Digital Barriers CEO Tom Black was crowned Dealmaker of the Year at last night’s M&A Awards, which recognised the achievements of entrepreneurs and advisers active in the UK mid-market.
In a prestigious ceremony at the Millennium Hotel London Mayfair, hosted by BBC anchorwoman Naga Munchetty, Black scooped the award for his acquisitive strategy at the AIM-listed group, which raised £20 million on its float in 2010 and since then has made 11 acquisitions, six of them within the past 12 months. The company is now valued at more than £75 million.
Other winners included Moonpig, the online greetings cards business that was sold to Photobox for £120 million. The transaction beat off competition from other strong contenders, such as cycling equipment retailer Wiggle’s sale to Bridgepoint, for the Large Deal of the Year title.
Small Deal of the Year went to Oxford Instruments’ acquisition of US-based Platinum Medical for $18 million last November, which has enabled the high tech tools and systems company to strengthen its service offering in North America.
Among the advisory firms that picked up an award were BDO for Accountancy Firm of the Year; Hazlewoods for Due Diligence Specialist; Memery Crystal for Law Firm; and Spayne Lindsay & Co for Corporate Finance Boutique.
The financiers recognised were Lloyds Bank Wholesale Banking & Markets Acquisition Finance, for Finance Provider of the Year, and Investec Growth & Acquisition Finance, for Alternative Finance Provider.
