A great deal of success to celebrate

Sponsored content: Dealmakers Awards 2024 Scotland

The top funding and acquisition deals in Scotland, and the people and firms that made them happen, were celebrated at the first Scotland Dealmakers Awards in Edinburgh on Thursday, 14 November.

Insider UK joined forces with The Scotsman to honour the achievements of those who construct the deals that energise the Scottish business scene.

John Culshaw presents Dealmakers Awards 2024 | Sandy Young/scottishphotographer.com

The awards dinner at a packed Sheraton Grand Hotel in the capital was led by comedian and impressionist Jon Culshaw.

It was a great night for Kerry Sharp, who was named Dealmaker of the Year, and her talented team at Scottish Enterprise.

Looking ahead to activity in 2025, she said: “Next year is going to be a fabulous deal market, and I think Scotland’s going to outperform the rest of the UK at every level.”

Other winners included Alastair Moore of Par Equity, KPMG Corporate Finance, PwC’s transactions team, Burness Paull, and RBS.

The businesses at the heart of the winning deals were Edinburgh Airport, Hamilton Waste & Recycling, the Red John Pumped Storage Hydro Scheme, and Cumulus Oncology.

The shortlists and winners were selected by Insider UK’s panel of independent judges, who were Gillian Fleming, managing director of Mint Ventures; Craig Gallagher, chief executive of CRG Aero Consulting; Paula Skinner, partner at Harper Macleod; John Watson, chief executive of Crosswind Developments, and Stephanie Farrell, senior associate at Bellwether Green.

The judging sessions were chaired by Douglas Friedli, editor at Insider Media, who said: “The individuals and firms celebrated at the awards have contributed to company growth, job creation, and enabling business founders to fulfil their dreams.”

PIB Insurance Brokers was the headline sponsor, while the awards were also sponsored by Cazenove Capital, Hutcheon Mearns, KPMG UK, Norman Broadbent, Scottish Enterprise, ThinCats, and Wbg.

Winners from the Scotland Dealmakers Awards 2024 will go forward to compete against their peers from England, Wales and Northern Ireland at the UK Dealmaker Awards in February 2025.