Finance awards 2013

“We are honored and flattered to receive this recognition. It is hard-earned validation that our strategy, business modeland investments are paying dividends. We look forward to representing Acquisition International with pride in the marketplace.”

- John Ferrara, Founder & President, Capstone Partners LLC

“This Acquisition International Finance Award indicates that we are on the right path to success in our journey. We are delighted to be recognised with this award and to celebrate this success that marks the terrific progress we are making.”

- Mike Cutter, Chief Executive, OAMPS Insurance Brokers Ltd

FINANCE AWARDS 2013

“Winning the UK Senior Equity Advisory Firm of the Year award from Acquisition International is a positive affirmation of the value that STJ Advisors can bring to a transaction.”

- STJ Advisors

“URS is proud to be recognised for Sustained Excellence in Environmental Due Diligence in Acquisition International’s 2013 Finance Awards. Our European due diligence practice has more than 25 years’ experience of providing commercially focused environmental and health & safety due diligence support, advising on single site projects through to several hundred site, multi-billion pound deals.”

- Nicholas Howard, URS

t bfinance is a privately-owned financial services firm that provides highly customised, independent and transparent advice to companies and institutional investors around the globe.

From our offices across Europe, North America and the Middle East, we have advised over 400 of the world’s most sophisticated corporations and institutional investors from over 25 countries.

The Power of True Clarity Delivered Our Debt Advisory Practice Our team partners with corporate CFOs and FDs on various financial issues: • Capital structure advisory / Rating advisory • Bond issuance / Private placement • Bank financing / Refinancing • Securitisation / Asset based finance

For further information please contact: London office: Clareville House, 26-27 Oxendon Street, London SW1Y 4EL Tel: +44 20 7747 8600 Paris office: 3 place de la Madeleine, 75008 Paris Tel: +33 1 45 02 64 00

www.bfinance.com

Finance Awards 2013 / 3

Foreword

Welcome to the Acquisition International 2013 Finance Awards.

Nominated by clients, peers and fellow professionals; voted for by our subscribers; agreed by our industry experts – our awards are given to commend outstanding work around the world over the past 12 months.

And what a 12 months it’s been. The European IPO market is experiencing its first boom since the crash of 2009 yet the blanket burden of regulation is proof of the law of unintended consequences. There is greater activity in the deals markets and top investment managers’ assets are nearly at record levels yet there are concerns that some governments have only applied sticking plaster solutions, which may come unstuck.

But it’s clear from our awards that financial services professionals have risen to the challenges of the past 12 months and produced some outstanding work. The sheer scale of interest took us by surprise and we’re delighted that the industry has been so determined to recognise its stars. The awards recognise advisers on everything from equities to renewable energy, IT providers and insurance brokers. All of our winners can be proud of their achievements.

This year’s awards are sponsored by EthosData, a global provider of Virtual Data Room and confidential document sharing services.

Read on to find out who made the cut and what it takes to be an Acquisition International award winner.

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Featured winners... bfinance

Debt Structure Advisory Firm of the Year - France

Page 2

Capstone Partners LLC

Middle Market Investment Bank of the Year - New York

Page 6

OAMPS Insurance Brokers

Insurance Broker of the Year - Australia

Page 8

STJ Advisors

Senior Equity Advisory Firm of the Year - UK

Page 10

URS

Sustained Excellence in Environmental Due Diligence

Page 12

Asiaciti Trust Singapore Pte Ltd

Fund Administrator of the Year - Singapore

Page 15

Aura Healthcare

UK Healthcare IT Solutions Provider of the Year - UK

Page 16

Banca Euromobiliare

Italian M&A Team of the year

Page 17

Camden Associates

Biotech Corporate Finance House of the Year - UK

Page 19

Campion Insurances Ltd

Irish Insurance Provider of the Year

Page 20

Capita Employee Benefits.

Business Process Management Solutions Provider of the Year - UK

Page 21

Tonucci & Partners

International Law Firm of the Year - Italy

Page 22

Central Financial Planning Limited

Independent Financial Advisors of the Year - Midlands

Page 23

Clayton ERM

Loan Underwriting Advisory Firm of the Year - UK

Page 24

Fichtner Consulting Engineers Ltd

Consulting Engineers of the Year - UK

Page 25

Invision Private Equity

Private Equity Firm of the Year - Switzerland

Page 27

McCracken Advisory Partners

Marcom M&A Advisory Firm of the Year - USA

Page 28

Merrill Datasite

Most Trusted VDR of the Year - UK

Page 29

Montreux Capital Management

Swiss Investment Firm of the Year

Page 31

Moroni & Partners

Renewable Energy Advisory Firm of the Year - Italy

Page 33

The Commercial Mortgage Bureau Ltd

UK Commercial Finance Provider of the Year - B&B

Page 35

Orchid China Master Fund

Fund Manager of the Year - China

Page 37

PwC

Nation-Critical Industry Advisor of the Year - Australia

Page 39

Smart HR

Offshore Human Resources Consultancy of the Year

Page 41

Wealth Options Ltd.

Financial Products Distributer of the Year- Ireland

Page 43

Global Prime Partners

European Prime Broker of the Year

Page 44

MIAC Acadametrics Ltd

UK Analytics Platform Of the Year

Page 50

6 / Finance Awards 2013

CAPSTONE TESTIMONIALS “I was very impressed with Capstone Partners, particularly for their depth of knowledge in the technology sector and ability to navigate complex issues with ease and professionalism.

The team took a ‘roll up the sleeves’ approach to managing the deal cycle, which kept the negotiations on course. The level of attention and overall deal expertise was instrumental to the success of our transaction.

I look forward to the opportunity to utilize Capstone’s services again in the future.”

Robert Jordan, CEO KMS Software Company

Middle Market Investment Bank of the Year - USA Capstone Partners LLC

“We interviewed many firms - local, national, large and small. Capstone was the perfect fit. They are large enough to have the resources and connections we needed and small enough to provide a personal touch.

Senior level management were involved from day one and the entire team worked extremely hard to close on a very tight schedule. I highly recommend Capstone and their team!”

Joe Cronin, Founder and President Edvisors “Capstone did a very good job in representing us in this transaction.

Specifically, I thought they did very well listening to our concerns, fielding questions and giving us sound advice all along the way. We were very impressed with The Boston team’s overall knowledge of the M&A process and negotiating tactics. All in all, we thought our skill sets were well complemented by Capstone and thank them for their help in our transaction.”

Arthur Bourque, CEO SURV “My expectations were very high going into the process, so exceeding them was next to impossible. That said, I gave Capstone top marks across the board, especially in the areas of senior level attention and the ability to deliver technical deal expertise and negotiation strategies.”

Roger Malinowski, Chief Executive Officer B.O.B Trailers Inc. “I believe that this is a very good fit and will secure the future of SMA and allowing it to compete effectively without compromising its historical standards of excellence in patient care. Both you and Mark lived up to your reputation and I know from Tom that an enormous amount of time and effort was expended in seeing this often bumpy flight to a smooth landing.“ Dr. Daniel Schwartz, Founder and Chairman Surgical Monitoring Associates

John Ferrara is Founder & President of Capstone Partners LLC, a premier international investment banking firm dedicated to serving the corporate finance needs of leading middle market companies. Recently, Capstone won the Middle Market Investment Bank of the Year - USA award, as voted for by Acquisition international readers.

Capstone Partners LLC is a leading international investment banking firm dedicated to serving the corporate finance needs of middle market business owners, investors and creditors. The firm provides merger & acquisition, private placement, corporate restructuring, valuation and financial advisory services. The firm also possesses merchant banking capabilities to actively co-invest in transactions.

Founder and President of Capstone, John Ferrara, explains a little more about the company’s far-reaching footprint and about how it works to distinguish itself from competitors in the marketplace.

“Capstone has developed a broad national footprint, including offices in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Diego and Silicon Valley,” he states. “The firm has also established itself in cross-border transactions with a central European office in London. Capstone maintains dedicated research and investment banking industry teams across seven industry vertical, including Business Services, Consumer Products, Education & Training, Government & Defense, Health & Medical, Industrial & Manufacturing and Technology & Telecom.”

Recent economic turbulence, felt worldwide, has affected companies in many different industries sometimes with devastating results. However Capstone Partners LLC has successfully weathered the storm and emerged triumphant, as Ferrara explains further.

“Capstone has used the economic recession as an opportunity to be aggressive with respect to expansion and market share gains.

The firm completed two acquisitions over the past 12 months, adding three new offices, two industry verticals and a new service line. We have also co-invested in five client transactions through our merchant banking capabilities. Our strategy is to continue to invest heavily to be better positioned for future growth in improved market conditions.”

Indeed, the last 12 months have seen some of Capstone’s greatest achievements, with the firm acquiring Sagepoint Advisors to reinforce its commitment to the technology M&A sector and expand its leadership talent nationally. The firm also acquired Grenport Advisors in London to solidify its cross-border capabilities, as well as earning the coveted titles of North American Middle Market Firm of the Year and the Global M&A Boutique Firm of the Year.

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Middle Market Investment Bank of the Year - USA

Thus far, the last year has been a strange year for middle market M&A activity. We saw a first quarter of relatively high activity (somewhat of an overhang from Q4 2012). The second quarter pace slowed into the summer months, later coming to a virtual halt. Overall, it has been less robust than we otherwise expected and transactions remain highly difficult to get over the finish line.

Most recently, towards the end of Q3, we have seen a sharp rise in activity and expect a strong Q4 (assuming the US government can get back on track and focus on productive solutions).”

Recently, Capstone Partners LLC was awarded with the prestigious accolade of Middle Market Investment Bank of the Year - USA

by Acquisition international magazine, an award voted for by the publication’s readers.

“We are honored and flattered to receive this recognition,” enthuses Ferrara, and he continues to explain what it is which made Capstone such a worthy adversary. “It is hard-earned validation

that our strategy, business modeland investments are paying dividends. We look forward to representing Acquisition International with pride in the marketplace.

“Within Capstone, culture is king. In the human capital business, there is nothing more important. Culture drives recruiting, retention, efficiency and excellence. In the M&A world, given the intensity of the work environment on a daily basis, a strong positive culture keeps us all well-grounded and focused on common goals.”

As for the future, Ferrara recognizes more than most that no firm can rest on its laurels in the current climate, however he states that Capstone has a game plan to ensure more success comes its way.

“We are well poised to have a record breaking year in 2014. Each of our 7 industry vertical teams are running at full steam; we continue to aggressively pursue acquisitions to expand our geographic footprint; our business development function has become highly sophisticated supported by an independent research team; and our international transaction activity should produce several of the marque transactions on the middle market M&A landscape.

“We have invested over a decade to build our current platform, expand our team, and put in place very unique capabilities. Our primary goal is to leverage our efforts to date and focus on efficient execution. Expecting market conditions to improve substantially in 2014, we believe there will be significant opportunities to recognize improved competitive positioning.”

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Ferrara has also witnessed an increased demand for Capstone’s services over the last few months. “We attribute this most recent surge in activity to simple pent up supply among private business owners to realize liquidity from their concentrated ownership positions,” he says. “In addition, we believe that business owners are increasingly recognizing that the middle market M&A and financing markets are fairly robust with strong demand from both strategic acquirers and private equity firms.

We are honored and flattered to receive this recognition. It is hard-earned validation that our strategy, business modeland investments are paying dividends.

Company: Capstone Partners LLC Name: John Ferrara, Founder & President Email: jferrara@capstonellc.com Web: www.capstonellc.com Address: 176 Federal Street, 3rd Floor Boston MA 02110 Tel: 617.619.3325

8 / Finance Awards 2013

‘‘

This Acquisition International Finance Award indicates that we are on the right path to success in our journey. We are delighted to be recognised with this award and to celebrate this success that marks the terrific progress we are making.

OAMPS Insurance Brokers is delighted to have been awarded the title of Insurance Broker of the Year in the Acquisition International Finance Awards.

The past two years have been a period of rapid and significant change for OAMPS. We welcomed incoming Chief Executive, Mike Cutter, won new clients such as Australian icon Hills Holdings and the Australian Olympic Committee, and completed a number of acquisitions as we further develop and grow the business. We also invested time, money and passion in creating our OAMPS corporate story to mark out the journey of where we have come from and where we are going.

OAMPS Chief Executive Mike Cutter notes “this Acquisition International Finance Award indicates that we are on the right path to success in our journey. We are delighted to be recognised with this award and to celebrate this success that marks the terrific progress we are making.”

About OAMPS OAMPS Insurance Brokers is a Wesfarmers Company and the largest wholly Australian-owned insurance broker. We offer specialist risk and insurance capability across a broad range of industry sectors and insurance risk categories.

Our capabilities can be accessed throughout Australia, and through our sister company Crombie Lockwood in New Zealand.

We also have access to international markets via OAMPS UK.

OAMPS owns a Lloyd’s broker, and is the only Australian-owned broker authorised to place business directly with Lloyd’s of London.

We are also a member of the Assurex Global broking network.

With 26 locations across all Australian states and territories, OAMPS is able to deliver personalised local service backed by a global network of international expertise.

We’re passionate about delivering exceptional client service Our client proposition is centred on the deep understanding of our clients and their needs, providing proactive advice and solutions and positioning our clients to financially survive any insurable event.

For our people, we offer the opportunity to make a genuine difference, work in great teams, grow and develop their careers, and be rewarded and recognised.

Unique name, unique heritage.

Our tradition of working closely with clients is reflected in our name.

We began in 1976 as the Oil Agents Mutual Provident Society (OAMPS) to source a better insurance deal for members of the fuel transport industry. Our solution was an unprecedented success.

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Insurance Broker of the Year - Australia OAMPS Insurance Brokers: On a journey to success

Insurance Broker of the Year - Australia

It soon became clear that many other industries needed similar specialised insurance services – developed by people who understood their industry and its needs.

By 1989 when we listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, OAMPS had become a mainstream insurance broker. A loyal and growing clientele soon propelled us into the ranks of Australia’s Top 200 listed companies.

In 2006 we proudly became part of the Wesfarmers Group.

Growth through acquisition and unmatched innovation Today, OAMPS Insurance Brokers has affiliations with more than 60 industry organisations and we service over 100,000 clients.

“Whilst we have a tremendous opportunity to organically grow our business by focussing on our key industry partnerships, such as our long standing association with CCF and ACAPMA, we recognise that there is also an opportunity to develop additional capability through acquisition of broker groups in key industries and strategic locations throughout Australia.

Though we are now part of Wesfarmers, one of Australia’s most dynamic companies, the traditions established as a mutual society are still embedded in our DNA. Our core strengths, and the foundations of our continuing success, remain our closeness to clients and deep understanding of their needs,” says Chief Executive Mike Cutter.

Community and sustainability - Doing the right thing Sustainability is something we see as important and critical to business success At OAMPS, we prefer to think of sustainability a highly practical manner – we consider it ‘doing the right thing’.

We think in order to truly be a sustainable organisation we need to do the right thing by not just our business, but also our people, the communities we operate in and our environment.

Many of our branches have been doing this for many years. More recently, we have started to look at how we do the right thing not just branch by branch, but as a whole organisation, in order to make a bigger impact.

One example that we’re very proud of is our national charity partnership with Make-A-Wish Australia. Last year we raised in excess of $100k for children with life threatening illnesses, a number we are planning to exceed this year.

Our people, the most generous and passionate we know, help drive these initiatives and ensure success.

This year, we are excited to be working on how we can do the right thing by our environment. We are looking at ways that our branches reduce, reuse and recycle, and develop a strong, overarching plan to reduce our environmental footprint.

Company: OAMPS Insurance Brokers Ltd Email: melissa.montang@oamps.com.au Web: www.oamps.com.au Address: 289 Wellington Parade South, East Melbourne VIC 3002 Phone: 03 9412 1109 Fax: 03 9412 1601 Mobile: 0417 818 038

10 / Finance Awards 2013

Senior Equity Advisory Firm of the Year - UK STJ Advisors

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Achieving success is neither simple, nor down to pure luck. Capital markets can be opaque and misunderstood, meaning that it is often difficult to pinpoint the ingredients for a successful deal. It is here that the role of purely independent and specialist advisers becomes important.

The European IPO and new issue market is experiencing its first real boom since the meltdown. As a consequence, a growing number of issuers are coming to the market from a wide range of sectors, but inevitably not every deal will get away successfully.

The risk of loss of value for issuers from a poorly executed IPO process is significant. A company offering its shares to the public market for the first time only gets one chance; failure to price can be catastrophic for the business and its reputation, but equally pricing too low and seeing the shares ‘pop’ 50% in the first week, is equally clear value destruction. So, what makes the difference between success and failure?

Achieving success is neither simple, nor down to pure luck. Capital markets can be opaque and misunderstood, meaning that it is often difficult to pinpoint the ingredients for a successful deal. It is here that the role of purely independent and specialist advisers becomes important.

The need for expertise is demonstrated by the most experienced and frequent users of capital markets, such as private equity firms, increasingly calling on a helping hand when it comes to launching an IPO. More than 50% of European IPO’s now use an independent adviser.

In this respect, winning the UK Senior Equity Advisory Firm of the Year award from Acquisitions International is a positive affirmation of the value that STJ Advisors can bring to a transaction.

