Manchester corporate finance firm wins European award

Manchester-based mid-market advisory firm Clearwater Corporate Finance has won the UK Regional Corporate Finance Adviser of the Year category at the prestigious Real Deals Private Equity Awards.

Having been selected as the best from the UK region, Clearwater triumphed in a category, including Swiss bank Raiffeisen, Dutch corporate finance house ING Corporate Finance, German investment bank Ferber and Co, Spanish advisory firm Arcano and Swedish bank Handelsbanken.

The award is designed to recognise the most influential corporate finance house in Europe this year, and Clearwater’s victory comes after exceptional financial year-end results.

The mid-market advisory firm saw its most successful year to date, with deals value doubling from £450 million in 2012/13 to £900m in 2013/14.

Some of the company’s most significant deals this year included LDC’s MBO of Angus Fire, the sale of Doorstop International to Masonite and, most recently, the sale of Amber Chemicals to ICM Products.

Phil Burns, managing partner at Clearwater Corporate Finance, said: “The Private Equity Awards are the most prestigious in the industry, and we are delighted to receive this boost.

“The award is testament to the work and dedication of the team at Clearwater, which has seen its best performance to date this year.

“With confidence returning to the marketplace, businesses are now exploring options to fund growth. As a result, we expect the increased activity from trade buyers and private equity investors to continue, with our deal pipeline for the remainder of 2014 looking healthy.”