BVCA announces winners of Midlands Management Team Awards 2016

The British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (BVCA) is pleased to announce the winners of the Midlands Management Team Awards 2016, our annual celebration of excellence in private equity and venture capital, produced in association with Grant Thornton UK LLP.
Now in its eighth year, the BVCA Management Team Awards recognise and reward the achievements and success of businesses across the UK which are backed by private equity and venture capital funds.
The five winners of the Midlands awards will be announced and presented with their prize tonight as part of the annual BVCA Midlands Dinner. More details about the winners, including quotes from the judges, can be found below.
All of the winners will now be entered into the national final to compete against other UK regions before the national winners are announced at the BVCA Gala Dinner on 8 December in London.
The full list of winners for the BVCA Midlands Management Team Awards:
Winner |
Backed by |
Category |
Quotient Clinical Ltd | Bridgepoint Development Capital (to December 2015) and now GHO Capital |
Large Company Team |
Node4 Ltd | LDC | Mid-Market Team |
Preservica Ltd | Mobeus Equity Partners | Venture or Growth Company Team |
Forest Holidays Ltd | LDC | Social Responsibility Team |
Mike Hancox, Ideal Shopping Direct | Inflexion Private Equity and Blackstone Group |
CEO |
Andrew Ferguson, chairman of the Midlands judging panel and a Partner at Maven Capital Partners, said: “The BVCA Management Team Awards are all about showcasing what UK businesses back by private equity and venture capital can achieve through talent and hard work, and once again the Midlands has shown its mettle with an outstanding array of winners. The sheer range of businesses is particularly impressive and illustrates not only what a hotbed of industry the Midlands is, but also how important private equity and venture capital are to the local and national economy.”
Mustafa Abdulhusein, who leads Grant Thornton’s corporate finance team in the Midlands and was a member of the awards judging panel, said: "Grant Thornton is proud to be associated with the BVCA Management Team Awards and delighted that the quality of entries and level of competition for this year’s awards has been so high. The winners reflect perfectly the huge diversity of ambitious, growing, private equity-backed businesses which contribute so much to the vibrancy of the Midlands economy. This success is a testament to the passion and drive not just of the management teams, but also to the support provided by their respective backers.”
The winners are:
Large Company Team
Quotient Clinical Ltd
Backed by Bridgepoint Development Capital and now GHO Capital
Quotient Clinical is a Nottingham-based drug development company which, through its Translational Pharmaceutics® platform, integrates formulation development, real-time drug product manufacturing and clinical testing, which is significantly reducing the time and cost of bringing a drug to market.
The company is based in purpose-built, fully integrated facilities in the UK, and employs over 320 staff, offering a full range of support services, from study set-up right through to data analysis and reporting.
On 2 December 2015 it was announced that GHO Capital Partners acquired Quotient Clinical from Bridgepoint Development Capital.
Judges comment: “The Quotient team under Mark Egerton are building a very exciting clinical services business, recognised in their sector by customers and competitors for developing a unique Translational Pharmaceutics solution others are unable to match. We admire their courage in investing heavily in this new approach and recognise the rewards they are achieving through rapid growth.”
Mid-Market Team
Node4 Ltd
Backed by LDC
Node 4 Ltd is a cloud, data centre and communications specialist headquartered in Derby and with facilities across the UK.
The 12 year old company focuses on serving fast-growing businesses and boasts a diverse range of clients, counting automotive companies, telecoms businesses, financial groups and universities amongst its 2,200-strong customer base.
In 2013, LDC invested in the group, backing a management buyout led by Managing Director and co-founder Andrew Gilbert. The investment has provided Node4 with the capital required to accelerate its growth through new data centre development and acquisitions, including three acquisitions in 2015 alone.
Judges comment: “We were impressed with Andrew Gilbert’s drive in building this business from scratch, alongside colleagues Paul Bryce and John Hopkinson. Node4 is achieving rapid growth and returns well above their peers in what is a very competitive sector, underpinned by very strong customer service and a truly integrated solution.”
Venture or Growth Company Team of the Year
Preservica Ltd
Backed by Mobeus Equity Partners
Preservica is a world leader in digital preservation software technology, consulting and research.
Based in Abingdon, its software is used by businesses, archives, libraries, museums and government organizations across the world, including the UK National Archives, the Met Office, Texas State Archives, Associated Press, BT and HSBC.