It recognises that the particular style of independent advice that STJ has pioneered has come of age within the capital markets. It also shows that issuers and vendors are increasingly choosing to supplement the advice they receive from investment banks with advice from a firm that offers relevant and specialist experience; STJ Advisors has 11 former heads of Equity Capital Markets teams of most of the largest Capital Markets banks.

The increasing demand for independent advice also shows that there is a growing understanding from issuers that STJ Advisors does not compete with investment banks, but is complementary to the services they offer. By working closely together with the banks STJ Advisors can help achieve the optimal outcome; where the IPO prices within its targeted range and trades up reasonably within the first few weeks of trading.

With IPOs being successfully completed again, the question is how can vendors ensure they get the most out of these transactions?

Every equity capital market transaction is different, but there are certain common factors that can help make a deal successful.

Success should be measured as a “win-win” for everyone involved – the issuer, sponsor, investors and the investment banks that are so important to the deal.

Achieving this win-win requires the issuer and bank/sponsor to have complete transparency in the IPO or new issue process. This is important because an offering is an auction and like any auction it is vital to know who is interested in buying, why and at what price.

Are the potential investors experts that will be long-term investors for the shares? Or are they speculators looking for a quick profit?

Do the buyers have concerns that should be addressed? Are there any conflicts of interest? Is it possible to manage these conflicts?

These are all important questions.

Data plays a key role in answering these questions. Investment banks working on an IPO gather a great deal of information on which investors they can educate, who they feel should be in the book, what feedback those investors have about the deal, the price range and many other factors.

If this information is fully transparent to the issuer and sponsor of the deal, it enables better decision making on the crucial aspects of the IPO process.

First, it can aid the selection of a banking syndicate that can offer the best expertise for the transaction and investor coverage, not only for the selling process, but just as importantly, for the aftermarket. By using the banks’ own views of where their relationships lie and matching this with investors’ rankings of analysts, an issuer can appoint a syndicate which best matches the needs of issuers and investors.

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Finance Awards 2013 / 11

Second, it allows the empowerment of the banks to identify and educate the broadest possible market and ensure that multiple calls to the largest investors are minimized. Furthermore, by aggregating feedback from all investors, issuers can build a picture of the total demand at a given price for a particular share in a certain industry and geography. This information can also improve decisions regarding allocation of the shares.

Third, a broader education of investors helps create a stable and healthy aftermarket. While it is natural that not everyone will enter the book at strike for a variety of reasons, an investor who knows about a stock and receives research on it both during and after the selling process will be better placed to buy in the future.

Finally, looking at all this information on a daily basis allows the issuer and sponsor to react to investor feedback, and identify any potential issues before they become problems.

Analysing this data is important, as there is a lot of it. While the size of the book varies deal by deal, in many deals feedback is received from 300-1,000 investors. With each investor giving information to two or three different banks, this can result in several thousand lines of feedback.

Being independent helps allow this information to be shown in an objective fashion, so that the issuer can access the collective view of the market on the important decisions concerning positioning, pricing and other key metrics.

The end result of this is an IPO that has an optimised price, a broad book of long-term investors, and a strong and stable aftermarket.

So what does this look like in practice? STJ has worked on a number of transactions that exemplify this approach, with the award winning IPO of Ziggo in 2012 a good example, and most recently, Matas in 2013, both pricing well in the range and trading positively in the aftermarket.

In both cases, STJ worked with the banks to ensure careful targeting of the broadest possible pool of potential investors, allocating to a strong book of long-term demand at the right price.

For Ziggo the process began almost a year prior to the eventual launch of the IPO. A critical component of STJ’s advice was on the timing of the transaction. There had been a number of occasions when the company had been close to launching the deal, but through STJ’s proprietary data-driven approach it was clear that the market was not ready.

Senior Equity Advisory Firm of the Year - UK

The best advice sometimes means recommending difficult decisions (like delaying a launch), but STJ always has data to back up better decision making. In Ziggo, STJ conducted a comprehensive investor mapping exercise to get a full picture of the market, identify the demand pool and then promoted conducting early-stage marketing by the company and the banks to ensure the ground was prepared for the deal.

When the moment was right to pull the trigger, STJ could show empirical evidence from the banks and ultimately investors that the appetite was there and give the vendor the confidence to push ahead.

In bpost’s IPO, this transparency was particularly critical given the private equity sell-down of a Government owned asset, with a number of stakeholders and different pressures compared to a more conventional IPO. The broad data not only ensures that the deal will not ‘fail’ to price within the range but also ensures that significant value is not left on the table by the issuer.

Not only IPOs benefit from these techniques. With alterations to reflect the nature of the transaction, they are also highly effective in relation to rights issues and follow-on offerings. For example, In recent times STJ has advised on the Banco Popular rights issue and a follow-on offering of shares in Dufry. Both relied upon the experience of STJ’s senior partners to adapt their techniques to work effectively with the banks to achieve success for the client.

This process is becoming an established part of the market. Capital markets never stay still, however, and STJ is committed to continual innovation, to ensure that it can always look at the interests of the offering and achieve a ‘win-win’ outcome, where investors are happy, investment banks are happy and issuers are happy.

This is where the value of independent advice for IPOs lies: working for issuer clients, but above all else working for a successful offering.

Company: STJ Advisors Email: contact@stjadvisors.com Web: www.stjadvisors.com Address: Charles House, 5-11, Regent Street, London, SW1Y 4LR, United Kingdom Phone: +44 (0)20 7659 1125 Fax: +44 (0)20 7493 4040

12 / Finance Awards 2013

Sustained Excellence in Environmental Due Diligence URS: Supporting Clients throughout the Transaction Process

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With increasing M&A activity in emerging markets – often around developing environmental and safety legal regimes – combined with the increasing depth and scope of legislation in developed markets, the need for comprehensive environmental and safety due diligence has never been more important.

URS is proud to be recognised for Sustained Excellence in Environmental Due Diligence in Acquisition International’s 2013 Finance Awards. Our European due diligence practice has more than 25 years’ experience of providing commercially focused environmental and health & safety (EHS) due diligence support, advising on single site projects through to several hundred site, multi-billion pound deals.

2013 has been a busy and interesting year for our European due diligence practice. Despite the general industry view that M&A activity has not reached the level of activity previously anticipated, a significant number of deals have still been completed, including several high value acquisitions each more than £1bn. In Europe we have advised clients on deals totalling more than £3.5bn so far in 2013, across the chemicals, pharmaceuticals, power, construction, industrial equipment, real estate and general manufacturing sectors, with transactions predominantly driven by private equity and industrial investors.

We have observed several interesting M&A trends emerging in the market. Demand for M&A services continues to increase across Eastern Europe, including in Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Croatia, predominantly driven by the expansion of industrials in these growth markets. There has also been a significant increase in demand for M&A support in Turkey, focusing on power, infrastructure and industrial manufacturing, driven by both private equity investment and industrial expansion. Outside Europe, URS has provided M&A support on deals in India, China and South East Asia typically for industrial clients looking to enter or increase their presence in these developing markets.

The historically “core” geographies in Western Europe have continued to see a steady flow of M&A activity, typically associated with private equity exits/acquisitions and industrial clients disposing of non-core businesses, as well as investment in European infrastructure and manufacturing.

A significant recent development is the increased profile and importance given to conducting comprehensive environmental and health & safety due diligence. Historically, environmental due diligence typically focused on contaminated land liabilities that could be inherited by the purchaser and mechanisms to identify and manage these liabilities during the transaction. In our experience, purchasers are increasingly aware of the potentially significant expenditure they may incur to achieve or maintain target businesses’ compliance with environmental and health & safety laws. In the short to medium term these costs can often exceed contaminated land liability. This awareness has elevated the importance of the environmental and health & safety due diligence work stream at deal team level.

Assessing environmental compliance in due diligence is not a new concept. However, the continued development and expansion of legislation in Europe, as well as the rapid emergence of environmental legislation in global M&A growth regions, reinforces the im-

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Sustained Excellence in Environmental Due Diligence

portance of conducting comprehensive compliance due diligence.

Recent examples include the Industrial Emissions Directive, the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and the SEVESO III Directive, which may have significant compliance expenditure implications in the short to mid-term for European industrials captured under these legislative measures. Depending on the nature of the operations of the target business and the level of its legacy investment in compliance, legislation-driven compliance improvements such as air emissions abatement, carbon reduction technologies, secondary and tertiary containment systems and effluent treatment plant upgrades, may incur significant expenditure – more than £1m – over the investment cycle. These factors can have a potentially significant impact on the financial model for the transaction if they are not considered at the due diligence phase.

There are also less obvious financial risks and potential costs driven by dynamically developing legislation, which should be appropriately assessed during due diligence. For example, the UK’s Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme, often referred to as ‘the CRC’, requires businesses with electricity usage greater than a set threshold to register with the scheme and, subject to some exclusions, annually purchase carbon allowances proportional to the amount of electricity they use. Responsibility for participation in the scheme always defaults to the highest parent organisation, which could be the private equity investor.

The highest parent organisation is responsible for registration, purchasing carbon allowances and paying fines or penalties for non-compliance. Even if the target business does not cross the threshold, adding its electricity usage to the highest parent company’s UK portfolio may cause the parent to fall within the CRC.

Annual compliance costs could be in the region of £50,000 per £1m of energy cost, however significant fines – potentially greater than £1m depending on actual energy usage – could be levied for failure to register under the scheme.

We have been working closely with our M&A clients to highlight the importance of undertaking appropriate health & safety due diligence in conjunction with environmental due diligence. Whereas much environmental legislation is dependent on the nature of the activities undertaken by the target, a large amount of health & safety legislation applies to businesses regardless of the specific nature of their operations. In our experience, health & safety compliance risks are potentially more visible and considerably more likely to require expenditure in the short to medium term.

Examples of potential high expenditure items include fire detection and control, electrical safety, machinery guarding, explosive atmospheres protection and SEVESO II compliance which, depending on the size of the operations, may run to several hundred thousand pounds or more.

With increasing M&A activity in emerging markets – often around developing environmental and safety legal regimes – combined with the increasing depth and scope of legislation in developed markets, the need for comprehensive environmental and safety due diligence has never been more important.

Company: URS Name: Nicholas Howard UK M&A Practice Leader Email: nick.howard@urs.com Web: www.urscorp.com Phone: +44 (0) 161 237 6050

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Fund Administrator of the Year - Singapore Asiaciti Trust Singapore Pte Ltd

Sean Coughlan is Managing Director of Asiaciti Trust Singapore, an independent fiduciary service group based in Singapore. The company was recently awarded Fund Administrator of the Year for Singapore by AI magazine and its readers.

We do this in a number of ways,” he begins. “Our geographical offering is a little different from many of our international competitors as we are not in the more traditional offshore centres. With the right knowledge and experience the same benefits offered by the zero tax territories can be replicated through the more mainstream jurisdictions and this is where we add value.

“In Singapore, where our head office is based, the fiduciary industry has been growing quickly and the workforce is becoming more experienced in advising clients on cross border issues, but these things take time. Our clients want to ensure that we have considered all possible alternatives before recommending solutions and this can only be achieved with experienced international professionals, which we have.

The international market place is always changing and it’s important that, as trusted advisers, we keep abreast of developments in the regulatory and tax environment. Perhaps equally as important is to be proactive and to keep our clients informed of the impact of such changes. Asiaciti Trust spends a lot of time and resources travelling the world meeting our clients and intermediaries face to face to ensure that they are kept up to date. This commitment is appreciated by our clients and has helped them through the last few years of economic uncertainty.”

Recently, the economic climate has been challenging but Coughlan explains that the firm has not had to adapt too much due to its global client base and a wide product offering. “Whilst some markets have been slow others like Asia have been doing well. The more depressed economies will come back in due course and we will be well placed to service clients from these regions, but it’s important to stay in touch with all clients during these difficult times.”

The last twelve months have been busy for Asiaciti Trust, particularly for bespoke funds operating in the Asian M&A market. Low borrowing costs and the availability of funding have encouraged some large companies to make strategic acquisitions, particularly in Indonesia which has been particularly active for the firm. “The

whole region watches the two economic giants of China and the US very carefully as they both have a direct impact on economies in SE Asia,” states Coughlan. “With China slowing and the US starting to improve some uncertainty has crept into the market, but for the time being at least clients are still positive on structuring their affairs in Asia and through Singapore. Local Singaporean banks have also started to emerge as well funded and sophisticated financial institutions able to assist international clients with cross border transactions. This has helped business as international banks have re-organised and in some cases shifted focus from markets or product lines.”

Coughlan has ideas for a successful future too, as he explains: “Principally we’d like to take the Singapore message to the world as it’s a great place from which to do business. The government is very responsive when it comes to developing new industries and incentives and as such the start up costs are not barriers to doing business.

“The financial services industry has changed considerably over the last few years and it will continue to do so in the coming years. First and foremost we must ensure that our existing clients are happy with our service and then it’s about ensuring that we keep up to date with new regulations and laws, both domestic and international, to ensure that we are still able to give high quality independent advice.”

Winning the Fund Administrator of the Year award was a great surprise for Coughlan and the firm, and he places much emphasis on team culture for this success.

“We have invested a lot of time and effort in developing our fund administration services over the last few years and it is nice to see an acknowledgement of this effort from third parties. Singapore is growing as a centre for funds business and it has been the largest cross-border funds market in Asia for the last few years. This has enabled us to grow quickly whilst still focusing on client service.

“Team culture is the bedrock on which we operate. Many of our clients are users of multiple products within this office and across the Asiaciti Trust Group. Its only possible to provide a high service level if everyone works as a team. We operate on a single point of contact basis, so one senior executive will be responsible for all matters relating to a client’s affairs. It’s up to that senior executive to ensure that the team members all pull in the same direction!”

Fund Administrator of the Year Singapore

‘‘

We have invested a lot of time and effort in developing our fund administration services over the last few years and it is nice to see an acknowledgement of this effort from third parties.

‘‘

Asiaciti Trust is an independent fiduciary service group that was established in 1978. It specialises in the provision of bespoke Asia Pacific-focused structuring solutions to UHNW private clients and corporations. Managing Director, Sean Coughlan, explains more about the firm and how it differentiates itself from competitors.

Company: Asiaciti Trust Singapore Pte Ltd Name: Sean Coughlan Email: sean.coughlan@asiacititrust.com Web: www.asiacititrust.com Address: 163 Penang Road, #02-03 Winsland House II, Singapore 238463 Telephone: +65 6533 2611

16 / Finance Awards 2013

UK Healthcare IT Solutions Provider of the Year Aura Healthcare

Aura Healthcare brings a fresh approach to healthcare; it focuses on delivering on its commitments and delivering innovative solutions that enable safer, better care and make a genuine difference to people on the frontline of healthcare and their patients.

The company is employing modern, social networking type technologies to fix problems that have existed in healthcare for decades and is among a new breed of agile company that can adapt to market and customer needs quickly.

Its solutions put an end to paper processes that create inefficiencies and risk, while giving doctors immediate access to information to inform clinical decisions at the point of care. The technology helps drive the patient journey, maximising efficiency and releasing more time for patient care.

Aura’s revenues came from three main sources; sales and support of its own software (44%), commissions from the resale of third party software (31%), and from consultancy services (25%). Its own software products were only introduced this year so in future years will account for a greater percentage of turnover.

Designed largely for a Facebook generation of doctors and medical professionals, Aura’s solutions are simple and intuitive to use.

The company’s five year plan is ambitious with significant growth forecast through a combination of inorganic and organic growth.

The main focus is on driving sales of its own software, which currently includes applications for clinical noting, patient flows and cloud computing. But there are other software products in the pipeline, all similarly designed to replace paper processes and so increase efficiency, care quality and patient safety.

It was voted UK Healthcare IT Solutions Provider of the Year in Acquisition International’s 2013 Finance Awards after a strong set of financial results, which saw the company beat its own first year revenue target of £1m in the first full six months of trading.

“Being voted UK Healthcare IT Solutions Provider of the Year by an independent authority is a major boost and recognises our achievement in meeting our goals,” said Adrian Stevens, Aura Healthcare’s CEO.

It has profited from the shift from large centralised projects to local empowerment and decision making and new government policy to drive innovation and SME participation in healthcare.

“Aura Healthcare was created primarily to bring innovation to markets where creativity has been stifled by large, centralised IT programmes and this award is further evidence that we have the right strategy, right products and are properly executing our vision,” he said.

Formed in late 2012, group revenues were £1.1m to 31 March 2013, while gross profit and operating profit for the same period were £895,000 and £600,000 respectively.

These figures are the combined revenues of Aura Healthcare Limited group, which includes Aura Healthcare Limited, Aura Healthcare Consulting Limited and Immix Health UK Limited. Immix Health was acquired by Aura Healthcare Limited in January 2013.

UK Healthcare IT Solutions Provider of the Year

“Our numbers show we are on the right track and bridging the innovation gap in healthcare.

These figures are even more impressive given the cutbacks in healthcare spending generally and the constraints on IT budgets in particular.”

Company: Aura Healthcare Name: Adrian Stevens Email: info@aurahealthcare.com Web: www.aurahealthcare.com Address: 1210 Parkview, Arlington Business Park, Theale, Reading RG7 4TY Tel: +44 (0) 161 870 2777

Finance Awards 2013 / 17

Italian M&A Team of the Year Banca Euromobiliare

Simone Citterio is Head of Corporate Finance Advisory at Banca Euromobiliare, a corporate finance firm based in Italy. Banca Euromobiliare was recently awarded the Italian M&A Team of the Year by Acquisition International readers.

