Hawsons Shortlisted for Five Awards at the South Yorkshire Dealmakers Awards 2025

Hawsons is delighted to announce that its Corporate Finance team has been shortlisted in five categories at the South Yorkshire Dealmakers Awards 2025. The ceremony, hosted by Insider Media, will take place on Thursday 5 June, celebrating the region’s standout transactions and the professionals behind them.

This year’s shortlist highlights the strength and breadth of Hawsons’ corporate finance capability, reflecting the team's deep sector expertise, trusted client relationships and track record of delivering exceptional results across a wide range of deal sizes and complexities.

Hawsons has been recognised in the following categories:

• Corporate Finance Advisory Firm of the Year
• Deal of the Year (£2.5m - £10m)
• Deal of the Year (Sub £2.5m)
• Private Equity / Venture Capital Deal of the Year
• Dealmaker of the Year

Commenting on the announcement, Peter Wilmer, Managing Partner and Head of Corporate Finance at Hawsons, said:

“We are incredibly proud to be shortlisted across five categories at this year’s South Yorkshire Dealmakers Awards. It is a real testament to the dedication and expertise of our Corporate Finance team, and to the strong partnerships we have built with businesses and advisers throughout the region. Our focus has always been on delivering strategic, hands-on advice that helps our clients unlock value and achieve their long-term ambitions. To receive this level of recognition is both humbling and energising.”

The South Yorkshire Dealmakers Awards celebrate the achievements of corporate financiers, lawyers, bankers and advisers who are driving growth and investment across the region. Hawsons is proud to be recognised among this year’s leading firms and individuals.

Corporate Finance Advisory Firm of the Year

Over the past year Hawsons have advised on 18 completed deals, with an aggregate value of more than £100m. Hawsons are delighted to be shortlisted for this award for the second year running. Our Corporate Finance team has gone from strength to strength over the past year, with some new faces, and some fantastic deals completed.

Well done to Peter Wilmer, Jack Ware, Jack Parker and Ellie Wilcockson for all the hard work which has gone into achieving this nomination.

Deal of the Year (£2.5m - £10m)

The CTW Hardfacing Management Buyout which was led by Peter Wilmer and Jack Ware has been nominated for ‘Deal of the Year’ in the £2.5m - £10m category. In a linked transaction, CTW Hardfacing also acquired the trade and assets of larger supplier, which will further bolster the range of services offered by CTW Hardfacing.

This is the second MBO that our Corporate Finance team has completed for CTW Hardfacing, with the first taking place back in 2018, with that again being led by Peter Wilmer and Jack Ware.

BRM Solicitors (led by Rory Conwill) provided legal advice on the transaction. NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland Invoice Finance supported the transaction with a funding package that included a term loan, a commercial mortgage and an invoice discounting facility. NatWest were advised by Clarion.

Deal of the Year (Sub £2.5m)

Our second ‘Deal of the Year’ nomination is in the ‘Sub £2.5m’ category. The Hawsons Corporate Finance team, led by Peter Wilmer, Scott Sanderson and Jack Ware successfully advised on Spencer Estate Agents’ Transition to Employee Ownership. This deal allows all employees to share in the future success and growth of Spencer Estate Agents, as they have become beneficiaries of the trust. Legal services were provided by Paul Trudgill, Pete Turk and Molly Rae of Knights.

Our Corporate Finance team has been helping businesses complete their transitions to Employee Ownership Trusts since 2016, and we are proud supporter members of the Employee Ownership Association. Our EOT case studies and testimonials really highlight our knowledge and expertise in this area, so we are delighted that one of our deals has been nominated for this award.

Private Equity / Venture Capital Deal of the Year

Our third ‘Deal of the Year’ nomination recognises our role as lead advisors for the sale of Bank Park to Intelli-Park. Bank Park are a car parking operator with sites across the UK, while PE-Backed Intelli-Park are a provider of parking technology and management services in the UK and Germany. The deal was described as “the perfect fit” by Hawsons Corporate Finance Director, Jack Ware, while Intelli-Park group chief executive, Ben Cooke, was “thrilled with the acquisition of Bank Park”, and stated that the deal will “enhance our national expansion”.

Jack Ware and Peter Wilmer of the Hawsons Corporate Finance team acted as the lead advisor, with Michael Hall and Molly Rae of Knights providing legal advice to the shareholders of Bank Park. Intelli-Park were supported by a legal team from Pinsent Masons and by Cortus Advisory Group on financial and tax due diligence.

Dealmaker of the Year

Hawsons Managing Partner and Head of Corporate Finance, Peter Wilmer, has been shortlisted for the ‘Dealmaker of the Year’ award. Peter has played a huge role in our Corporate Finance deals and success stories, so to be nominated for this award is a fantastic achievement, and a huge testament to all the hard work that he puts in.

The Ceremony

The awards ceremony will be held at a black-tie dinner at DoubleTree by Hilton in Sheffield, on Thursday 5th June. Good luck to all involved!