Equiom awarded ‘Deal of the Year’ for UAE acquisition
Equiom, the international professional services provider has been awarded ‘M&A Deal of the Year’ by Finance Monthly Magazine for its acquisition of Links Group based in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the State of Qatar. The Finance Monthly M&A Awards recognise and celebrate companies and individuals involved in M&A activity across the globe. Winners are nominated by members of the industry and then chosen through a rigorous judging process.
Global CEO of Equiom, Sheila Dean commented: ‘Being recognised for our acquisitive growth program is a tremendous achievement and a well-deserved accolade for our strategic approach to acquisitions and the dedicated M&A and integration team who have completed 14 transactions since 2013. This particular award, in partnership with Links Group, supports our belief that successful deals need to benefit all parties. The acquisition of Links Group not only enabled access to new jurisdictions but also the provision of additional services and expertise.’
John Martin St.Valery, CEO of Links Group added: ‘Our partnership with Equiom has given us access to extensive international experience that strengthens not only the services that we offer our clients, but also the overall performance of the company. It has had proven success in growing the business, and due to reciprocal referrals we have experienced increased leads from Asia and have been able to offer existing clients multi-jurisdictional options to suit their varied needs. It is wonderful to be recognised for what is truly a global success story.’
‘Most importantly’ added Jeremy Evans, Equiom’s Global Head of M&A, ‘it illustrates the importance of partnering with people who are culturally aligned and ambitious to grow through co-operation with a global player. Links is our largest transaction to date, and we must recognise special thanks to our equity partner LDC for supporting not just this transaction but our whole global programme as well as Gowling WLG (legal advisors), Deloitte (sell side advisors) and KPMG (financial due diligence) who were supportive in enabling this transaction to reach a smooth and seamless completion in such a positive way.’
The award follows a string of other accolades for Equiom and Links Group in 2017 including Equiom being named Trust Company of the Year for Hong Kong & Singapore, Isle of Man and Malta in the Citywealth International Financial Centre Awards 2017. Links Group was given an ‘A’ rating from Dubai SME RATE Framework in June 2017 and awarded Best Foreign Business Safeguarding Services in the Middle East by the MEA Markets UAE Business Awards 2017. Martin St.Valery also received personal recognition in Dubai recently when he was nominated Chairman of the British Business Group Dubai & Northern Emirates.
Links is our largest transaction to date, and we must recognise special thanks to our equity partner LDC for supporting not just this transaction but our whole global programme as well as Gowling WLG (legal advisors), Deloitte (sell side advisors) and KPMG (financial due diligence)