Citterio explains exactly how the firm differentiates itself from competitors. “The skilled professionals of the Corporate Finance Advisory Team own a deep knowledge of the Italian Mid-Cap market and a solid reputation gained in 40 years of activity with family-owned companies which represent the backbone of the Italian economy. The team has developed a custom approach to its clients which perfectly fits with their specific needs also in terms of value creation. Moreover the team has built a wide network of Italian and international both industrial and financials business partners and/or potential buyers”.

Despite recent economic turbulence, Citterio tells us that Banca Euromobiliare has successfully weathered the storm. “In the current environment we are doing our best to look for sectors and companies with resilient businesses, significant know-how, exportdriven sales and very sound financial performance, focusing on a limited number of transactions to give the maximum care and best-in-class services to our customers” he says.

“During the last 12 months, in line with our 40 years history, our greatest achievements were not only the deals we have successfully advised, but also customers’ satisfaction and relationships with all the counterparts that have interacted with us”.

“The trend we have currently been observing is the increasing widening of the gap between the successful companies that over the years have invested in R&D, new products, opening of new international markets, and the other companies that have not followed this strategy”.

“Despite the economic slowdown of the Italian economy, we have been only partially affected by this environment because

our transactions have involved successful companies leaders in their market which have been able to face this tough environment thanks to the strategies described above.

Because of the difficult economic environment, entrepreneurs are in some cases more motivated to sell their companies, find new partners or acquire competitors, asking for M&A services. In line with our long-term strategy we face this increasing demand by accurately screening the companies to assist, in order to advise only the transactions for which we envisage a positive closing.”

Banca Euromobiliare was recently awarded the Italian M&A Team of the Year by Acquisition International and its readers. Citterio describes his delight at receiving such a prestigious award. “We are very proud to have been appointed the Italian M&A Team of the Year. This award is the recognition of the quality of the services we have always given to our clients over the years”.

And he continues to explain how the team culture at Banca Euromobiliare has played an important role in helping to achieve this award. “The culture of the Corporate Finance Advisory at Banca Euromobiliare has always been focused on teaming up, to present professionals working on the deal as a whole”.

Such a dedicated team cannot rest on its laurels, and Banca Euromobiliare is doing all it can to ensure ongoing success in the future. “Keeping our strategy of taking selective customers and providing a high standard of service is always a key issue,” he states.

“We expect that during the next 12 months Banca Euromobiliare will retain its market position and continue to be a well-recognized player in Italy for corporate finance and private banking activities.

We have a quite interesting pipeline of running projects that we aim at closing between the end of 2013 and 2014.

“We are strongly convinced that through a continuous and deep analysis of the market there is always room to find successful companies that could be potential targets for M&A transactions.

Working on these companies, waiting for the right time for the owners to start an M&A process, advising them professionally is the successful strategy to keep a long term sustainable position in the M&A market.”

‘‘

Italian M&A Team of the Year

We are very proud to have been appointed the Italian M&A Team of the Year. This award is the recognition to the quality of the services we have always given to our clients over the years.

‘‘

Ever since its establishment in 1973, Banca Euromobiliare has been a key player in Italy in corporate finance advisory. Simone Citterio, Head of Corporate Finance Advisory, tells us a little more about the firm. “The Corporate Finance Advisory team provides advisory services to industrial groups, family-owned companies and private equity funds for corporate finance transactions, with a well-recognized track record in medium-sized Italian companies. Since 1994 Banca Euromobiliare has been part of the Italian group Credito Emiliano listed on the Milan Stock Exchange”.

Company: Banca Euromobiliare S.p.A. Name: Simone Citterio Email: rossella.bologna@bancaeuro.it (assistant to Mr. Citterio) Web Address: www.bancaeuro.it Address: Corso Monforte, 34 - 20122 Milan (Italy) Telephone: +39 02 6376754

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We attach particular importance to understand the interests and needs of our clients and advise you in the long term, because we believe that a strategic positioning is crucial in order to manage and ultimately resolve conflicts successfully. Our advice is therefore aimed primarily at both customized solutions and efficient results for our clients and we are excited about having a superior position in the dispute and to enforce your interests.

We represent and advise you as a business or private client in all areas of business law.

In our areas of expertise, we are a leader in Austria and also advise major international companies and corporations. We have in these particular fields not only specific experience and industry knowledge but also include the relevant flanking, especially economic factors into a consultancy.

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M&A AWARDS Business Law Firm of the Year - Austria

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Finance Awards 2013 / 19

Biotech Corporate Finance House of the Year – UK Camden Associates

Biotech Corporate Finance House of the Year – UK

Jean-Claude Gonneau is the managing director at Camden Associates Camden Associates is delighted to have won the Biotech Corporate Finance House of the Year – UK award.

Jean-Claude describes the competition in the financing field as ‘healthy’ and adds: “Winning an award like this serves as a morale booster.”

Created in 2006, Camden has historically focused on tech biotech and mining, working to help small companies access finance.

Camden choses its mandates based on the ability of management to deliver. This often means that management must be prepared to modify substantially their initial brief to adapt to current financing conditions.

Jean-Claude explains: “We try and help them assess the difficulty of the financing scene and adapt their expectations to the real world. So far the economic conditions have rather helped us.”

Camden’s biggest achievement during the past 12 months has been a €15 million raise for a French biotech company called Theravectys, which is a development-stage biotechnology company with a novel vaccine platform that can be applied to the treatment and prevention of a broad range of infectious diseases, cancers, and other diseases and conditions. Their first clinical studies will be in HIV/AIDS, using their lead product, a therapeutic vaccine, which has shown promising efficacy and safety in nonhuman primates.

Company: Camden Associates Name: Jean-Claude Gonneau Web: www.camdenassociates.co.uk Address: 27 Hill street London W1J 5LP Tel.: +44 207 290 9812 Cell Europe: +336 7498 4104

20 / Finance Awards 2013

Irish Insurance Provider of the Year Campion Insurance

Bartkowski / Shutterstock.com

Jim Campion is Chief Executive of Campion Insurance, an Ireland-based broker. He speaks to Acquisition international magazine regarding the recent Finance Awards which saw Campion triumph and receive Irish Insurance Provider of the Year 2013.

In 2013, Campion Insurance was ranked by an international agency, Finaccord, as the 6th largest Commercial Non-Life broker in Ireland.

Campion has also won the Deloitte Best Managed Companies Award for three consecutive years (2011-2013) in recognition of its business planning strategy and the creation of the Campion Business School for the development and education of our employees.

Chief Executive, Jim Campion, explains what it is that distinguishes the firm from the competition.

“We have been able to distinguish ourselves from competitors in the broker market on the basis that we have the widest geographical presence in the country,” he begins. “We are also market leaders in a variety of commercial sectors including motor traders, bus & coach insurance, vintage insurance, and insolvency insurance. We are the largest independent farm insurance broker in the country.

“In addition to this, Campion Insurance has been able to develop a reputation as a broker that is very successful in managing claims on behalf of its clients. We have developed advanced management reporting systems and a technology infrastructure to streamline our internal processes and reporting systems which enables our managers to act and make decisions quickly and productively.”

“We believe our business is about people, and having a well-trained and educated team is critical to our success which is why we developed our Campion Business School to align everyone in our organisation with company strategy, vision and values.”

In fact, the last 12 months in particular have been testament to Campion’s ongoing success as the company became the primary sponsors of the key organisations in the bus and coach and the dairy farming industries in Ireland. The firm has also witnessed an increased demand for independent advice from customers and as a result it has enhanced its compliance and claims management teams to provide more support for customers.

“2013 has been an exceptional growth year for our business. In addition to achieving organic growth in a declining insurance market, we completed a significant acquisition of the Aviva Direct Life & Pensions business and we opened several new Campion Insurance offices across the country.

“We won the Deloitte Best Managed Companies Award for the third year, we were finalists in the Ulster Bank Business Achievers Award, and we were ranked by Finaccord as the 6th largest Commercial NonLife broker in Ireland,” says Jim. “The market remains a tough place to do business and as brokers we have to be constantly aware of pricing trends and consumer demands within the insurance market but we have strong relationships with our providers and excellent management information which enables us to react and make decisions quickly.”

Recently, Campion was rewarded for its hard work by receiving a Finance Award as voted for by Acquisition International.

Recent turbulence in the economic climate has affected many similar firms, with devastating consequences, however Campion has stood the test of time and emerged from challenging times unscathed. Jim describes conditions in Ireland and how the firm has weathered the storm.

“This is probably the most generous compliment we could be given, and given the esteem in which we hold many of our competitors in the Irish insurance market we are honored to have won the prestigious award of ‘Irish Insurance Provider of the Year 2013’.

“The Irish economic environment in which we have operated within the past 5 years has been extremely difficult and as brokers we have been in a unique position to observe the very real impact of recession on our clients and to see emerging trends as they begin. We have adopted three core values which are strategic planning & asset management, employee development programs, and process & technology efficiencies.

Jim attributes the winning of this title to the hard work of his dedicated team within Campion. “Team culture is fundamental to a healthy working environment and our core values are that of accountability and integrity. We believe that accountability is such an important business concept, particularly as organisations like Campion Insurance become more focused and pursue multiple initiatives to drive performance.

“We recognised very quickly that to survive and grow in a challenging environment we needed to develop financially sustainable business plans and we needed to be clear what type of broker we are, who our customers are, and what real value we can add to an insurance contract.

“Winning ‘Irish Insurance Provider of the Year 2013’ is a tremendous endorsement of our business model and it’s a reflection of the hard work, dedication and customer focus of our 150-strong team.”

‘‘

Irish Insurance Provider of the Year

This is probably the most generous compliment we could be given, and given the esteem in which we hold many of our competitors in the Irish insurance market we are honored to have won the prestigious award of ‘Irish Insurance Provider of the Year 2013.

‘‘

Campion Insurance was formed in 1984 in Kilkenny, Ireland and grew to become the largest local insurance broker in Kilkenny and Tipperary.

The business began to develop strategic alliances and partnerships with other insurance brokerages throughout Ireland and, in 2008, negotiated the amalgamation and consolidation of these businesses into a single company creating what is now one of the largest insurance brokerages in the country.

Company: Campion Insurance Name: John McCarthy Email: jmccarthy@campionins.com Web: www.campioninsurance.ie Address: 2nd Floor Otter House, Modern Plant Building, Naas Road, Dublin 22 Telephone: +353 (0)1 4033717

Finance Awards 2013 / 21

‘‘

2013 has been a very successful year for us, demand for our services has risen. This is partly due to these legislative developments but also driven by greater corporate activity and investment as the economy slowly recovers.

‘‘

Business Process Management Solutions Provider of the Year - UK Capita Employee Benefits

Business Process Management Solutions Provider of the Year - UK

Capita Employee Benefits provides administration, consultancy and technology solutions to public and private sector employers enabling them to deliver cost-effective, compliant and engaging employee benefits programmes for their workforce. It is part of Capita plc, a FTSE company based in the UK. We are particularly renowned for our collaborative approach with multi-disciplined teams working with clients to provide integrated solutions to the challenges and complexities of providing pensions and other benefits to a diverse workforce. Due to our experience of advising our parent, a highly acquisitive business, we are also highly regarded for our ability to guide firms on how to best manage benefits in the context of M&A activity.

We were delighted to win this award. It is recognition of our people and their dedication to make a difference for our clients. It is testament to how we combine our administrative, consultancy and technology capabilities to deliver effective solutions.

The last twelve months have been particularly busy in the UK due to the roll-out of pensions automatic enrolment; this legislation requires all UK employers to enrol their employees into a pension scheme. There are minimum contribution requirements and a rather complex set of rules that particularly impact on payroll processes and systems. There are added complexities for those acquiring businesses as the legislation was not entirely complementary with existing UK regulations regarding the transfer of undertakings.

We created a bespoke technology solution to handle these complexities for our clients and to interact with HR, payroll and pension administration systems while forming a specialist auto-enrolment team to work alongside our client managers to provide the best advice to clients.

2013 has been a very successful year for us, demand for our services has risen. This is partly due to these legislative developments but also driven by greater corporate activity and investment as the economy slowly recovers.

Demand for our online benefits portal has grown rapidly as employees increasingly expect instant access and the ability to transact online. We have also seen heightened activity in the area of pensions de-risking as companies seek innovative ways to manage, reduce or eliminate the liabilities that exist in their (often legacy) defined benefits pension schemes.

Collaboration is the key ingredient of our culture; our specialists don’t operate in silos. Our rationale is simple. Our clients need rounded solutions and a close working relationship. We can only deliver this by working as a team with each member having a clear understanding of the overall client objectives.

We are operating in unique times for employee benefits. The combination of legislative change, increased regulatory scrutiny, economic pressures and changing employee demands driven by technology advances and the advent of social media means employers face enormous challenges - challenges that we are uniquely equipped to help them meet head on.

It’s a fascinating and exciting time.

Company: Capita Employee Benefits Name: Nick Burns - Chief Executive Email: Nick.burns@capita.co.uk Web: www.capita.co.uk/ employeebenefits Address: 1 Aldgate, London,EC3N 1LP

Tonucci & Partners Tonucci & Partners is an international law firm with offices in Rome, Milan, Padua, Florence, Bucharest and Tirana.

Tonucci & Partners is one of the largest Italian independent firms.

Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Rome, the firm’s operations and practices are international.

Tonucci & Partners’s six offices in Italy, Romania and Albania ensure that domestic and foreign clients have access to prompt, reliable and customized legal services for their Italian and Eastern European activities. Additionally, we have consolidated working relationships with leading foreign global law firms with offices in the most important markets in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Through this network Tonucci & Partners’s clients have direct access to local market expertise on a truly global basis.

Tonucci & Partners’ work focuses on complex cross-border and multi-jurisdictional transactions and litigation. We have significant experience in corporate and financial transactions; civil, criminal and administrative litigation; public tenders and procurements; telecommunications and information technology; EU and antitrust matters; employment; and tax. Tonucci & Partners has also acted as legal advisor in major privatizations in the banking and telecommunication industries in Italy and abroad. Our client base includes domestic and foreign corporations active in a wide range of industries, financial institutions, governmental entities and individuals requiring personal legal services.

Tonucci & Partners’ lawyers include professionals admitted to practice in Italy, Romania, Albania, England and Wales and New York.

Several of our lawyers have received post-graduate legal education and training abroad and have previously worked for other leading international law firms, multinational corporations and financial institutions. The firm encourages the academic activities of its lawyers and many of them hold university teaching positions.

Tonucci & Partners’ working languages are Italian, English, French, German, Spanish, Romanian and Albanian.

Tonucci & Partners’ geographic reach, the quality and experience of its lawyers and its diverse client base make it an ideal partner in finding legal solutions tailored to each client’s individual requirements. The firm’s mission is to look beyond the legal aspects and help clients meet the challenges of their continuously evolving businesses.

mail@tonucci.com

www.tonucci.com

Finance Awards 2013 / 23

Independent Financial Advisors of the Year - Midlands Central Financial Planning Limited Mihai-Bogdan Lazar / Shutterstock.com

We are always very happy to win an award as financial planners often suffer from being a service that potential clients and introducers do not always understand and can find it difficult to differentiate between advisers.

We see one of our key strengths is that we are “proper” financial planners.

The term financial planning dates back many years from its origin in the United States, and Ian explains further about the industry.

“Very few people understand the difference between proper financial planning as per the requirements of the international financial standards board and the more common product based financial advising.

The difference between financial planning and advising can be a great gulf. A financial planner does not just gather the personal and financial details from a client but also their goals and aspirations. Then a financial plan is prepared that takes the client’s current circumstances and projects forward in time and identifies whether their goals can be achieved based on agreed assumptions. The plan is also tested against catastrophe situations like a death on long illness.

Only when the financial plan has been prepared and discussed is there any focus on any financial product, as it is the plan that provides the necessary context to identify the needs and requirements.

As a business one of the reasons that we have won many awards is because we place financial planning at the heart of our advice process. Busy professionals and business owners want to have answers to the big financial questions like:

Can afford to sell my business for this price?

Can I afford to retire now?

A financial planner can answer such questions and become a trusted adviser to also handle the more mundane product based arrangements such as making use of pensions or Individual Savings Accounts.

Complex issues like how much risk might be appropriate within investments or pension plans is also much better answered when your financial plan can be used to show how much risk is probably required to meet all your financial goals. Our background as pension experts has always stood us in good stead with clients as well. The ability to be able to deal with complex pension issues like transfers, using self invested pensions for property purchase or using income drawdown to provide retirement income instead of annuities has been a valuable way of attracting new clients.

Given we have an aging population we also have specialist qualifications not just in pensions but also in advising clients on funding for long term care. Despite government proposals the reality is that those needing care will often need to pay for it and getting specialist help to review the options in invaluable.

Although we are a small independent boutique business we can draw on great external support and provide our clients with the support traditionally only provided by the private banks but without any of the product selling associated with any banking operation.

We offer an initial non cost discussion for anyone who wants to find out more about us.

‘‘

We are always very happy to win an award as financial planners often suffer from being a service that potential clients and introducers do not always understand and can find it difficult to differentiate between advisers.

