RG Corporate Finance has capped its most successful year to date by scooping a prestigious accolade at the North East Accountancy Awards 2022.
The Newcastle based CF advisory boutique won the Corporate Finance Deal of the Year Award for having advised on the multi-faceted transaction involving the management buyout (MBO) at eQS Group, a £20m debt raise, whilst also advising eQS on its four subsequent acquisitions, all within 18 months.
Presented at an awards dinner at the Hilton in Gateshead, the award recognised the ability of RGCF, led by Partner and Head of Corporate Finance, Carl Swansbury, to advise on and deliver a series of complex transactions, a number of which happened concurrently, to support the growth ambitions of the equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) consultancy.
Working incredibly closely with eQS’ management team to support the MBO, debt raise and initial acquisition, RGCF went on to advise the business on the development and execution of its buy-and-build strategy.
Utilising RGCF’s dedicated in-house research capabilities to identify and approach a number of off-market targets, which included eQS’ most recent acquisition, Challenge Consultancy, a business that provides diversity, equality and inclusion training and consultancy services, the Group has been able to complete four acquisitions following the completion of the MBO around 18 months ago.
Carl Swansbury, Partner and Head of Corporate Finance at RGCF, said: “Recognition from our peers for the work we have done in helping the management team of eQS complete their MBO, £20m debt raise and subsequent acquisitions is a real honour, and we were very proud to receive the award.
“It is testament to the capabilities of our talented team to deliver these and other complex transactions. We are enjoying another very strong period of transactions and have an extensive pipeline of projects to support businesses, management teams and shareholders in the North East and across the UK.”
RGCF have advised on a number of transactions of late, including advising North East based gift card provider MBL Solutions on its acquisition by Liverpool-based, listed Appreciate Group.
RGCF also advised the shareholder of cloud-based property software business, VTUK on sale of the business to LDC backed iamproperty Group. The deal is a key part of iamproperty’s strategy to modernise the property sector and to develop solutions and services for Estate Agents, which save time and help drive efficiencies and revenues.
Outside of the North East, RGCF advised Software as a Service (SaaS) procurement software provider Market Dojo, based in the South West, on its sale to French listed Esker, a global cloud platform and leader in AI-driven process automation for finance and customer service functions.
Carl added: “The diversity of the businesses we are advising reflects the broad expertise and knowledge of the sectors where RGCF is active, which is enabling our team to support the continued growth and development of businesses both here in the North East and further afield. We are helping shareholders realise maximum value for their businesses by advising on disposals to not only domestic, but also international strategic trade buyers and management teams.”