The best of the region’s M&A market has been celebrated at Insider’s prestigious South Yorkshire Dealmakers Awards 2026. Last night’s black-tie event was held at the Crowne Plaza Royal Victoria Hotel in Sheffield and was compered by Nadine Dereza. It celebrated the region’s leading dealmakers and advisory firms, as well as the deals that have shaped South Yorkshire’s corporate landscape over the past 12 months. The headline sponsor was BRM and the awards were also sponsored by Castle Square Corporate Finance, Freeths, Shorts and Wake Smith Solicitors.
Venture Capital Deal of the Year
Winner: Series C investment in Mobile Power (Octopus Energy, Norfund, Shakespeare Martineau, Eversheds Sutherland)
The Sheffield-based clean-tech firm secured investment from both new and existing funders to scale the supply of green energy across Sub-Saharan Africa. The judges described Mobile Power (MOPO) as a “great success story” with international impact.
Shortlisted:
Seed fundraise by Siguru (Wake Smith Solicitors, BRM)
Spinout of DigitalCNC and investment by Yorkshire AI Labs (Shakespeare Martineau, CMS, University of Sheffield)
Private Equity Deal of the Year.
Winner: LDC exit and reinvestment in UniHomes (Womble Bond Dickinson, KPMG, EY, Squire Patton Boggs, DC Advisory, Travers Smith, Alvarez & Marsal)
LDC exited and reinvested in the Sheffield business alongside Macquarie Capital, after generating a return of 4.8 times over two years. The judges described it as a “standout PE deal and value creation opportunity”, with the new investment partner bringing further capital into the region.
Shortlisted:
£15m investment in Castings Technology by Zachary Asset Holdings (Castle Square Corporate Finance, Wake Smith Solicitors, BHP Chartered Accountants)
Acquisition of EnviroCentre by Cura Terrae (Palatine Private Equity, Hill Dickinson, Shawbrook Bank, Bellwether Green, Forvis Mazars)
Merger of Mitchells Chartered Accountants and SMH Group (Phoenix Equity Partners, CMP Legal, HSBC UK, Shakespeare Martineau, Squire Patton Boggs, Mason Thomas Law, Cortus Advisory, Addleshaw Goddard, Clearwater, Travers Smith)
Corporate Finance Advisory Team of the Year
Winner: Castle Square Corporate Finance
The growing boutique has enjoyed a record year, delivering £110m of value-enhancing deals across the Yorkshire region. The judges called Castle Square their “standout winner”, commending the team’s inventiveness and persistence in seeing deals through.
Shortlisted:
Hart Shaw
Hentons Corporate Finance
Shorts
Translink Corporate Finance
Deal of the Year (sub £10m)
Winner: Management buyout of Home Decor (HSBC UK, Shorts, Wake Smith Solicitors, Hentons Corporate Finance, BHP Chartered Accountants, Knights)
Described as “life-changing” for the management team, the MBO transferred 100 per cent ownership from US private equity via a fully debt-funded structure. The judges called it a significant deal, successfully overcoming cross-border complexities with a strong spread of local advisers.
Shortlisted:
£2m investment in Spoon Cereals by Finance Yorkshire (Anticus Partners, Freeths, Gateley, Enterprising Barnsley, Network Space, Knight Frank)
Management buyout of LRES-UK (Knights, Shorts, Lloyds Bank, Wake Smith Solicitors)
Merger of Mitchells Chartered Accountants and SMH Group (Phoenix Equity Partners, CMP Legal, HSBC UK, Shakespeare Martineau, Squire Patton Boggs, Mason Thomas Law, Cortus Advisory, Addleshaw Goddard, Clearwater, Travers Smith)
Sale of Smartovations to an Employee Ownership Trust (Castle Square Corporate Finance, Freeths, HSBC UK, Shakespeare Martineau, Hart Shaw)
Secondary buyout of EKSPAN (Hart Shaw, Mercia Debt, Shakespeare Martineau)
Deal of the Year (£10m+)
Sponsored by Shorts
Winner: £13m refinance and development capital raise by The Pet Vet (Castle Square Corporate Finance, HSBC UK, Blacks Solicitors, Parsons Accountants)
The South Yorkshire veterinary group secured new finance from HSBC to support its continued expansion, including the establishment of new surgeries. The judges described it as a complex refinance for a business that has been through a challenging time and performed brilliantly.
