The deals market is showing a positive recovery in Scotland according to Jamie Livingston, director of the Livingston James Group, the leading internationally-operating search and selection practice, and a judge on the recent Business Insider Deals:Dealmakers awards.
Speaking after the judging panel awarded the Deal of the Year to Aberdeen Asset Management for its acquisition of Scottish Widows Investment Partnership from Lloyds, Mr Livingston said improved liquidity and resilience were behind the resurgence of activity.
The head of the 22 person strong consultancy said: “The deal market is coming back, mainly due to improved liquidity. But deals go ahead because of talented, determined and resilient people.”
Mr Livingston was joined on the judging panel by senior corporate decision-maker Graeme Bissett, ICAS president Jann Brown, hotelier Paddy Crerar and finance and marketing’s John Hylands at the event in the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow hosted by comic Fred MacAuley.
The awards “acknowledge and reward excellence in corporate finance transactions – the bankers, venture capitalists, lawyers and accountants who initiate, structure and negotiate deals for growing organisations”.
Guest speaker Sir Ranulph Fiennes, acknowledged as the world’s greatest living explorer for his lifetime of record-breaking expeditions, including the circumnavigation of the world via both Poles, spoke passionately about resilience.
Mr Livingston, whose group recently celebrated the establishment of two new specialist divisions, said: “Sir Ranulph Fiennes’s keynote speech talked of resilience and motivation, which struck a chord with the dealmakers who have been through some tough and lean times.
“Consequently, people have created innovative solutions to make deals happen, including funding mechanisms such as the Business Growth Fund, which was rewarded with the Investor of the Year award.
“It is motivated people that ultimately make deals happen – the management teams, the investors, the advisers. This evening is a tribute to the deal making community which has rightly been rewarded for its hard work.”
For further information about the Livingston James Group, contact Jamie Livingston or Andy Rogerson at 218 St Vincent Street, Glasgow G2 5SG, tel: 0141 375 7333 or 69a George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2JG [email protected]. W: www.livingstonjames.com
