Having been shortlisted six times in four separate categories, we are delighted to have won three awards at last night’s Thames Valley Dealmakers event, organised by South East Business Insider. WestBridge was named Private Equity Firm of the Year and we were up against some stiff competition from LDC, YFM Equity Partners and BGF. We were thrilled to collect the award and hear the judge’s comment, “WestBridge was the most active and showed the most commitment to the region during the qualifying period with a range of deals supporting local business.”
We were also shortlisted twice in a field of ten transactions for the Deal of the Year (£20m+) category. The winner was our MBO of Smart Capital Technology, about which the judges said, “It was difficult to look beyond this classic local deal. Involving a full suite of local advisers and supporting a local company, WestBridge’s backing of SCT solved succession issues and ensured the continued success of the business.” The MBO of Techex was our other portfolio company shortlisted.
Finally, Edward Minton was named Emerging Dealmaker of the Year and credited by the judges as being “instrumental in leading one of the standout deals in the region this year and for not only executing the deal but also winning the mandate and delivering on it.”
We would also like to recognise James MacLeay, who in our view, was a very close runner-up having been involved in two other shortlisted transactions in the region (the sale of bChannels and the MBO of Techex).
The Thames Valley is a very important dealmaking region for WestBridge and we couldn’t be more pleased that the team’s hard work has been recognised. As Miri Thomas, group editorial director at Insider Media, said:
“It’s been an extremely strong year for WestBridge … what a fantastic night for them!”