Shortlisted:
£15m investment in Castings Technology by Zachary Asset Holdings (Castle Square Corporate Finance, Wake Smith Solicitors, BHP Chartered Accountants)
Acquisition of Carbonomics by EDGE Industrial Technologies (Hart Shaw, Dawson Radford Solicitors)
Management buyout of X-Cel Group (HSBC UK, BHP Deal Advisory, Shakespeare Martineau, Knights, Clarion)
Corporate Law Firm of the Year
Sponsored by Castle Square Corporate Finance
Winner: Knights Professional Services Ltd
The Sheffield office advised on 26 deals during the qualifying period, with a combined value of about £150m, including standout management buyouts such as Home Decor. The judges commended the team’s strong performance and continued growth.
Highly commended: Freeths
Shortlisted:
BRM
CMS
Shakespeare Martineau
Wake Smith Solicitors
National/International Deal of the Year
Winner: Acquisition of Rowley Contract Hire by Mentmore Capital (Castle Square Corporate Finance, Triple Point, Squire Patton Boggs, Marriott Harrison, DKR Law, Buzzacott)
Castle Square originated a PE-backed management buy-in of the Northwich business following a failed sale process, unlocking value in what has become a constrained and fragmented market. The judges called it an “inventive deal” delivering a great result for all parties.
Shortlisted:
Acquisition of Flowfit by Axel Johnson (Shakespeare Martineau, TLT, Translink Corporate Finance)
Acquisition of Humphrey Holdings by CCL Industries (Shorts, MD Law)
Acquisition of Kat & Co by Pall Mall Medical (Castle Square Corporate Finance, Harrison Drury & Co, Shoosmiths, Saffery)
Acquisition of Tufcot Engineering by Dacke Industri (Grant Thornton, Magnusson Law, Freeths, BHP Chartered Accountants, Mazars, Marriott Harrison)
Acquisition of Xcelerator Dental by FMC (Coniston Capital, Hentons Corporate Finance, Browne Jacobson, Finerva, Harper James Solicitors)
Funder of the Year
Sponsored by Freeths
Winner: HSBC UK
The South Yorkshire mid-market and business banking teams have supported 116 deals over the qualifying period, lending more than £755m to businesses across the region. The judges praised HSBC for its “impressive ingenuity and experience in getting deals away”.
Shortlisted:
Lloyds Bank
Mercia Debt Finance
Santander
Virgin Money
Emerging Dealmaker of the Year
Sponsored by Wake Smith Solicitors
Winner: Joseph Potts, Castle Square Corporate Finance
Joseph has delivered a range of complex transactions, including the equity investment in Castings Technology, and is recognised for his exceptional client leadership and commercial insight. The judges described him as “outstanding”.
Shortlisted:
Jack Parker, Hawsons Chartered Accountants
Luke Turner, MD Law
Dealmaker of the Year
Sponsored by BRM
Winner: Brad Green, Castle Square Corporate Finance
Capping off what has been a fantastic night for Castle Square, Brad takes home the Dealmaker title, recognised as a “star in the South Yorkshire deals community”. Brad has been integral to the firm’s record year, originating standout deals such as the sale of Rowley Contract Hire to Mentmore Capital.
Shortlisted:
Andy Ryder, Shorts
Brad Green, Castle Square Corporate Finance
Pat Abel, Hart Shaw
Paul Trudgill, Knights
Peter Crawford, Freeths
Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner: Andy Tyas
Tyas, who retires this month, has dedicated more than four decades to banking in South Yorkshire and is a well-known figure within the region’s business and advisory community. Born and raised in Barnsley, he joined NatWest as a school leaver in 1983. Over the course of a distinguished career, he rose to become a commercial relationship director before moving to Handelsbanken in Sheffield and later joining Mercia in 2020. In his current role, he has become the face of Mercia Debt in South Yorkshire and is a regular at local networking events.