‘‘

Ian Smith is Director & Chartered Financial Planner of Central Financial Planning Limited, recently voted Independent Financial Advisors of the Year for the Midlands area. Here, he speaks to Acquisition International magazine about the industry, its strengths and weaknesses, and how it felt to clinch such a prestigious accolade.

Independent Financial Advisors of the Year Midlands

Company: Central Financial Planning Limited Name: Ian Smith BA (Hons), APMI, FPFS, IMC, CFPCM. Director & Chartered Financial Planner Address: 1 Dairy Barns, Nuthurst Grange Lane, Hockley Heath, Solihull, B94 5NL Web Address: www.centralfinancialplanning.co.uk Telephone: 0845 0066 204 Fax: 0845 0066 254

24 / Finance Awards 2013

Loan Underwriting Advisory Firm of the Year - UK Clayton Euro Risk

Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol, UK

Gus Pastras is Client Development & Strategy Director at Clayton Euro Risk. Recently the company was awarded the prestigious title of Loan Underwriting Advisory Firm of the Year - UK.

Client Development and Strategy Director at the firm, Gus Pastras, explains a little more about the company and how it works hard to keep itself head and shoulders above the competition.

“We have been a leader of due diligence services for over two decades, so our experience as a firm and that of our work force in assessing Asset Quality is a key factor when a client considers us versus the Audit firms, our only real competition,” he begins. “Secure and substantial IT infrastructure is also key when handling an entire Country’s Banking system data. Finally, alongside the “bottoms up” nature of our Credit reviews we have a Consultancy division with in-house modeling skills to provide down to loan level cash-flow modeling and balance sheet stress testing.”

Over the last few years the economic climate has taken a turbulent dive, with repercussions being felt the across the globe. Clayton Euro Risk, however, managed to triumph in the face of adversity, as Pastras tells us.

“Clayton is unusual in finding a market for its range of services in both the good and less good times. When securitisations and portfolio transactions were a regular occurrence we were the primary provider of services to investment banks and retail banks/building societies, but as markets deteriorated we gradually adjusted our offering to a broader client base over more Asset type in more Country’s and launched our Consultancy division. The skills required for assessing loan quality and pre-securitisation diligence are transferable to Asset Quality Review’s of systemic Banks within a stress test Project.

The last 12 months have been favourable for the firm and Pastras explains that he has witnessed a steady flow of activity across the board. Transactions have been dominated by inquiries in the distressed and NPL space, something he says which is fairly typical in the current climate. Consultancy has also seen a dramatic uplift

with M&A activity, AQR’s across Europe and stress testing of balance sheets.

“While this is not a recent market development we have seen that the on-going implementation of the ABS/RMBS data requirements by the ECB has impacted our business. As you can imagine as a provider of data management services this is an area where we see potential growth for our business, given the overall size of the European ABS market. This is a significant development that once implemented, should over time make for a more transparent market and allow for transactions to come to market faster and at potentially at lower funding costs.”

“On the whole, we have seen growth in all areas of our business, in particular growing our footprint of office’s over more European (and Asian) Country’s. The financial crisis exposed some of the weaker economies of the EU and this in turn has allowed us to provide our expertise and assist numerous financial institutions in assessing their risk exposures in these jurisdictions. The combination of trust (as a provider of services for over 15 years in Europe), experience (there is no other firm with our strength’s in Credit and AQR) and confidentiality continue to be the foundation of and reason why, we continue to grow our business.”

Recently, Clayton Euro Risk won the Loan Underwriting Advisory Firm of the Year - UK award, as voted by Acquisition International readers.

“We were all very excited to see that the quality of our work is being recognised by our clients and market participants, so we would like to thank them for supporting and continuing to work with us,” enthuses Pastras, and he is keen to ensure that the company does all it can for the future.

“As the banking landscape changes with more regulation and regulatory capital requirements our Consulting and Analytics division (whether it be loss-forecasting, capital shortfall’s or balance sheet cash-flow modeling) will be a key driver for us. As ever new products and services will continue to be added to our propositionand this will cater to our current client base as well as winning new business. Remaining Client focused and flexible in approach ensures we stay focused on what is important.”

Loan Underwriting Advisory Firm of the Year - UK

‘‘

We were all very excited to see that the quality of our work is being recognised by our clients and market participants, so we would like to thank them for supporting and continuing to work with us.

‘‘

Clayton Euro Risk is a leading provider of due diligence and credit risk management services to the financial services community in the US and Europe. The firm has provided expertise on numerous projects ranging from due diligence on mortgage portfolio acquisitions to a broad range of securitisations, as well as Government and Central Bank projects in Europe to M&A projects.

Company: Clayton Euro Risk Name: Gus Pastras Email: kpastras@claytonerm.com Web: www.claytonerm.com Address: 40 Queen Street, Bristol, BS1 4QP Tel: 0117 315 5800; 07837 873412

Finance Awards 2013 / 25

Consulting Engineers of the Year - UK Fichtner Consulting Engineers Ltd

Duncan Abernethy, Business Development Director of Fichtner Consulting Engineers Ltd, speaks to Acquisition International magazine about the industry and how it felt to win the Consulting Engineers of the Year – UK award.

Since its foundation in the UK in 1991, Fichtner Consulting Engineers Ltd has established itself as a leading technical adviser and project manager in the renewable energy and conventional power sectors, and enjoys a quality client base of project developers, project finance and equity investor teams.

Business Development Director, Duncan Abernethy, explains how the firm differentiates from the competition.

“Fichtner is an entirely independent engineering consultancy, owned by the Fichtner family and senior members of staff. We are therefore in a position to give totally impartial advice, uninfluenced by interests in the equipment supply or contracting industries. We therefore deliver Engineering Services from a perspective of independence and objectivity, providing recommendations and solutions in the interests of our clients and their projects.

“We work for a wide range of clients ranging from international banks, investment organisations, the major power utility companies, through to smaller independent power producers and project developers. This experience has enabled us to: • • • •

build one of the most knowledgeable and experienced renewable and thermal power plant engineering and construction management teams in the UK, across all disciplines; develop a detailed view of the critical technical risks in the development, design and construction of renewable and thermal power plants; establish a comprehensive network of contacts and highly regarded reputation with the major technology manufacturers and construction contractors operating within the UK power sector; and develop a very detailed understanding of the structure and characteristics of the UK construction and contracting industry.

“Our team applies the skills and knowledge gained through active development and construction of projects to ensure our due diligence work is well informed, realistic and accurate. Our due diligence experience ranges from the appraisal of emerging and established technologies, supporting the acquisition and refinancing of assets and companies to the assessment, negotiation and close of major infrastructure projects.”

Turbulent economic conditions have not posed too much of an issue for Fichtner as the company has more than doubled its turnover and staff levels since the recession hit the UK in 2008. “Accordingly our

team are very well adapted to conducting our business in challenging economic conditions,” states Duncan. “Moreover, we firmly believe that the tough competition for project roles, and a healthy paranoia associated with operating in such a challenging environment has significantly benefited the company.”

Indeed the last 12 months for Fichtner have been ones of great success, including working with a number of banks and investment organisations to provide technical support on projects that have reached financial close, including the Wakefield Waste PFI, Sleaford Straw Fired Power Station, and Lisahally Power Station. Fichtner has also supported the finance arrangement for numerous AD, solar, and onshore wind projects.

Fichtner is also pleased to announce a number of new Owner’s Engineer roles including the Lisahally Power Station, Peterborough Energy from Waste (EfW) project, and a confidential wind farm extension project.

Abernethy has noticed some emerging trends within the industry, which he outlines here: “There has been a general trend for competitors to be bought by major construction companies or to merge with other companies. This has significantly reduced the number of independent engineering consultancy companies working in the UK.” The company’s reaction to winning the Consulting Engineers of the Year – UK award, as voted by Acquisition International readers, was one of jubilation and Abernethy emphasises the importance of team culture within the firm and how this was instrumental in clinching this prestigious accolade.

“Fichtner believes in the importance of community both inside the company and in our external operations. The company is entirely owned by members of staff from the Fichtner Group; we aim to work commercially and profitably for the benefit of our employees. Our approach is friendly and supportive – we operate as the Fichtner family.

The projects we contribute to have an impact on the wider society in which we live. Engineering infrastructure projects which can affect thousands of people require not only technological and economic expertise, but also an awareness of the responsible use of natural resources.

“Fichtner has built its UK team through structured and organic growth, instead of through acquisitions. Through tempering the pace at which we have grown over the last 20 years, we have built and developed a very strong corporate culture, with excellent ownership and understanding from all of our staff. By limiting our recruitment to approximately 1 person per month, we are able to provide individual respect, focus, and support to new recruits.”

‘‘

Consulting Engineers of the Year - UK

The company’s reaction to winning the Consulting Engineers of the Year – UK award, as voted by Acquisition International readers, was one of jubilation and Abernethy emphasises the importance of team culture within the firm and how this was instrumental in clinching this prestigious accolade.

‘‘

The Fichtner Group is one of the world’s leading independent technical consultancy firms. Founded in 1922, the group has over 2,000 staff working in more than 50 companies around the world, delivering services in over 110 countries.

Company: Fichtner Consulting Engineers Ltd Name: Duncan Abernethy Email: DuncanAbernethy@ fichtner.co.uk Web: www.fichtner.co.uk Address: Kingsgate House, Wellington Road North, Stockport, Cheshire, SK4 1LW Telephone: 0161 476 0032

Finance Awards 2013 / 27

Private Equity Firm of the Year – Switzerland Invision Private Equity

What makes a successful private equity firm? Good judgement, hard work – and, in the case of Invision, a strong focus on building strong relationships. Acquisition International spoke to managing partner Frank Becker.

Last, but by no means least, there are the relationships within an organisation. “If you have a small team like we do, then it is important that team members can work together,” said Mr Becker.

Involvement will typically occur due to management buy-outs – or buy-ins; corporate spin-offs or growth financing, both organic and acquisitional.

Invision’s hiring strategy pays close attention to ensuring people fit the organisation’s culture. Team spirit is maintained through events – every time a great investment or exit is secured the person leading it is given a budget to create a team event so everyone participates in the success.

Mr Becker said: “We always look for companies that are very well positioned in their market or their niche and have always refrained from buying cyclical companies.”

The avoidance of cyclical companies since its foundation in 1997 meant that Invision was already in a position to weather the post2008 economic environment without making adaptations.

The relationship approach It is not unusual for the Invision team to spend a couple of years building a relationship before making an investment. “We build very strong relationships with the owners and management teams of companies, so we create a common vision,” explained Mr Becker.

“Typically after creating the vision we will work alongside management to implement this shared common goal. The aim is always to build a best-in-class company.”

Approaches can include new product development, internationalisation efforts, or follow-on acquisitions. The work doesn’t stop at implementation – constant revision ensures growth targets are met.

The relationship approach doesn’t just work with the enterprises Invision invests in. It has an extensive network of advisers who provide industry expertise, resources and specialisations. This network supports Invision in the selection and value creation process.

Then there’s the relationship between Invision and its investors.

For Mr Becker the highlight of the past 12 months has been raising a revenue fund of €285 million. “It was oversubscribed and pretty much all of our investors reinvested with us,” he said. “It is nice to see that level of trust from your investors.”

And it’s clear the focus on relationships works – investors’ oversubscription to Invision’s revenue fund was due to past performance and voters to Acquisition International’s awards obviously agree.

“Everybody was really pleased to win the award,” said Mr Becker.

“For me it is great recognition for the work the team has done over the past years. We can all be proud we won this award.”

The environment Of course, no organisation operates in isolation. Regulation and the economic environment can help or hinder activities.

“Economic activity has picked up somewhat over the past 12 months and the mood has certainly improved,” said Mr Becker, “but, as yet, there are no real trends emerging.

“However, changes in regulation mean that doing business has become more and more difficult. Legislation does not really distinguish between the actors in the financial services industry, which can create problems for private equity. We are having to bear the same legislation that is routine for banks and hedge funds.

“As a result, the private equity environment will remain challenging. I am also expecting a bumpy ride over the next 12 months because the pressures in the economic system have not been resolved.”

And the future? Well, Invision doesn’t plan to rest on its laurels.

The plan is not only to continue to do what they are good at but to continue to improve. “We should try to be better every time,” said Mr Becker.

Private Equity Firm of the Year – Switzerland

‘‘

Everybody was really pleased to win the award. For me it is great recognition for the work the team has done over the past years. We can all be proud we won this award.

‘‘

Background Invision provides private equity funding to small and medium enterprises mainly in German-speaking areas of Europe – Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The majority of deals are in the €20-100 million arena but it can be more in special cases.

Company: Invision Private Equity Email: info@invision.ch Web Address: www.invision.ch Address: Grafenaustrasse 7, P.O. Box 4433, 6304 Zug, Switzerland Telephone: +41 41 729 01 01 Fax: +41 41 729 01 00

28 / Finance Awards 2013

Marcom M&A Advisory Firm of the Year - USA Mergers and Acquisitions Consulting: Precision is the Art of the Deal.

Marcom M&A Advisory Firm of the Year USA

Precision is at the heart of every successful merger and acquisition. Sell-side and buy-side clients are not looking for approximately the right deal. They’re seeking precisely the right deal with precisely the right company.

McCracken has distinguished itself as one of the top mergers and acquisitions advisors in the marketing services, media and technology sectors for a reason. We bring unrivaled wisdom, hands-on transaction advice, market knowledge and precise attention to detail to everything we do. Why is precision so important? While others often rush to simplify, we embrace complication. We dig deeper, build stronger relationships, ask tougher questions and relentlessly pursue complete answers to optimize the value of every aspect of the transaction. Buying and selling a company is about more than money. Price is only the beginning. Cultural fit is crucial. Optimizing earn-out is critical. We live this truth and customize our time-tested approach and proven process to help each client grow or sell their business to achieve extraordinary results.

McCracken is a licensed merger and acquisition investmentbanking firm. We provide personalized counsel to our clients through skilled and thoughtful mergers and acquisitions analysis, advising them through their organic growth trajectories, acquisition ambitions and eventual exit strategies.

Years of investment banking and hands-on experience as principals in the marketing communications industry sets us apart from other investment banking firms in our sector. Our business brokering expertise extends from our keen understanding of the client-driven, culture-critical and people-centric aspects of the business – the very factors that often define the outcome of a successful deal and mutually rewarding post-transaction relationship.

With specialized expertise in the marketing communications, interactive marketing, new media and technologies sectors, McCracken partners have a wealth of experience in both buy-side and sell-side transactions. We’re familiar with the unique challenges each represents. Our thorough approach to research, delicate touch during the screening process and astute brokering capabilities maximize the likelihood of a personally and financially successful deal for every client.

Name: Keith McCracken Company: McCracken Advisory Partners Email: keith@mccrackenap.com Web: www.mccrackenap.com Address: New York – Minneapolis – Sao Paulo Phone: 1 – (952) 922-8140 Member of FINRA and SIPC

Finance Awards 2013 / 29

Most Trusted VDR of the Year - UK Merrill DataSite

Adam Pang is a Director at Merrill DataSite, an established market leader for virtual data rooms (VDRs) in Europe. Mr Pang speaks to Acquisition International about the company and how it felt to win the Most Trusted VDR of the Year, UK award.

Adam explains more about the company and its industry focus: “Merrill DataSite is established as the market-leader for virtual data rooms (VDRs) in Europe and across the world,” he begins.

“As first to market, we have many years of experience to bring to deal transactions and have had time to develop and refine our technology, leading to a peerless Project Management and systems infrastructure that operates 24/7/365. This is why many thousands of companies trust us to manage their online due diligence processes.”

Merrill DataSite VDRs offer international dealmakers working for a variety of companies multiple business benefits. “We offer a rapid set-up and round-the-clock support, a reliable hosted service from a single supplier, advanced but easy to use functionality, plus – complete cost transparency,” states Adam on how the company seeks to distinguish itself from the competition. “Our dedication to customer service and the highest levels of security are what put us above our competitors. Moreover, we are recognised all over the world for our superior service – the knowledge and responsiveness of our dedicated project management teams place us way out in front of our competitors in this respect.”

Despite the recent challenging economic conditions, Adam states that Merrill DataSite has not been exposed to issues which have affected many similar companies. “Because of the robustness of our business model, the current economic conditions have not affected us in the same way as perhaps others in our field. We are still seeing a good number of deals taking place and our project numbers continue to increase year-on-year – even in the face of generally stagnant economic conditions.”

Recently, the company was voted the Most Trusted UK-based VDR of the Year, as voted by Acquisition International readers. “We are obviously very pleased to have won this award,” he says. “To be recognised for excellence by an array of top professionals underlines just how good our product is.

“We feel we have clinched this award due to a multitude of achievements over the last 12 months. We are continuing to buck the trend in that our ‘projects started’ numbers continue to rise, even in the face of continued economic stagnation.

“With regards to more general M&A activity over the last year, we are certainly seeing more cross-border deals. Projects typically are now also taking longer to complete. Clients are becoming more demanding and we have seen deal teams getting smaller. As a consequence, these teams are now having to work harder with fewer resources – and this is where our dedicated project management teams come into their own. We are able to offer superior levels of customer support and, as I said, this is becoming even more important with smaller hard-pressed deals teams becoming prevalent.”

