolmation Group, also shortlisted for Deal of the Year, said: “When reaching the decision to sell my business of 35 years, I was extremely fortunate to be introduced to Meridian, and it was clear from the start that I had chosen well. I would recommend them to anyone about to sell their business.“
Thompson was praised by others for demonstrating “an appreciation of the real value drivers and the big picture opportunity“. He undertakes a number of advisory positions to boards and is widely
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respected by management teams and professional advisers in the region.
Thompson joined Meridian as a director in 2003 and in 2008, together with Michael Barcia, they completed their own MBO of the firm. Previously a venture capitalist with NatWest and Barclays Ventures, he worked on some of the biggest deals of 2012, including Coolmation, Fibrespan and Inventif RMA.
Miller, who spent 16 years in corporate finance at Andersen and Deloitte, has been a strong addition to RSM Tenon‘s team in the south, making a significant impact on deal activity in the region.
Over the past year, he has led a number of high-profile deals, including the Cope Allman Jaycare acquisition by Nolato, also nominated as a Deal of the Year. His role includes advising entrepreneurs and investors on a wide range of transactions, including MBOs, MBIs, fundraising and business sales.
Nominations praised his “empathetic approach“ and great skill and patience. One said: “With Darren we always felt in safe and experienced hands as the deal was completed, all at a time when the economic backdrop was less than favourable.“
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – JULY/AUGUST 2013
Having heard the nominations, the audience was given 10 seconds to vote for their favourite – and chose Darren Thompson, who was presented with his award by Stephen Ogborn, relationship director of Lloyds Bank.
Thanking everyone for voting for him, he said: “It was a real honour and delight to again be awarded Dealmaker of the Year. Everyone in the Meridian team shares the same ethos, and we are all tenacious in getting deals across the line and this is clearly demonstrated in our incredible completion rate.
“Being an integral part of the Solent business community and working with such an excellent pool of talent inevitably makes deal doing more achievable. We have a number of mandates that we are working on and look forward to next year‘s Awards.“
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