Hosting Mergermarket’s European M&A Awards is always a treat, but doing so surrounded by the Victorian splendour of the Natural History Museum took the event to another level. A celebration is merited. Following the huge challenges of 2023, the European M&A community has built a solid recovery: deal values are up 21% to €665bn so far in 2024, according to Mergermarket data. Even as inflation remained more stubborn than hoped and rate cuts consequently only bled through slowly, private equity has realised exits for LP returns, put dry powder to work and restored confidence in the asset class. We’ve seen major public markets deals. Here in the UK, KKR and Summit Partners’ £4.3bn sale of Darktrace to Thoma Bravo set the scene back in the spring, also highlighting the verve and ambition of sponsors keen to deploy capital and secure returns. I’d particularly like to thank my fellow awards judges Fredrik vom Hofe, Liz Claydon, Scott Moeller, Gunvor Ellingsen, Rachel Lewis, Koen H. Heimeriks, Dr. Sumeet Gupta, Andrew Philbey, Liana Logiurato, Giovanna Maag and of course my longstanding mentor and Mergermarket Executive Editor Lucinda Guthrie for their dedication and expertise as we worked through the shortlists. Check out all our worthy award winners here - congratulations and thank you all for making the event such a memorable evening. https://lnkd.in/eP-dXjvW
John, you were an incredible Master of Ceremonies and host at the M&A Awards. Thanks for including me again on the judging panel. And such a wonderful location in the Natural History Museum. Great to see all the winners receiving their well-deserved awards.
John, what a fabulous evening you hosted at the National History Museum to celebrate the M&A Awards. Always a pleasure to join Mergermarket and our jury panel in our very dynamic discussions to assess a sea of data & pick the winners. Glad to see the winners celebrating in a market gathering pace!
It was an amazing event! John it was an absolute joy to see you master the art of presentation and the level of stage performance was genuinely amazing! Thank you for including me in the judges panel — it was inspiring to see the winners accept their trophies at this truly glorious event at a world class venue 🙏🏆🍾🥂
John, love the picture! A master of his environment. Sounds like your team continues to dominate as a force! Good to see a few familiar faces at your even in Frankfurt over summer. Continue!
Congratulations to all the great winners! Well deserved!
👏👏👏
Tom Williams
3w
Wow, great venue.
Senior Vice President @ Oerlikon | Head of Global Mergers and Acquisitions
3wMy heartfelt congratulations to the winners. Each one of you has contributed meaningfully, and your efforts are truly valued. Let us continue to raise the standards and drive progress together. I also wish to express my sincere gratitude to the organizing committee for giving me the opportunity to serve as a judge for this event. It has been a deeply rewarding experience to witness the remarkable achievements of all the nominees.