Adam also explains that the demand for VDR services has increased over the last year and attributes this rise in business to the company’s ability to move with the times. “We are adaptable.

We listen to what our clients tell us and we are always looking to stay ahead of the pack. Additionally, we have trust. New platforms offer a number of benefits but they don’t have the proven reliability and levels of service that we offer. We are trusted the world over to get the job done, quickly, efficiently and securely.”

Adam and his team also have plans moving forward to ensure 2014 is another sterling year. “We never stand still here,” he asserts. “Our technology, our service ethos and our market knowledge are things we are always looking to improve upon – and let me reiterate that we show up very strongly in all those areas at the moment (as this award confirms). We are always striving to improve.

“Our goal is always constant improvement. We listen to our customers to try and give them the ultimate VDR experience.”

Adam also foresees certain trends emerging within the market, including signs of an improved M&A market and dealflow. “We also envisage the expansion of our business with further penetration into the Contract Management and Life Sciences areas.”

“Watch this space; our VDR solution is getting better all the time!”

Most Trusted VDR of the Year - UK

‘‘

We feel we have clinched this award due to a multitude of achievements over the last 12 months.

We are continuing to buck the trend in that our ‘projects started’ numbers continue to rise, even in the face of continued economic stagnation.

‘‘

Adam joined Merrill DataSite in June 2006 and, with more than 10 years of experience in financial and information solutions management, working both in London and Hong Kong, Adam is focused on bolstering the International sales effort in the UK and Emerging Markets.

Company: Merrill DataSite Name: Adam Pang Email: Info@datasite.com Web: www.datasite.com Address: 101 Finsbury Pavement London, EC2A 1ER, UK Tel: +44 (0)845 602 6916

Finance Awards 2013 / 31

Swiss Investment Firm of the Year Montreux Capital Management

Swiss Investment Firm of the Year

Piers Sword is Head of Operations & Distribution at Montreux Capital Management, a Swiss investment firm with a global institutional and private client base. The company was recently voted Swiss Investment Firm of the Year

by Acquisition international readers.

Head of Operations and Distribution, Piers Sword, explains a little more about the company and the industry it operates within.

“We Manage funds for some of the world’s most respected global institutions and private clients, Montreux Capital Management understands the importance of a disciplined and sustainable approach in the investment process.”

With regards to his own position, Piers gives us an insight into his unique role within the organisation. “As well as sourcing and negotiating new avenues of investment, I work closely with the Fund management team, administrators, the custodian, external strategic partners, sales & marketing staff and most importantly investors to tailor the business model to fit the needs of supporters and provide them with a fluid, well-structured investment cell.”

The company distinguishes itself from competitors by offering niche products and services. “Our team is able to offer investors expertise across a platform of physical, asset-backed regulated funds,” divulges Piers. “Montreux Capital Management aims to consistently generate returns regardless of market conditions from its funds, focusing on asset classes that offer considerable high-return opportunities with little or no correlation to traditional markets.”

“We have continued to modify our positioning to stay abreast of headwinds,” he states. “Perhaps our most recent response to the market is our decision to move into physical bullion trading where Basel III and the diminishing gold price have led to monumental, in fact unprecedented, gold buying globally. We have structured

our latest Fund to allow investors participation in this lucrative and growing segment.”

Montreux Capital Management have experienced an increase in demand for its services over the last 12 months, which Piers attributes to being able to offer a viable, effective alternative to traditional market quadrants. “Market volatility works in our favour in terms of bringing new investors to the table and also because our investment strategies are effective in all economic cycles some actually thrive in challenging conditions, hence the increased demand for our investment propositions.”

“We are also blessed with a great team of highly skilled & motivated individuals all pulling towards a common goal,” states piers.

“The dynamics of a successful team relies on trust, effective communication and mutual respect which this team can boast more than any other team I have been a part of.”

Montreux Capital Management was recently voted Swiss Investment Firm of the Year by Acquisition International readers, something which Piers describes as both an honour and a privilege to receive. Furthermore, Piers assures us that both he and his team intend to do all they can to ensure that the next 12 months are just as successful.

“We can only continue to build upon the two main investment propositions we have in place now and do everything we can to keep our current investor base happy while sourcing new avenues of opportunity. We have a successful Elderly Care Home Fund which has been running for over two years now and continues to return despite the wider climate and we have just launched a short cycle, forward priced physical commodities Fund that has been described by some as a ‘game changer’ which we are incredibly excited about. Hopefully the continuing success of both of these Funds will mean that we are nominated again next year!”

‘‘

We Manage funds for some of the world’s most respected global institutions and private clients, Montreux Capital Management understands the importance of a disciplined and sustainable approach in the investment process.

‘‘

Founded in 2010, Montreux Capital Management is a specialist Swiss investment firm which has clients worldwide. The team is able to offer investors their expertise across a platform of uncorrelated and regulated funds.

Company: Montreux Capital Management Name: Piers Sword Email: info@montreuxcm.com Web: www.montreuxcm.com Address: 2nd Floor Baarerstrasse 14 -16, 6300 Zug, Switzerland Tel: + 41 (0) 41 561 3362

Finance Awards 2013 / 33

Renewable Energy Advisory Firm of the Year - Italy Moroni & Partners

Mauro Moroni is CEO of Moroni & Partners, one of the largest Italian energy engineering consults. Moroni talks to AI magazine about winning the Renewable Energy Advisory Firm of the Year award.

“Three business divisions are the pillars of our structure: The Engineering Division is responsible for the permission process, the design, the construction surveillance and the safety of power plants.

In addition the division provides energy saving solutions for the industrial, civil and tertiary sectors.

“The Technical Advisory Division performs consultancy activities and instrumental analyses on operating energy plants, working with major banks and investment funds as well as with investors asking for an independent survey on their investment.

“Finally, the Asset Management Division performs a complete plant management service, from performance monitoring to management of administrative and fiscal fulfilments related to RES activities.”

Moroni continues to describe how Moroni & Partners distinguishes itself from the competition with three key words to sum it up: “Ideas, expertise and experience.

“Where our ideas are concerned, we understood before our competitors that “documental verification” wasn’t a sufficient enough guarantee for our customers. There are too many construction site issues, materials liability problems and risks. It was necessary to provide something more and we created it! Our “Check Up” procedures have been developed from the deep understanding of technologies, installation issues and plants management. We started from photovoltaic and we have since developed services dedicated to Biogas, Wind, Energy Efficiency, CPV and CSP. “With our expertise, M&P Engineering Division led to the creation of Technical Advisory Division thanks to experience gained in design, work supervision and operational tests of hundreds of renewable energy plants. Team work and a know-how sharing environment are the pillars of M&P success.

“Finally our experience counts for everything,” Moroni states.

“With experience of more than 925 MW in Due Diligence, M&P is the market leader in instrumental on site verifications and one on the main players in the secondary market. The most important

differences between us and our competitors is that we don’t work with subcontractors. The on-field experience of our technicians has been gained conducting over a hundred plant verifications. If the customer has a problem, we detect it and resolve it quickly.”

Despite experiencing challenging economic conditions, Moroni & Partners have had a successful 12 months, with further growth and a 2013 expected turnover increase of 15% on 2012’s figures.

In particular, Moroni highlights the administrative and instrumental due diligence services the firm provided to RTR Capital during its prestigious acquisition of 31,5 MW PV plants (Apollo cluster), owned by ACEA. Moroni has, however, noticed certain trends emerging within the industry.

“There is a strong decrease in constructing PV plants and for this reason also in financing new Plants,” he states. “The new plants are mainly small sized. PV sector market share is decreasing in terms of new construction while Hydro, Biomass and Energy Efficiency are increasing. Biogas and micro-wind are growing slower in respect of other technologies.

“After a stop caused by uncertainty about regulations we noticed a strong positive change in the secondary market due to the activities of small and medium producers, mainly under 20 MWp. “It is very interesting to see how new important players, coming from Germany, Japan, Israel and China, will enter the secondary market.”

Team culture is everything at Moroni & Partners with the dedicated team working daily to satisfy customer requirements. “Let me take this opportunity to thank them again and to tell them that this is just the beginning. We have a difficult path ahead with many hurdles to jump but as a united team we can relish the challenge.”

Mr Moroni is convinced that strong working efforts were imperative in clinching the prestigious honour of Renewable Energy Advisory Firm of the Year, as voted by Acquisition International readers. But no company can afford to rest on its laurels and Moroni & Partners will do all it takes to ensure that 2014 is another successful year, culminating in another award.

“We want to become the market leader and be the main player in acquisitions of renewable energy plants and provide Asset Management to important Lending Institutions,” exclaims Moroni.

“We want to innovate and be a reference point for new technologies, like CSP. Our experience, reliability and expertise will be our strength and we will do our utmost to be in contention for this award next year!”

‘‘

Renewable Energy Advisory Firm of the Year Italy

With our expertise, M&P Engineering Division led to the creation of Technical Advisory Division thanks to experience gained in design, work supervision and operational tests of hundreds of renewable energy plants. Team work and a know-how sharing environment are the pillars of M&P success.

‘‘

Mauro Moroni introduces himself and tells us a little more about Moroni &Partners, of which he is Chief Executive Officer, and its strcture.

“The firm conducts Engineering and Technical Advisory services with a team of more than 50 professionals working on renewable energy sources and high energy efficiency systems to satisfy the needs of banks, investors, industrial customers, public entities and EPC contractors,” he explains.

Company: Moroni & Partners Name: Mauro Moroni Email: info@moroniepartners.it Web: www.moroniepartners.it Address: Via del Commercio 14/A – 60021 Camerano, AN – Italy Tel: 0039 – 071895023 Mobile: 0039 - 3450155607

Finance Awards 2013 / 35

UK Commercial Finance Provider of the Year - B&B The Commercial Mortgage Bureau Ltd The origins of the company were began in 1994 when a mortgage brokerage was formed as the UK emerged from the last recession and clients asked if commercial mortgages could also be arranged. As a result Simon began to specialise in that area. He was approached in 1998 by a National Mortgage packager to form a joint venture and handle all their enquiries on a National basis and this arrangement existed until 2004 when Simon undertook a management buyout under his sole control and changed the name to The Commercial Mortgage Bureau Ltd commonly referred to as CMB Ltd. Most of our introductions come from professional referrals, Accountants, Solicitors, Residential Mortgage brokers and IFA’s all of whom have clients seeking commercial mortgages. In the current climate we even get Banks contacting us to assist clients who they cannot help. However, with a new generation of businessmen and women emerging who use the Internet as a daily tool our website is producing more and more direct enquiries.

With a prior background in industry Simon has always appreciated clients frustration presenting their requirements to a Lender and CMB’s experience in putting together a professional submission having fully understood the clients needs has seen the business successfully survive the current worldwide recession. Clients have always appreciated the honesty of the company in genuinely explaining to a client what can and also what cannot be achieved.

As many mainstream lenders have withdrawn or shown little appetite for lending in the past five years CMB has been able to source funds for clients ensuring that they can achieve their goals notwithstanding the tightening of the money supply. The research into these new sources has been an ongoing company policy from its inception.

CMB Ltd has been an elected member of the UK based NACFB (National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers) almost since its formation and conducts its business under their strict guidelines and Code of Conduct.

CMB were delighted to have been nominated for the award and very pleasantly surprised when they won. It was recognition for helping UK companies over the past 20 years The past 12 months have seen CMB raise finance for a number of clients who were originally refused finance by their existing bankers. With our help these companies have purchased their own properties and now have substantial assets from which to expand and provide much needed employment and contribute to the UK economy.

The current year has seen a slight easing in the availability of funding however the UK still has a long way to go before I believe we will see a true finance market return.

UK Commercial Finance Provider of the Year - B&B

There is no doubt we are emerging from the recession but we need sustained growth to ensure business confidence recovers and UK companies can plan forward with confidence but neither they nor ourselves should be burdened with legislation or regulation which we can all ill afford.

Demand has been steady over the past few years, although this year has seen an increase in enquiry levels A hugely experienced team of associates can be called upon to assist in even the most difficult of cases. All property-based transactions can be arranged given the correct deposit or equity.

Warehouses, factories, offices, retail, Hotels, Licensed premises, Development finance and Bridging facilities, be they for investment or owner occupation. Deals from the smallest to the largest can be placed with a huge pool of finance providers.

Managing client’s expectations is perhaps the greatest challenge.

The lending margins over base or LIBOR are still difficult to explain to any client as the cost of funds has risen, but as businesses adapt and accept that Lenders no longer throw money at ridiculously low rates towards them, CMB is working hard to place deserving clients with Lenders at the most competitive rate applicable to their circumstances.

2014 will be no less challenging but the fragile recovery will be sustained as confidence returns to the consumer and this will impact on small and medium sized businesses. CMB will continue to keep abreast of the finance market and enable that those companies who wish to invest in the Commercial Property market either as Investors or owner-occupiers have an independent broker who is able to source the market for the best deal available.

Our reputation is based on nearly 20 years of providing commercial mortgages for companies through good times and bad.

Company: The Commercial Mortgage Bureau Ltd Name: Simon Ryder, CEO Email: commercial@cmb-uk.co.uk Web: www.cmb-uk.co.uk Address: no 4 Unit 16, Dinan Way Trading Estate, Exmouth, Devon, EX8 4RS Telephone: 0845 293 0510

Finance Awards 2013 / 37

Fund Manager of the Year - China Orchid Asia Group Trevor Chan is the Director and Head of Business Development at Orchid Asia Group Management Limited, a global investment group. Here, Mr Chan explains more about the economic climate in China and talks about his reaction to winning the Fund Manager of the Year, China award.

Orchid Asia currently manages a total of five China private equity funds and one long-based public equity fund focusing on China stocks, with an aggregate amount of US$1.7 billion of assets under management.

Director & Head of Business Development, Trevor Chan, explains a little more about the company and how it has adapted to recent challenging economic conditions.

“The thesis for Orchid Asia was to invest in China, as the rise of China would present one of the biggest opportunities of our generation’s lifetime,” he states. “The firm’s investment philosophy and strategy are still the same today as it was in our formation in 1993, i.e., invest in “honest and capable” management teams (aligned interests with investors), invest in franchises (companies with barriers to entry and a competitive advantages) in China with a view of long term compounding returns. This strategy is still used today in all of Orchid Asia’s funds under management.”

It seems that the last 12 months have been especially favourable to Orchid Asia, as Mr Chan embellishes. “We formed the Orchid China Master Fund in the midst of the global recession in 2008. After managing the fund with a track record of 3.5 years, in 2011 year end we began opening up the fund when it was around US$15 million to invite external investors. In a short span of 12-24 months of marketing we have been fortunate enough to have received a good support of investors. The fund’s strategy is currently about US$160 million of assets and has generated +94.8% net return since inception for our investors – these are the greatest achievements for our team in 2013.

“With regards to the last 12 months in our specialist industry, the hedge fund sector in 2013 has separated the strong from the weak.

The managers who can survive the last couple of year’s downturn can most likely survive other recessions. Some of the survivors will probably grow at the expense of others. Also, we observed more allocation back to emerging market equities in 2013 compared to previous years. With China’s rebalancing its economy from export-led growth to domestic consumption creates opportunities for seasoned stock pickers, so we see plenty of opportunities in China’s growth consumption story.”

Mr Chan has also noticed certain trends emerging in the hedge fund industry, some unfavorable. “We noticed many hedge fund managers who invested in China have been hurt by frauds. The number one reason why investments do poorly in China is poor, and worse, dishon-

est management. We have been fortunate not to have a single fraud issue in our stock selection (for our long-book). This can be attributed to our team’s private equity background with operating due diligence.”

And that is not all that Mr Chan attributes to his team – he also praises the dedicated workforce within Orchid Asia for their contributions to helping the firm clinch the Fund Manager of the Year award, as voted by readers of Acquisition international magazine.

“The team culture plays an extremely important part to our success.

Some of the elements of our culture include independence, cooperation, and alignment of interest. It is very important to have individuals within our team to function productively with a minimum of supervision. At the same time, individuals are encouraged to work together to leverage our collective strengths to achieve our common goals. We design our compensation to allow team members to be fully aligned to the results of the funds in which they work under.

“We stay disciplined and focus on doing what we do best. Our objectives are not to win awards but more on maintaining our performance and making money for our investors. But its a nice surprise… to receive an award, which also is a milestone in the recognition of our fund strategy and long term performance. We also received other awards in the past i.e., in Nov 2012, we won another award by HFMweek Asia Performance Awards 2012 – for 1st place in the categorymof Single Manager Long-term Performance (3 years) Under US$100m.”

With increased interest in the company’s China long/short fund, as well as an increase in the number of prospective investors to the Orchid China Master Fund, it is important that the firm continues to strive for success, and Mr Chan understands this more than most.

“We intend to stay disciplined and focus on doing what we do best – do not drift from our strategy is most important.

“We also have to continue to align our interest with investors,and investing in industries we understand – Orchid Asia has sector expertise in the 5 sectors we focus on (consumer product, Internet, technology, healthcare, and specialty manufacturing). By investing in sectors we understand, we understand the risks much better and should a problem arise, we would know how to handle it.

“A manager must align their interest with investors; in other words, investing much of their wealth into their own funds. It’s easy to be managing other people’s money, but if you don’t have substantial stake in your own product, then you will not have the heart to make money for your investors.”

