2024 was a stand-out year for EMW’s Corporate Team, marked by the successful completion of over 50 M&A transactions with a combined value of £450m.
Simon Arkell, Head of Corporate, highlighted the team’s extraordinary efforts. He said: “In October alone, we closed deals with a combined value of over £100m. But behind the numbers, there is another story of an extremely busy team working with drive, determination, humour and a prevailing ‘in it together’ mentality – the essence of the team’s culture. The team is stronger than it has ever been. With an average age of just 38, it is brimming with incredibly talented people, dedicated to getting the best outcomes for their clients.”
The team’s hard work and dedication were recognised in November at the Insider Central & East of England Dealmakers Awards 2024. This prestigious event, covering Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Essex, is a highlight in the corporate finance calendar. EMW was shortlisted in five categories and won three awards:
- Corporate Law Firm of the Year
- Private Equity/Venture Capital Deal of the Year for the sale of Helix to Middleground Capital
- Deal of the Year (£10m+) for the sale of JCA Engineering to Mitie Group PLC.
2024 also saw a strategic reset for the team.
“We wanted to re-focus on our core strengths, in particular our ties to the Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire region,” said Simon. “Our Corporate Team has been based in Milton Keynes for 25 years, helping establish and build the corporate finance community we, and others who have subsequently moved into the area to take advantage of it, are a part of. We are firmly committed to the region and believe we make a positive impactful difference to it.”
EMW’s commitment to the region is further demonstrated by its B Corp certification.
“Protection and promotion of our local community is a key pillar of B Corp status,” added Simon. “More generally, B Corp certification is a designation that a business is meeting the highest standards of verified performance, accountability and transparency in areas such as employee benefits, charitable giving, environmental impact, and supply chain practices. All companies operate for the benefit of their stakeholders, but as a B Corp, we include our employees, clients, suppliers, local community, and environment amongst our stakeholders. For example, I love the fact that in 2024 we advised on the acquisition of 16 companies by employee ownership trusts, resulting in approximately 1,000 more employees owning an equity stake in the companies they work for.
“Our brand, culture and approach to what we do is part of our DNA. We think we are genuinely different to other lawyers and what set us apart 25 years ago still sets us apart today:
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clients see in us a little bit of themselves – we attract dynamic, owner managed businesses because we are one;
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our service comes with a healthy dose of personality. Down to earth and easy to talk to, we take what we do really seriously, ourselves less so;
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we focus negotiations on what is important to our clients and never waste their, or our, time and money on things that are not – showboating is not our style;
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we offer clear and transparent pricing options with no nasty surprises. Unless what we are required to do changes, the fee we quote will be the fee we charge, and
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we are confident our clients will always feel they have had exceptional service from us. If they don’t, they may unilaterally reduce our fees by up to 10%, no strings attached.”
To find out more about EMW visit their website.