Preservica was founded in 2014 as a subsidiary of analytics and software business Tessella. In 2012, Mobeus Equity Partners backed the MBO of Tessella until its sale in 2015 to French consultancy Altran. Preservica was spun out and remains under the stewardship of Mobeus. Today Preservica boasts customers in 12 countries across four continents.
Judges comment: “We were impressed with the team’s entrepreneurial flair in creating this business within Tessella and then keeping it separate after their successful exit of Tessella in 2015. They have grown a market-leading digital records business, with 85 customers in 12 countries, including 12 national archives and an impressive range of major public and private institutions. The team have also fostered a strong culture, enabling preservation of important historical records and giving back to communities in a range of ways.”
Social Responsibility Team
Forest Holidays Ltd
Backed by LDC
Forest Holidays offers luxurious holiday cabins set in nine Forestry Commission-owned estates across the UK. Headquartered in Moira, Derbyshire, Forest was founded in 2006 and has placed the environment and community at the heart of its business model.
The group plants at least twice as many trees as it removes, building each cabin with certified FSC timber, and an independent report suggested Forest Holidays generates around £2 million for each local economy in which it operates.
LDC invested in 2012 and has supported the roll-out of 258 new accommodation cabins across the Forest of Dean, Sherwood Forest and Thorpe Forest.
Judges comment: “Forest stood out in the social responsibility category by their commitment to sustaining and enhancing the environment in their holiday parks, going well beyond what is required of them, generating net environmental benefits as well as returns to the Forestry Commission and to their local communities through employment and local purchasing.”
CEO of the Year
Mike Hancox, Ideal Shopping Direct
Backed by Inflexion Private Equity and Blackstone Group
Ideal Shopping Direct operates live and pre-recorded channels across all the major UK TV platforms including Sky, Freeview, Virgin Media and Freesat as well as multiple internet sites.
Headquartered in Peterborough and with a growing operation in the US, the company has over 800 employees and, through its TV networks, reaches over 26 million homes. The two principal divisions of ISD are Create & Craft and Ideal World. ISD delivers a dynamic shopping experience selling specialty craft products to dedicated crafting hobbyists as well as home, leisure, health, beauty and fashion products.
Mike joined the company in November 2008 and led the turnaround strategy, taking it from a loss-making business in 2008 to a profitable and steadily growing business by mid-2009 as well as increasing employee numbers. Michael has significant senior leadership experience having previously held the CEO posts at Shop Direct and Otto UK.
Judges comment: “Mike was recognised as Midlands CEO of the Year for his impressive achievement in transforming the performance of Ideal Shopping Direct since his appointment in 2008. Exceptional performance is being achieved partly through innovation, notably in the craft sector, and development of the US business.”
Notes to editor
- The BVCA Management Team Awards, produced in partnership with Grant Thornton, are the only awards to celebrate the achievements of UK private equity and venture capital-backed management teams. The awards consists of two rounds: regional and national. Each of the eight regions has a judging panel which decides on the winners following nominations from BVCA members and a comprehensive due diligence programme with in-depth interviews. The regional winners were announced in May and can be found here. All were automatically entered into the national final. For more information about the award categories please click here.
- The Midlands judging panel consists of: Andrew Ferguson (Chairman), Maven Capital Partners; Mustafa Abdulhusein, Grant Thornton; Sam Archer, Downing; Matthew Caffrey, Livingbridge; Andy Lyndon, LDC; Chris Robinson, YFM Equity Partners; Simon Ward, ITG; Tim Whittard, Business Growth Fund.
- The British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (BVCA) is the industry body for the UK private equity and venture capital industry. The BVCA has over 500 member firms, representing the vast majority of UK-based private equity and venture capital firms and their advisers.
- Grant Thornton is one of the world’s leading organisations of independent assurance, tax and advisory firms. These firms help dynamic organisations unlock their potential for growth by providing meaningful, forward-thinking advice. Proactive teams, led by approachable partners in these firms, use insights, experience and instinct to understand complex issues for privately owned, publicly listed and public sector clients and help them to find solutions. More than 35,000 Grant Thornton people, across over 100 countries, are focused on making a difference to clients, colleagues and the communities in which we live and work. The UK Grant Thornton member firm provides services to over 40,000 privately held businesses, public interest entities and individuals. It is led by more than 185 partners and employs more than 4,200 of the profession's brightest minds. Find out more at www.grant-thornton.co.uk