‘‘

Fund Manager of the Year China

We stay disciplined and focus on doing what we do best. Our objectives are not to win awards but more on maintaining our performance and making money for our investors.

But its a nice surprise… to receive an award, which also is a milestone in the recognition of our fund strategy and long term performance.

‘‘

Orchid Asia Group Management Ltd is an investment group with offices throughout China, including Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. The firm focuses on backing experienced operating executives in building franchises, with an emphasis in China.

Company: Orchid Asia Group Management, Limited Name: Trevor Chan Director, Head of BD Email: tchan@orchidasia.com Web: www.orchidasia.com Address: The Center, Suite 6211, 62nd Floor. 99 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong Telephone: +[852] 2115-8810

Finance Awards 2013 / 39

Nation-Critical Industry Advisor of the Year - Australia PricewaterhouseCoopers

NationCritical Industry Advisor of the Year - Australia Gordon Bell / Shutterstock.com

On behalf of the PwC Australian deals team, I am delighted to accept this significant international award. We are really pleased that it recognises the progress we have made in recent years in making our business a more market relevant and contemporary business. This award builds on recent awards such as those our PwC team received at the recent Australian Venture Capital conference.

We have systematically invested considerable time with our Australian and International market and clients to understand what services they want from us, at what price positioning and in what industries. As a result we’ve invested into strengthening our experience in nation critical industries such as real estate, mining and infrastructure. We recruited and grew our team experience in dealing with new offshore capital providers coming from Asia, notably Japan and China. We broadened our offering to include deals modelling, debt and capital advisory, contemporary valuation services and others. At the same time we’ve re-examined to our core business and re-looked at the strength of our teams and price position in critical industries such as Private Equity, Banking and Government. We will continue to do this in FY14.

Consciously we made a decision to contribute more fully in our public views on a number of key issues in the Australian deals market. The critical position of offshore capital in growing the asset intense Australian economy - our recent editorial in the Australian Financial Review talks to our perspective that there is a key place for foreign investment that Australia should embrace. Further perspectives on the recent volatility in the mining sector and the place of Asian capital given the trade links that exist are key thought pieces for us. Given the recent decline in aggregate equity and debt capital investment from Europe in particular, the importance of Asian capital sources for Australia to continue growing its’ asset intense economy has further increased.

Whilst Australia has enjoyed a resilient economy in recent years, deals have declined in volume and value. We anticipate that 2014 will continue to be marked by cautious investment patterns - with optimism as a result of the recent election results being balanced by continuing economic headwinds including in Australia’s major trading partners. Deals have taken longer periods to complete, require significant continued focus and discipline and we see that continuing. This environment persists despite some recent encouraging signs in the equity and debt markets. We want to continue to develop our brand for sharing our best market knowledge and ideas with our loyal clients, and growing the reputation of our team. Most of all we recognise we need to continue to evolve the solutions we offer our clients to provide fuller value for them across our integrated deals offering.

Australia is a key market for the Asian and Global PwC Deals business. It offers a resilient economy, benign sovereign risk, sensible competition law, a robust system of law and sophisticated financial practices. We are focussed on developing our position in such an attractive market.

Thank you again on behalf of the team.

Name: Sean Gregory Managing Partner, Deals Company: PwC Australia Web: www.pwc.com.au Address: Darling Park Tower 2, 201 Sussex Street, GPO BOX 2650, Sydney NSW 1171 Phone: +61 2 8266 0000 Fax: +61 2 8266 9999

LEXeFISCAL, based in Mayfair, London, is a law-tax firm providing legal and fiscal advice to individuals and enterprises in the UK, Western Europe, America and Africa.

LEXeFISCAL comes from a high profile law-tax background with worldwide, multisector experiences. After successful and committed challenges, LEXeFISCAL decided to serve a niche of the market in order to provide a high standard service and sound advice.

LEXeFISCAL can guarantee a bespoke service based on each clients’ needs and requirements, and at the same time can focus on its high commitment to customer service.

LEXeFISCAL advises corporations, private individuals including successful artists, actors, entrepreneurs, sports personalities and land/property owners. We have the necessary experience and discretion required for serving families and trusts across generations.

LEXeFISCAL also work with private individuals who hold key positions within our corporate services client base, we provide wealth management services for significant estates, including those with extensive land and property portfolios. This means that our clients are reassured that business and personal financial issues are addressed together and appropriately balanced.

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7887 1948

www.lexefiscal.com

Finance Awards 2013 / 41

Offshore Human Resources Consultancy of the Year SmartHR

Commenting on being awarded ‘Offshore Human Resources Consultancy of the Year 2013’, Gail Yeowell, Owner & Managing Director of Smart HR Solutions Limited (‘SmartHR’), based in the Isle of Man, said “I am extremely delighted and proud that SmartHR has been recognised as a leading provider of HR consultancy services in only our fourth year of trading. We provide a wide range of tailored services to our clients and, in accordance with our business values, we aim to provide excellence in everything we do.

Whilst we receive excellent testimonials and positive feedback from our clients on a regular basis, and the majority of our business is from client referrals, to be formally recognised by Acquisition International is very rewarding indeed.”

• HR Consultancy, Advice and Support: we provide advice, guidance and support in all aspects of day-to-day people management to ensure our clients comply with ever changing employment legislation requirements and minimise the risk of employment-related claims.

• HR Strategy, Audit and Planning: we partner and work with Boards / Senior Management Teams to review or create HR strategy, conduct HR audits, identify HR priorities, recommend and create HR plans, and implement appropriate solutions.

• Retained HR Services: if a business is not large enough to employ a dedicated HR professional or it would benefit from having specialist HR expertise on a part-time or flexible basis, we can be retained to provide a wide range of HR consultancy services and support on an offsite and/or onsite basis.

• E-HR Shop: our unique online ‘E-HR Shop’ provides clients with a wide range of template HR documents to preview, download and purchase, including HR policies, procedures, template letters, forms and checklists. They are ideally suitable for IOM and UK SMEs. We can also provide tailored documents.

• HR Projects / Interim Solutions: we assist clients by completing HR projects such as: reviewing and updating offer letters, contracts of employment, HR policies and employee handbooks to ensure compliance with employment legislation; creating

performance management frameworks to drive sustainable performance; supporting change programmes; implementing HRMI systems; creating tailored induction and succession planning programmes; and due diligence reporting.

• HR Coaching and Mentoring: we provide coaching or mentoring to HR staff or Managers on specific people management areas such as managing performance, absence, discipline and grievances.

• Training and Development: we deliver a range of Training Workshops to enhance skills, knowledge, competence, and improve both individual and business performance; create training programmes to suit client needs and deliver employment law updates to keep Management Teams up-to-date with changing employment legislation.

‘‘

SmartHR provides a range of flexible, tailored HR consultancy and training solutions for clients including:

Offshore Human Resources Consultancy of the Year

• Redundancy Support and Outplacement Services – we support businesses going through reorganisation and restructuring, by providing advice, guidance and documentation. We can also actively manage the planning and consultation process and provide support to Managers and staff. We also deliver professional outplacement services.

‘‘

All our clients are different... so we tailor our services to suit their exact requirements.

Client testimonials and further details of SmartHR’s wide range of HR consultancy, training and outsourcing solutions can be found at http://www.SmartHR.co.im

Name: Gail Yeowell Company: SmartHR Email: gail@smarthr.co.im Web: www.smarthr.co.im Phone: +44 1624 619619 Mobile: +44 7624 478764

Finance Awards 2013 / 43

Financial Products Distributer of the Year - Ireland Wealth Options Ltd. Brian Flynn is Founding Director of Ireland-based firm Wealth Options Limited. Recently voted Financial Products Distributer of the Year - Ireland by Acquisition International, Flynn tells us more about the economic climate in the financial services sector.

Wealth Options Ltd. is a unique company in the Irish Financial Services sector established 10 years ago. Essentially a wholesale distributor of Financial Products, Wealth Options source, package, and promote a diverse range of product options exclusively to Ireland’s Independent Financial Advisor network.

Our customers are Insurance Brokers, Financial Advisors and other intermediaries who are authorised to give advice to consumers by the Central Bank of Ireland. Wealth Options has already established a reputation for introducing innovative investment and pension products aimed at individual, corporate, and institutional customers. Our low cost base and innate knowledge of the Irish Market have allowed us provide products to Advisors that are significantly better value than those manufactured by traditional providers such as Life Insurance companies, Banks and Building Societies.

Founding Director, Brian Flynn, explains a little more about how the company strives to position itself differently to competitors.

“Wealth Options believes that in the current ever-changing world of financial services that independent impartial advice is now more important than ever. A cornerstone of the Wealth Options philosophy is that we believe this type of advice is best sourced from an independent financial advisor and not necessarily from a product manufacturer. Wealth Options as a ‘broker only’ business strives to provide market leading financial products coupled with self administered pension structures for independent intermediaries in Ireland. As a ‘broker only’ business our products must stand up to independent scrutiny to be a success as we do not sell products direct to clients thus we pose no business threat to our customer, the independent Broker.”

The current economic climate has experienced great turbulence recently, however Flynn states that Wealth Options has adapted to weather the storm well and has subsequently emerged unscathed.

“Our business is constantly reviewing the market and the different types of product offerings available. In the main we have found there has been a diet of mediocrity available to Brokers and their clients from the traditional providers. By running focus groups and listening to our clients, we see ourselves as part of a Brokers product development team, working with them to provide innovative solutions for their customers.

“As pressure continues on deposit rates we have seen a move towards different types of structures that we have had to adapt to and ensure our constituency are fully informed and educated to provide advice to their clients. These changes have had a positive effect on our product suite with advantages for the end investor in terms of both liquidity and tax treatment of returns.”

Financial Products Distributer of the Year - Ireland

“During the year we have seen a lot of activity in the paid up company Pension market which is a factor of our current economic environment. As we have a complete suite of Self Administered Pension products we have seen a huge amount of growth in this area. This suite of structures can assist Brokers formulate bespoke pension portfolios without the need for a traditional fund manager.

“The Broker market has been very loyal to Wealth Options over the years supporting our Broker only model. Each year our new business figures reflect this increase in support with new Brokers transacting with us week in week out.

Product providers for financial advisors

“Over the last 12 months we have been fortunate to work with some great counterparty partners that have worked with us in designing new products that have been well received by the Irish Broker market.”

Recently, Wealth Options was awarded Irish Financial Products Distributer of the Year - Ireland, as voted for by readers of Acquisition International magazine. Brian exclaims his delights at achieving this accolade and tells us what he attributes this success to.

“Given that it is our 10th year in operation, this award has come at a great time in the development of our business. It is a testament to the hard work put in by our entire team and we are very grateful to our customers for nominating us.”

“Wealth Options has a tight knit team with an open management style from the Directors. We are a compliance focused business, always ensuring our downstream intermediaries are aware of the latest regulation changes that affect our product types. All of our team is committed to delivering a top class service to our Brokers to ensure our Brokers look good at all times with their customers.

We are a nimble business that can adapt to change quickly, everyone on our team loves a challenge.”

Product providers for financial advisors

Company: Wealth Options Ltd Product Providers for Finan Name: Brian Flynn Email: brianflynn@wealthoptions.ie Web: www.wealthoptions.ie Address: Elm House, Millennium Park, Naas, Co Kildare Telephone: 045 88 22 81

Finance Awards 2013 / 45

And the winners are...

Andorra Servissim SL

Real Estate Company of the Year - Andorra

Argentina EY Argentina Mitrani Caballero Ojam & Ruiz Moreno

Sustained Excellence in Transfer Pricing - Argentina Project Finance Advisor of the Year - Argentina

Brazil Barral M Jorge & Associates Barral M Jorge Consultores Associados

Australian Procurement Consultants of the Year Insurable Risk Due Diligence Provider of the Year - Australia Innovative Finance Practice of the Year - Australia Trust Taxation Firm of the Year - Australia Risk Management Advisor of the Year - Australia Actuary and Catastrophe Risk Modeller of the Year - Australia Corporate Finance Team of the Year - Australia Corporate Advisory Firm of the Year - Australia Project Finance Advisor of the Year - Australia Banking and Finance Advisor of the Year - Australia Infrastructure Advisor of the Year - Australia Independent Corporate Advisory Firm of the Year - Australia Independent Boutique Advisory Firm of the Year - Australia FSR Advisory Firm of the Year - Australia Strategic Investment Advisor of the Year - Australia Demutualisation Advisory Firm of the Year - Australia Insurance Broker of the Year - Australia Page 8 Small Broker of the Year - Australia Nation-Critical Industry Advisor of the Year - Australia Page 39 Private Client Advisor of the Year - Australia Pre-Transaction Due Diligence Provider of the Year - Australia Capital Raising Advisor of the Year - Australia

Magnum Opus Ricardo Lei Business Advisory Senise, Moraes & Maggi Sociedade de Advogados Zulmar Neves Advocacia

Trade Remedies Consultancy of the Year - Brazil Government Relations Consultancy of the Year - Brazil Commitment to Finance - Brazil Growth Capital Advisory Firm of the Year- Brazil Corporate Structuring Advisory Firm of the Year Constitutional Law Firm of the Year - Brazil

Cameroon African Insurance Organization “Aio”

Insurance Specialist of the Year - Cameroon

Canada Dale & Lessmann LLP IJW Management MDW Consulting Inc Sangra Moller Sun Life Global Investments

European Cross-Border Advisor of the Year - Canada Financial Advisory of the Year - Canada Transfer Pricing Consultancy of the Year - Canada Securities Law Firm of the Year - Canada Portfolio Management Team of the Year - Canada

Australia ADR International AON Atanaskovic Hartnell Clayton Utz Davis Advisory Dr Will Gardner Hartleys Limited Henry Davis York Herbert Smith Freehills HopgoodGanim K&L Gates M&A Partners McGrathNicol Minter Ellison Minter Ellison Minter Ellison OAMPS Insurance Brokers Planned Professional Risks Underwriting Agency PricewaterhouseCoopers PwC PwC Record Point Austria Jarolim Flitsch Rechtsanwälte GmbH PLATTE Rechtsanwalt Saxinger, Chalupsky & Partner Rechtsanwälte GmbH Völkl. Rechtsanwälte Bangladesh A.S & Associates Assurance Maritime Bangladesh Limited Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd. Belgium inno.com

Finance Law Firm of the Year - Austria Investor Compensation Law Firm of the Year - Austria Financial Management Advisor of the Year - Austria Sustained Excellence in Finance - Austria

Securities & Exchange Advisor of the Year - Bangladesh Outcome Driven Marine Consulting Firm of the Year - Bangladesh Islamic Bank of the Year- Bangladesh

K&L Gates Verhaegen Walravens

International ICT Expertise Centre of the Year - Belgium Leveraged Finance Law Firm of the Year - Belgium Asset - Finance Law Firm of the Year - Belgium

Belize Bay Trust Corporate Services Limited

Belize Trust Provider of the Year

Bermuda Abbott Associates St George’s Trust Company Limited

Pension Specialist of the Year - Bermuda Sustained Excellence in Finance - Bermuda

Bosnia & Herzegovina Foreign Investment Promotion Agency of BiH (FIPA)

Cayman Islands Genesis Trust & Corporate Services Ltd Overseas Asset Management (Cayman) Ltd Solomon Harris Summit Management Limited

China Pacific Risk Advisors Pacific Risk Advisers

Foreign Investment Promotion Agency - Bosnia & Herzegovina

Trustee Service Provider of the Year - Cayman Islands Offshore Asset Manager of the Year - Cayman Islands Offshore Real Estate Finance Law of the Year - Cayman Islands Director Services Provider of the Year - Cayman Islands

Risk & Insurance Due Diligence Provider of the Year - Hong Kong Environmental Due Diligence Provider of the Year - China Page 8

Colombia Preservation Specialists, LLC

Financial Advisory Firm of the Year - Columbia

Cyprus Beneficentia Ltd Proteas Management Ltd

Asset Management Firm of the Year - Cyprus Corporate Law Firm of the Year - Cyprus

Czech Republic Nielsen Meinl Law Firm GÜRLICH & Co

Denmark Capricorn Strategies ICP Nordea

Page 18

Law Firm of the Year - Czech Republic Business Transaction Law Firm of the Year - Czech Slovakia

Realkredit Danmark

Danish Financial Advisory Firm of the Year Danish Deal of the Year Nordic Financial Services Group of the Year - Denmark Loan Restructuring Specialist of the Year - Denmark

Ecuador Paz Horowitz Robalino Garcés

Foreign Investment Law Firm of the Year - Ecuador

Egypt Matouk Bassiouny

Banking & Finance Law Firm of the Year - Egypt

46 / Finance Awards 2013

Finland IIZI Firstbrokers Oy PCA Corporate Finance France Bain & Company Bfinance France Callisto GAAPS Jasmin Capital Kallista Energy Landwell & Associés LFPI PricewaterhouseCoopers Corporate Finance SAS SCOR Global Life Shan Finance Welcome Real-time

Germany ARNDT Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH AUCTUS Capital Partners AG EQUIDIS GmbH Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner IBA Global M&A International GmbH Norton Rose Osborne Clarke PINOVA Capital Raue WINHELLER Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH Ghana Anane Mantey & Co. Chartered Accountants De Medeiros & Associates Dest Logistics Ltd Ecosave Financial & Management Service Grofin Ghana

Finnish Brokers of the Year Finnish Corporate Finance Firm of the Year

French Fund Strategy Specialist of the Year Debt Structure Advisory Firm of the Year - France Page 2 LBO Specialist of the Year - France Actuarial Recruitment Consultancy of the Year - France French Family Office Advisor of the Year European Wind Energy Company of the Year Commitment to Finance - France French Portfolio of the Year Sustained Excellence in Corporate Finance Global Reinsurance Company of the Year French Asset Refinancer of the Year Financial Loyalty Solution Provider of the Year - France

Niche Law Firm of the Year - Germany German Portfolio of the Year Post-Merger Integration Advisory Firm of the Year - Germany Solution Orientated Law Firm of the Year - Germany Product Sourcing Consultancy of the Year - Germany Corporate Finance Advisor of the Year - Germany Asset Finance Law Firm of the Year - Germany Overall Venture Capital Law Firm of the Year - Germany German Investment Strategy of the Year - Germany Venture Capital Law Firm of the Year - Berlin Business Law Firm of the Year - Germany

PEN-HUGHES CONSULT Ramseyer Credit Union Guernsey Legis Tax Services Limited

Boutique Tax Adviser of the Year - Guernsey

Multi Shipping Logistics Co. Ltd Neocon Microfinance Co. Ltd.

