The Financial Times and mergermarket this evening named the top M&A dealmakers in Europe at its annual awards ceremony. Hosted at The Savoy in London, this renowned industry event awarded the top dealmakers from the past year across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Corporate dealmakers
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer successfully retained their title of European Legal Adviser in 2012, with advice to UPS on its EUR5.1bn acquisition of TNT featuring among its mandates this year.
Goldman Sachs was crowned European Financial Adviser of the year, the first time it has been recognised by the judging panel in this category. The European Boutique Financial Adviser prize went to Perella Weinberg Partners, which advised on the EUR3.3bn sale of Energias de Portugal to China Three Gorges, one of the largest cross-border Chinese deals of the year.
The Corporate M&A Deal of the Year accolade was awarded to the merger of Glencore and Xstrata, which on its own represents 8% of total European M&A value this year. Ernst & Young scooped the Accountancy firm of the Year prize following its provision of transaction services on EUR79bn of European M&A deals this year, including the mega-merger. Brunswick Group won European Public Relations firm, which this year was tasked with advising the major Xstrata shareholder Qatar Holding on its communication about the Glencore merger.
Private Equity award winners
Private Equity Deal of the Year was awarded to KKR for its sale of Alliance Boots to Walgreen Company for EUR5.2bn. Acquired in what remains the largest European leveraged buyout at the height of the leverage boom in 2007, the minority stake sale is widely regarded as a landmark transaction for the private equity industry. KKR was also recognised as the Private Equity Firm of the Year.
On winning the Private Equity firm accolade, Dominic Murphy, Member of KKR and leading partner on the Alliance Boots investment, commented: “We are delighted to have received this award, which confirms the excellent capability of KKR’s European team in identifying and unlocking attractive investment opportunities though deep sector insight, strong relationships with entrepreneurial management teams, in-house operational expertise and a thoughtful approach to responsible investing. We have been at the heart of some of the most exciting investments in Europe in the past year, including the tie-up between Alliance Boots and Walgreens, and we look forward to 2013 with optimism and encouragement. Our successes have been further strengthened by the recognition we have received in winning this award.”
The accolade for Private Equity Legal Adviser was awarded to Linklaters, with notable mandates from the past year for Macquarie, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and Bridgepoint. Private Equity Financial Adviser and European Mid-Market Financial Adviser were awarded to Rothschild, which was also successful in the Italian and the United Kingdom financial advisory categories. The European Mid-Market Legal Adviser prize was awarded to DLA Piper for the third consecutive year.
Giovanni Amodeo, global editor-in-chief at mergermarket, said: “This year transactions are of a significant importance for the M&A world. The sale by KKR of a successful business like Boots to a strategic investor gives hopes to the private equity industry that exit are still possible even in rough markets. The Glencore-Xstrata deal also shows that the appetite for large strategic deals is there.”
IPO prize
The inaugural award for IPO of the Year went to the listing of Direct Line, included for the first time in 2012 following the launch of mergermarket’s equity capital markets database.
Paul Geddes, Chief Executive Officer, Direct Line Group, said: “I’m delighted to receive this award on behalf of Direct Line Group and the many people who worked very hard to make this IPO a success. However, for us this is merely the start of our journey to deliver on our commitments as a quoted company.”
For a full list of winners, please click here >>