Hong Kong A Capital GHK Ltd. NYGT (Hong Kong) Limited Ogier Orchid China Master Fund Pacific Risk Advisors Total Credit & Risk Management Group

Hungary PMX Consulting Group Sándor Szegedi Szent-Ivány Komáromi Eversheds India Acquisory Amicus BMR Advisors Finvista Intelligere Intelligere Lexygen MX Capital Private Limited O.P. Khaitan & Co PwC Unitus Capital

Indonesia MUC Consulting Group Norton Rose Soewito Suhardiman Eddymurthy Kardono

IFG Corporate Pensions LK Shields Maitland Advisory & Trust Phoenix Fund Services Providence Forensic Accounting Experts Wealth Options Ltd. Isle of Man Corporate Options Ltd DCTS DFK Chancery Trust

Accountancy Firm of the Year - Ghana law Firm of the Year - Ghana Clearing Firm of the Year - Ghana Small Financial Advisory Firm of the Year - Ghana SME Fund Management Solutions provider of the Year - Ghana Institutional Fixed Income Sales & Trading Group of the Year - Ghana Customs Brokerage Firm of the Year - Ghana Service Orientated Micro Finance Firm of the Year - Ghana Finance House of the Year - Ghana Credit Union of the Year - Ghana

IC Securities (Ghana) Limited

Ireland Alan B. Kidd & Company Ltd ASM Chartered Accountants Campion Insurances Ltd Craig Fund Consultancy Financial Architects Ltd Hegarty Financial Management Ltd

Private Equity House of the Year - Hong Kong Consultancy Services Provider of the Year - Hong Kong Private Equity Firm of the Year- Hong Kong Corporate Finance Practice of the Year - Hong Kong Fund Manager of the Year - China Page 37 Sustainability & Environmental Risk Advisor of the Year - Hong Kong Credit & Risk Management Group of the Year - Hong Kong

Consulting Firm of the Year - Hungary Hungarian Law Firm of the Year

M&A Advisory Firm of the Year - India Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year - India Transaction Tax Advisory Firm of the Year - India Mid Market M&A Advisory Services Firm of the Year - India IP Portfolio Management Services Provider of the Year - India Mid Sized Commercial Due Diligence Provider of the Year - India Fund Formation Practice of the Year - India Strategic Advisory Firm of the Year - India ADR Law Firm of the Year - India GRID Advisory Firm of the Year - India Investment Banking Services Provider of the Year - India

Tax Consultant of the Year - Indonesia Banking & Finance Firm of the Year Securities Law Firm of the Year - Indonesia

Hillberry Trust Company Limited IQE Limited KPMG Maitland Group Royal London 360° Smart HR Solutions Limited Thomas Miller Investment (Isle of Man) Limited

Childcare Insurance Brokers of the Year - Ireland Accountancy Firm of the Year - Ireland Irish Insurance Provider of the Year Boutique Advisory Firm of the Year - Ireland Mortgage Broker of the Year - Ireland Independent Financial Management Firm of the Year - Ireland Employee Benefit Advisory Firm of the Year - Ireland Commercial Law Firm of the Year -Ireland Overall Advisory Firm of the Year - Ireland Fund Administrator of the Year - Ireland Forensic Accounting Firm of the Year - Ireland Financial Products Distributer of the Year - Ireland

Corporate Management Firm of the Year - Isle of Man Fiduciary Service Provider of the Year - Isle of Man Trust & Corporate Service Provider of the Year - Isle of Man Offshore Private Family Trusts of the Year - Isle of Man Gaming Advisory Firm of the Year - Isle of Man Big Four Advisory Firm of the Year - Isle of Man Offshore Fiduciary Services Team of the Year Financial Adviser Portal of the Year - UK Offshore Human Resources Consultancy of the Year Investment Management Firm of the Year - Isle of Man

Italy Banca Euromobiliare Moroni & Partners Studio Papperini Relocation Tonucci & Partners

M&A Team of the year - Italy Renewable Energy Advisory Firm of the Year - Italy Immigration Advisory Firm of the Year - Italy International Law Firm of the Year - Italy

Japan KK Halifax Asset Management Relo Japan

Japanese Asset Management Firm of the Year Japanese Relocation Firm of the Year

Kenya Levitts International Reinsurance Brokers TBL Mirror Fund

Reinsurance Brokers of the Year - Kenya Fund of the Year - Kenya

Luxembourg Bourse de Luxembourg

International Securities Advisory Firm of the Year - Luxembourg

Macedonia NLB Lizing

Leasing Firm of the Year - Macedonia

Malaysia Matrix 21 Resources Sdn Bhd

Financial Consultancy of the Year- Malaysia

Malta Dr Edward Firman D.B.A. (Brunel), F.C.M.A., C.P.A England Insurance Agency Ltd Exigy Ltd Moore Stephens Malta Silvio Muscat South Risk Partners

Strategic Management Consultancy of the Year - Malta Insurance Agency of the Year -Malta IT Software Solutions Provider of the Year - Malta Sustained Excellence in Maltase Tax Most Trusted Accountancy Firm of the Year - Malta Insurance Advisory Firm of the Year - Malta

Mexico Forastieri y Roqueñí Muñoz Manzoy Ocampo

Securities Law Firm of the Year - Mexico Tax litigation Specialist of the Year - Mexico

Montenegro Local Business Centre Kolašin

Commitment to Infrastructure - Montenegro

Morrocco Juristructures LLP NERO Boutique Law Firm

Management Team Due Diligence Provider of the Year - Morocco Boutique Advisory Firm of the Year - Morocco

Namibia Bank Windhoek

Overall Bank of the Year - Namibia

Nepal G.P. Rajbahak & Co., Chartered Accountants

Accountancy Firm of the Year - Nepal

Netherlands Deloitte LLP Fair Impact

Dutch Big Four Advisory Firm of the Year ESG Consultancy of the Year - Netherlands

Gilde Equity Management Benelux NIBC Bank N.V. Noble Management BV

Dutch Equity Management Firm of the Year Dutch Bank of the Year - Netherlands Document Management Firm of the Year - Netherlands

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Finance Awards 2013 / 47

Norton Rose Fulbright Rabo Schaap & Partners

Dutch Structured Finance Advisory Firm of the Year Dutch Debt Provider of the Year Dutch Litigation Law Firm of the Year

New Zealand Minter Ellison Rudd Watts

Intellectual Property Team of the Year - New Zealand

Nigeria C & I Leasing Plc

UBA Global Investor Services

Human Resources Solution Provider of the Year - Nigeria Commercial Insurance Provider of the Year - Nigeria Law Service Regulation Advisory Firm of the Year - Nigeria Custodian Bank of the Year - Nigeria

Norway admincontrol AON Pareto Project Finance AS Pareto Securities

Data Room Provider of the Year - Norway M&A Risk Management Firm of the Year - Norway Financial Services Operator of the Year - Norway Financial Services Operator of the Year - Norway

Leadway Assurance Company Ltd Olisa Agbakoba & Associates

Peru Intercorp Kallpa Securities SAB Rodrigo, Elias & Medrano Abogados Portugal CNCM - Sociedade de Advogados Gali Macedo & Associados - Sociedadde de advogados RL GLX LTM Qatar Barwa Bank

Financial Advisory Firm of the Year - Peru Equity Research Provider of the Year - Peru Banking & Finance Firm of the Year - Peru

Overall Law Firm of the Year - Portugal Insurance Law Firm of the Year - Portgual Procurement Law Firm of the Year - Portugal

Scotland Maven Corp

UK Private Equity Manager of the Year

South Africa Account IT SA Adams & Adams Bowman Gilfillan Inc. Cad4all Software CC Eskom Holdings SOC Limited Finfocus Financial Planners (Pty) Ltd Jardine Lloyd Thompson Knowles Husain Lindsay Inc Marlow Capital Mindset Mining Consultants MPC Recruitment Group Norton Rose Fulbright

Fund Administrator of the Year - Singapore Page 15 Accountancy Firm of the Year - Singapore Customized Software & Support Services Provider of the Year - USA

Overall Law Firm of the Year - Slovakia Commercial Law Firm of the Year - Slovakia

Accountancy Firm of the Year - South Africa Commercial IP Law Firm of the Year - South Africa South African Commercial Law Firm of the Year Software Solution Provider of the Year - South Africa Electricity Company of the Year - South Africa Financial Planners of the Year - South Africa Insurance Broker of the Year - South Africa South African Boutique Advisory Firm of the Year Independent Asset Management Firm of the Year - South Africa Full-Service Mining Consulting Firm of the Year - South Africa Recruitment Group of the Year - South Africa Banking and Finance Advisory Firm of the Year - South Africa

Spain ANV Matrix International Development Group, S.L. Olswang Sabadell Corporate Finance Socios Financieros

Spanish Underwriters of the Year - Spain Client Focused Relocation Firm of the Year - Spain Investment Fund Tax Advisory Firm of the Year - Spain Corporate Finance Firm of the Year - Spain Boutique Corporate Finance Firm of the Year - Spain

Sri Lanka Hardy Export Company M. I. Saleem Agency Perfect Business Slolution Services Pvt Ltd

Export Company of the Year - Sri Lanka Exporter of the Year - Sri Lanka Business Solution Provider of the Year - Sri Lanka

Sweden Access Partners AON Arkwright Brim AB Delphi

Tunisia Jurismed

Turkey AU Advisory Gen & Temizer Ozer KPMG Paksoy Raiffeisen Investment Unlu & Co Unlu & Co Ventura Partners UAE Diligence Management Consultants

Romanian Auditors of the Year Sustained Excellence in Romanian Tax

Slovakia SEDLACKO & PARTNERS, s.r.o.

VĂ LKY PARTNERS s.r.o.

Switzerland 1969 Financial Advisory Services Alix Capital ARGOS SODITIC Diener Advisory Invision Private Equity Lenz & Staehelin Montreux Capital Management AG TP Services GmbH

Most Active M&A Adviser of the Year - Sweden Corporate Finance Firm of he Year - Sweden Entrepreneur Leverage Provider of the Year - Sweden Overall Advisory Firm of the Year - Sweden M&A Due Diligence Firm of the Year - Sweden Environmental Due Diligence Provider of the Year - Sweden

Swiss Financial Advisory Firm of the Year Swiss Investment Boutique of the Year European Private Equity Group of the Year Swiss Financial Advisory Firm of the Year Swiss Private Equity Firm of the Year Insolvency Law Firm of the Year - Switzerland Swiss Investment Firm of the Year Transfer Pricing Advisory Firm of the Year - Switzerland

Page 27 Page 31

Risk & Insurance Due Diligence Provider of the Year - Tunisia

Business & Financial Advisory Firm of the Year - Turkey Corporate Law Firm of the Year - Turkey Big Four Advisory Firm of the Year - Turkey Project Finance Law Firm of the Year - Turkey Investment Bank of the Year - Turkey MENA Finance Specialist of the Year - Turkey Turkish Investment House of the Year Private Equity Advisory Firm of the Year - Turkey

Islamic Bank of the Year

Romania Ceausescu & Partners Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen

Singapore Asiaciti Trust Singapore Pte Ltd TMF Group WHM Consulting Pte Ltd

Grant Thornton Keystone Advisers Listerus & Partners Capital Advisors PwC WSP WSP Environmental

High-Integrity Advisory Services Provider of the Year - Sweden M&A Advisory Firm of the Year - Sweden European Corporate Development Firm of the Year - Sweden Industry Specific Insurance Provider of the Year - Sweden Life Science Law Firm of the Year - Sweden

Sovereign Corporate Services JLT UK AB Relocate Ltd Acclimatise Adbell International Ltd - Chartered Alcentra Alesco Risk Management Services Limited AlphaBet Capital Advisors Ltd Alvarez & Marsal Taxand AMR International Ltd AON Apex Insurance APT Finance - Noel Morris Armstrong Craven ASrIA- Ass for Sustainable & Responsible Investment in Asia Aubrey David Aura Healthcare Aviva Commercial Finance Ltd Barclays Barker Tatham Investment Consultants BDO LLP BDO LLP BDO LLP Beazley Bibby Financial Services Big Society Capital Investment Management Institutions BKR EMEA regional office Blemain Finance Bonaccord Ecosse Limited Bray & Krais Bridgebank Capital Bryan Cave Burgis & Bullock Business Finance Plus Ltd Calash Camden Associates CAMRADATA Analytical Services Capita Employee Benefits.

Capital Bridging Finance Ltd Carlton Strategy Advisors Ltd Carter Backer Winter

Risk and Crisis Management Consultancy of the Year - UAE Private Client Consultant of the Year- UAE

Regional Relocation Firm of the Year - UK Climate Change Risk Management Firm of the Year Fiduciary Services Provider of the Year - UK UK Debt Provider of the Year Risk Management Service Provider of the Year Capital Raising Specialist of the Year UK Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year Strategic Consultancy of the Year - UK UK Insurance Due Diligence Provider of the Year Professional Indemnity Insurance Brokers of the Year - UK Trade Finance Firm of the Year - UK Global Macro Manager of the Year Commitment to Sustainable Investment UK Bridge Finance Service Provider of the Year Page 16 UK Healthcare IT Solutions Provider of the Year Public Private Finance Specialist of the Year - UK Asset Finance Provider of the Year - UK Niche Strategic Investment Advisory Firm of the Year - UK Private Equity Tax Advisory Firm of the Year - UK UK Anti-Bribery Service Line Provider of the Year Corporate Tax Services Advisory Firm of the Year - UK M&A Transaction Liability Team of the Year - UK Recruitment Finance Firm of the Year - UK Social Investment Wholesaler of the Year - UK Commitment to Finance Award - UK Commercial Secured Loan Provider of the Year - UK Life Sciences Law Firm of the Year - UK UK Private Client Advisory Firm of the Year Regional Short Term Property Finance Provider of the Year - UK UK Commercial Practice of the Year Corporate Finance Firm of the Year - Warwickshire Confidential Invoice Discounting Specialist of the Year - UK UK Commercial Due Diligence Provider of the Year Biotech Corporate Finance House of the Year - UK Page 19 Institutional Investment Analysis Provider of the Year - UK Business Process Management Solutions Provider Page 21 of the Year - UK Boutique Bridge Finance Lender of the Year - UK Commercial Due Diligence Provider of the Year - UK Creditor Service Provider of the Year - UK

48 / Finance Awards 2013

Cenkos Securities Central Financial Planning CFS International Formations Limited Charles Stanley Securities Cherry Mortgage & Finance Cherry Mortgage & Finance CITE Investments CITE Investments Citigate Dewe Rogerson Clayton ERM ClearlySo Clearwater Corporate Finance CloudOrigin Coller IP Colliers Commercial Property Finance Consultancy Ltd Complete Technology Corker Binning County Asset Finance Limited Cowgill Holloway LLP Credo Business Consulting LLP Customised Mortgage Solutions D & D Leasing UK Ltd Dains Debere Partners Debere Partners Direct Commercial Finance DMI Finance Eberhart Financial Services Group, Inc. Ebullio Capital Management Eilliot Mather EMC Corporate Finance Ltd ERM Euler Hermes Family Office Management Consulting Ltd Fichtner Consulting Engineers FE Financial Marketing Financial Reporter Financial Risk Management Limited FinaXiom Finegan Gibson First Factor First4commercial.Com Fiscal Reps Limited Flint Bishop Flourish Capital Ltd Forths Forensic Accountants Francis Clark Generation Financial Services Global Prime Partners Goldentree Financial Services Green Square Partners LLP

Hampton Court Capital Harbottle & Lewis Harneys

Harrison Beale & Owen Limited Healys LLP HFS Milbourne Financial Services Highwire Consulting HMT Hope Capital Ltd. IMI Insurance Interface Jackson Cohen Javelin Group Jigsaw Finance Karroo Capital KB Associates Keltie Kemp Little

UK Corporate Finance Firm of the Year - Natural Resources Independent Financial Advisors of the Year - Midlands UK Company Formations Expert of the Year Most Trusted Corporate Finance Team of the Year Mortgage Portal of the Year Regional Mortgage Brokerage of the Year - UK Alternative Investment Trusted Advisor of the Year - UK Alternative Investment Trusted Advisor of the Year - USA IPO Advisory Firm of the Year - UK Loan Underwriting Advisory Firm of the Year - UK Investment Funds Capital Raising Firm of the Year - UK Technology Focused Corporate Finance Firm of the Year - UK UK IT and Operational Due Diligence Provider of the Year - UK IP Brokering Firm of the Year Healthcare Property & Advisory Firm of the Year Commercial Property Finance Consultancy of the Year Offshore IT Firm of the Year Regulation Law Firm of the Year - UK Independent Finance House of the Year Accountancy Practice of the Year - UK UK Support Services Strategy Consulting Firm of the Year Niche Mortgage Solutions Provider of the Year - UK Client Focused Leasing Firm of the Year Regional Corporate Finance Firm of the Year - UK UK Private Investment Boutique of the Year UK Fundraiser of the Year Independent Asset Finance Brokerage of the Year UK Auction Finance Provider of the Year Estate Planner of the Year - USA Commodity Futures Fund Manager of the Year Care Home Transaction Advisor of the Year SME Corporate Finance Firm of the Year - UK UK Sustainability Consultancy of the Year Trade-​Related Credit Insurance​Solution Provider of the Year Family Office Consulting Firm of the Year Consulting Engineers of the Year - UK Investment Data Provider of the Year - UK UK Financial Communications Firm of the Year Finance Media and Publishing Company of the Year Thematic Trading Strategy’s of the Year - UK Standby Equity Product of the Year - UK Client Focused Accountancy Firm of the Year UK Invoice Discounting Specialist of the Year Boutique Commercial Mortgage Brokerage of the Year - UK Insurance Premium Tax Compliance Consultancy of the Year East Midlands Law Firm of the Year- UK Property Developing Funder of the Year - UK North Based Forensic Accountants of the Year - UK MBO Corporate Finance Team of the Year -UK Independent Financial Consultant of the Year - UK European Prime Broker of the Year Secured Short Term Facilities Provider of the Year - Up to £5M Leading Corporate Finance Advisor of the Year - Green Square advises FRUKT on its sale to Interpublic Group (IPG) TMT Corporate Finance Advisory Firm of the Year - UK Aviation Corporate Finance Specialist of the Year - UK Offshore Trust Practice of the Year - UK

Innovative Client-focussed Advisory Firm of the Year - UK UK Corporate Services Team of the Year Strategic Portfolio Service Provider of the Year - UK PE Leadership Advisor of the Year - UK Entrepreneurial Services Team of the Year - UK Entrepreneurial Bridge Finance Provider of the Year Best Insurance Brokers in West Yorkshire Asset based Finance Brokerage of the Year AML Advisory Firm of the Year - UK Multi-Channel Retail Consultants of the Year - UK Specialist Motor Finance Provider of the Year Alternative Investment Focused Advisory Firm of the Year Overall Offshore Advisory Firm of the Year IP Consulting Firm of the Year UK Digital Media Law Firm of the Year

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Keystone Buy To Let Mortgages Killik & Co LLP King & Wood Mallesons SJ Berwin Kingdom Security Ltd Kreos Capital Leigh Christou LLP LEXeFISCAL Lichfields Lime Consultancy LNG Capital London Surveyors & Valuers Ltd Lyon & Co LLP Marwyn Investment Management LLP Material Difference MaxAim Mayfair Bridging Maven Capital Partners UK LLP Mazars Actuaries and Consultants MC2 Manchester C/O The Vinden Partnership Mcclure Naismith Merril Corp MHJ Business Finance MIAC Acadametrics Mooreland Partners Moorfields Corporate Recovery LLP Mulvaney Capital Management National Counties Building Society Nm Property Finance Nostrum Group Octempo Receivables Management Ogier Capital Services Osprey Capital Overseas Mortgage Broker Ltd Park Capital Ltd Penningtons Perfecta Partners Phoebus Software Limited

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Platform Black PNC Mortgage Positive Cashflow Finance Ltd Premier Pensions Management Price Bailey Protiviti ProxyCensus Ltd Pure Panel Management

Page 44

Quercus Professional Indemnity Limited Rathbone Greenbank Investments Rawlinson & Hunter Redress Solutions RPL RW Blears Saffery Champness Savills Select Business Finance Simply Online Leads Smart Money Ltd Spencer House Partners Statman Advisors STJ Advisors Strategic Corporate Finance Strategic Management Partners, Inc. Sturgeon Ventures The Commercial Mortgage Bureau Ltd The Quinn Partnership LTD Tony Davies Towers Watson Transcend Corporate Travers Smith Triodos Bank Tucker Turner Kingsley Wood LLP. Tughans Turner Parkinson Turner Parkinson Turquoise International Tyler Mangan Universities Superannuation Scheme

Buy to Let Mortgage Provider of the Year – UK Pensions Administration Firm of the Year - UK Junior Capital Finance Law Firm of the Year - UK Retail Security Firm of the Year - UK High Growth Debt Provider of the Year - UK Business Start Up Advisory Firm of the Year UK Law Tax Firm of the Year Wealth Management Property Advisor of the Year - UK Small Commercial Finance Specialist of the Year European Credit Alternative Asset Manager of the Year UK Surveyors of the Year Retirement Planning Firm of the Year -UK European Alternative Asset Manager of the Year UK Consultancy Firm of the Year – Client Servicing Northern Financial Management Firm of the Year North Based Bridging Lender of the Year - UK UK Private Equity Manager of the Year UK Actuary Practice of the Year Full Service Marcum Agency of the Year Information Management Law Firm of the Year - UK Most Trusted VDR of the Year - UK Health Care Finance Specialist of the Year UK Analytics Platform Of the Year Global IT M&A Advisory of the Year UK Corporate Recovery Firm of the Year UK Capital Management Firm of the Year Commercial Lending Team of the Year - Surrey Retail Owner Occupier Mortgage Broker of the Year Loan Management Software of the Year - UK Comprehensive Credit Management Solutions Provider of the Year - UK Liquidity Management Solutions Provider of the Year Investment Vehicle of the Year- UK Foreign Home Loans Specialist of the Year Mid-Market Focused Corporate Finance Advisory Firm of the Year Corporate Reorganisation Advisory Firm of the Year UK Independent Strategy Consultant of the Year Loan & Savings Management Software of the Year - UK Supply Chain Finance Provider of the Year - UK Credit Risk Finance Provider of the Year - USA Boutique Finance Firm of the Year - UK Pensions Management Firm of the Year - UK Collaborative law Forensic Accountancy Firm of the Year Internal Auditing Firm of the Year - UK Shareholder Solicitation Service Provider of the Year - UK Panel Management Services Provider of the Year - UK UK Risk Management Broker of the Year Wealth Investment Management Firm of the Year Estate Planning Advisory Firm of the Year UK Litigation Funder of the Year Commercial Due Diligence Provider of the Year VCT Advisors of the Year - UK Family Trusts Advisory Firm of the Year Most Trusted Capital Advisors of the Year - UK Business Angel Equity Finance Specialist Firm of the Year Lead Generation Firm of the Year - UK Boutique Loan Packager of the Year - UK Merchant Banking Services Provider of the Year - UK Hedge Fund Advisory Firm of the Year Senior Equity Advisory Firm of the Year - UK Strategic Corporate Finance Firm of the Year - Yorkshire USA Boutique Advisory Firm of the Year - Aerospace & Defence Regulatory Incubator Firm of the Year - UK UK Commercial Finance Provider of the Year - B&B Equity Focused Leadership Development Consultancy of the Year - UK Regional Independent Financial Adviser of the Year - UK People Management Firm of the Year - UK Independent Corporate Finance Advisory Firm of the Year - UK UK Financial Law Firm of the Year UK Ethical Bank of the Year UK Business Law Firm of the Year Group Restructuring Law Firm of the Year - UK UK Venture Capital Law Firm of the Year Boutique Law Firm of the Year - UK Energy Focused Corporate Finance Firm of the Year - UK UK Niche Leadership Consultancy of the Year Education Focused Pension Scheme of the Year

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Finance Awards 2013 / 49

URS Infrastructure & Environment UK Limited Valuation Solutions Limited VB/Research Ltd Vigilo International Consultants Ltd. Waterman Group WMT - Chartered Accountants

Sustained Excellence in Environmental Due Diligence Regional Valuation Firm of the Year - UK Sustained Excellence in Research FircoSoft SME Support Consultancy of the Year - UK Property Due Diligence Firm of the Year - UK Corporate Tax Planning Firm of the Year - UK

Ukraine Dragon Capital Schoenherr Ukraine LLC

Leading Fixed-Income Player of the Year - Ukraine Banking & Finance Law Firm of the Year - Ukraine

USA ABLE AlphaTrading Alcentra AlixPartners Alpha Strategies Alternative Investment Solutions Prime Clearing Services Newedge AOPA Holdings BCC Advisers Best Management Solutions Inc. Blaige & Co Bowles Rice Bridlewood Capital Group, LLC Business Capital Calandra Financial Group, LLC Cambridge Associates Capital Gold Group, Inc. Capstone Partners LLC Catalyst Financial Partners Cerian Technology Ventures, LLC Cherry Bekaert LLP Citi Prime Finance Clark Hill Thorp Reed Clean Energy Capital Coman & Andersen Consilium Partners Convergent Capital Appraisers Dannis Woliver Kelley EDG Partners Edwards Financial Services Eisen Fox & Company Endeavour Vision Family Wealth Partners Fesnak & Associates LLP Finesa Real Estate Group Forbes Mergers & Acquisitions Fountainhead Advisors, Inc. Fox Rothschild Fund Tax Services Gary Scheer, LLC Georgeadis Setley Gifford Park Associates Goldberg Segalla Goldberg Segalla LLP Goodwin Procter Gray Capital GreenMax Capital Advisors Greylock Capital Management Heinold-Banwart Ltd Houdeshell Advisors Hughes Klaiber Hurtado, S.C. HWTSK, Inc Ice Miller Ice Miller Ice Miller LLP ICON Investments James Moore & Co. Kawa Capital Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Kilsby Consulting KippsDeSanto & Co. L.E.K Consulting Lincoln International Lindquist & Vennum LLP Magnitude Capital Mangrove Equity Partners MB Advisors McCracken Advisory Partners McLean Group MDE Enterprises, Inc.

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High Frequency Trading Specialist of the Year - USA Sub-Investment Grade Corporate Credit Asset Manager of the Year Business Advisor Firm of the Year - USA Investment Consultancy - California Multi Asset Prime Brokerage of the Year - USA Commitment to Aviation Finance Small Corporate Finance Advisory Firm of the Year Commitment to Business Solutions - USA Sector Focused Investment Banking Firm of the Year Bonds & Public Finance Law Firm of the Year - West Virginia Transport Asset Manager of the Year - USA Business Advisor Firm of the Year – CA Financial Advisory Firm of the Year - USA Investment Office Services Advisor of the Year - USA Precious Metals Advisory Firm of the Year - USA Middle Market Investment Bank of the Year - USA Page 6 Specialist Investor Events Firm of the Year - USA Technology Assets Advisory Firm of the Year - USA Full service CPA Firm of the Year Securities Backed Lender of the Year - USA Law Firm of the Year - Pennsylvania Investment Banking Advisory Firm of the Year - Texas Commercially - Oriented law firm of the Year - ILLNOIS Boston-based investment banking firm of the Year Valuation Firm of the Year - Texas State-wide Full-Service Education Law Firm of the Year Middle Market Healthcare Private Equity firm of the Year Annuities Advisor of the Year - Minnesota M&A Advisory Firm of the Year - Wisconsin Pan-European Venture Capital Firm of the Year - Life Sciences Wealth Management Firm of the Year - Florida Accountancy Practice of the Year - Pennsylvania Real Estate Private Equity Firm of the Year - USA M&A Advisory Firm of the Year - Colorado Business Valuation Firm of the Year - Georgia Procurement Law Firm of the Year - USA Alternative Investment Tax Firm of the Year - USA Financial Planning Firm of the Year - New Jersey Client Focused Law Firm of the Year - Pennsylvania USA Policy Consulting Firm of the Year - USA Global Insurance Services Practice of the Year - USA Aviation Litigation Law Firm of the Year - USA Law Firm of the Year - Massachusetts Government Contracting Services Provider of the Year Energy Corporate finance firm of the year High yield assets Investment Advisor the Year Retirement Service Provider of the Year - Illinois CFO Advisory Services Provider of the Year - USA Professional Business Brokerage of the Year - USA Construction Law Firm of the Year - USA Multimodal Transport Consultancy Group of the Year Municipal Bond Law Firm of the Year - Illinois Municipal Bond Law Firm of the Year - Indiana Overall Municipal Bond Law Firm of the Year - USA Middle Market Debt Fund of the Year - USA Innovative Accounting Firm of the Year - Florida Asset Manager of the Year - Florida Securities broker/dealer of the Year - USA Business Excellence Award Private Financing Advisory Firm of the Year - USA Business Strategy Consulting Firm of the Year - Massachusetts Special Situations Advisory Firm of the Year - USA Financial Institution Law Firm of the Year - Minnesota Fund of Hedge Fund Firm of the Year - USA Lower Middle Market Private Equity Firm of the Year - Florida Funding Resource of the Year - USA Marcom M&A Advisory Firm of the Year - USA Page 28 Corporate Fiancé Firm of the Year - Virginia Boutique IT Manager Resource Provider of the Year - USA

Medical Capital Advisors Meehan Combs Metronome Partners Miles & Stockbridge Miller & Martin Morones Analytics, LLC Mosaic Financial Associates MSF Capital Advisors NAVSTAR Advisors NYC Navigator Oracle Capital Advisors P A B Consulting, Inc. Panegyric Marketing Pan Reliance Capital Advisors Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP Piedmont Fund Services PNC Aviation Finance Pro-Link Global Raymond James Financial Residco Respicardia, Inc. Rua Associates Schneider Downs SL Advisors Sunrise Securities Corp.

Tegris The Gingras Firm, LLC Titan Advisors LLC TM Capital TriVista Valuation Research Corp.

Valuation Research Corp.

Vedder Price Vercor Victory Park Capital V-Rooms Wiggin and Dana LLP

Life Sciences Deal of the Year - USA US Global Hedge Fund of the Year Middle Market Corporate Finance Advisory Firm of the year - USA Mid Atlantic Law Firm of the Year South-eastern Law Firm of the Year Forensic Accounting Firm of the Year - Oregon Holistic Wealth Management Firm of the Year - Arizona New Media Advisory Firm of the Year - USA Boutique Consulting Firm of the Year - Massachusetts Relocation Service Provider of the Year - New York Investment Banking of the Year - USA Consultancy of the Year - Illinois Marketing Communications Firm of the Year - USA Fund of Hedge Funds Adviser of the Year - USA Municipal Law Firm of the Year - USA Commercial Lending Advisory Firm of the Year - USA Hedge Fund Administrator of the Year - USA Aviation Finance Provider of the Year Global Immigration Partner of the Year - USA Fixed Income Capital Markets Advisory Firm of the Year - USA Capital Market Specialist of the Year - Illinois Healthcare Product of the Year -USA Michigan Business Brokers of the Year Accountancy Firm of the Year - Pennsylvania Investment Advisor of the Year - New Jersey Boutique Investment Bank of the Year - New York Forward-Thinking Advisory Firm of the Year - USA Securities Litigation Specialist of the Year - USA Hedge Fund Advisory Firm of the Year - USA Investment Bank of the Year - New York Middle Market Operations Consulting Firm of the Year - USA Complex Securities Valuation Firm of the Year - USA Overall Valuation Firm of the Year - USA Financial Advisory Firm of the Year - Washington, DC Middle Market M&A Advisory Firm of the Year - Georgia Small Cap Alternative Investment Firm of the Year - USA VDR of the Year - USA Biotechnology and Life Sciences Practice of the Year - USA

Vietnam Russin & Vecchi

Independent Law Firm of the Year - Vietnam

Zimbabwe Riverforce Accounting

Accountancy Firm of the Year - Zimbabwe

Global Ricardo

Technical Consulting Firm of the Year

A law firm for lifescience and other innovative businesses Helping Life Science Businesses Make The Most Of Their New Ideas Bonaccord is an award winning law firm specialising in the life sciences.

We help innovative businesses maximise the commercial value of their technologies.

The life sciences sector is highly specialised with unique challenges.

Our insightful support and understanding of the industry, based on many years’ experience, aims both to protect your interests and support you in seeing your idea to market.

This applies whatever stage your business has reached – whether you’re a one-man consultancy needing advice on setting up, or a huge multinational searching for experts to deliver specialist legal advice.

Our clients include companies in the following sectors: l Pharmaceuticals l Genetics l Biochemistry l Biotechnology l Bioengineering l medical devices l Cosmetics l Infomatics l Engineering l Innovative foods l Heritage and traditional foods Bonaccord is based in Edinburgh, and works with clients all over the UK as well as globally. Our services also include training in legal business skills, carrying out commercial mediation and acting as a notary public in Scotland.

Bonaccord was founded by life sciences lawyer Patricia Barclay.

+44 131 202 6527 enquiries@bonaccord.eu

www.bonaccord.eu