City A.M. Awards 2012 Winners
City A.M.'s third annual awards celebrating the best and brightest of London's business, financial and investment communities. Over 500 guests from 116 different firms attended the celebration, held at the Grange Hotel in St Paul's.
PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
Lord Coe
Locog chairman
Former Olympic middle distance runner and politician Lord Coe was a clear stand-out winner. He put London on the global stage for the Olympic Games. 2012 has undoubtedly been his year.
BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
Diageo
The drinks giant has made several bold acquisitions this year and invested in new projects such as a £1bn plan to increase whisky production in Scotland. Shares have also increased by 28 per cent.
DEALMAKER OF THE YEAR
Mark Sorrell
Goldman Sachs
Mark was promoted to co-head of the UK investment banking business in May of last year, and played an instrumental role in advising Walgreen's on its two-part $28bn purchase of the pharmacy chain Alliance Boots.
FUND MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Chris Hohn
The Children's Fund
As the chief executive of The Children's Investment Fund (TCI) Hohn has campaigned with the firm to demand bigger dividend payouts from Japan Tobacco and against Coal India's pricing policies.
ANALYST OF THE YEAR
Clive Black
Shore Capital
Black has been ahead of the pack on arguably the biggest retail story of the year – the struggle for Tesco to cling on to its market share. He downgraded full year forecasts for the firm and has warned that it will continue to struggle in the US.
INVESTMENT BANK OF THE YEAR
Rothschild
Having moved into striking new premises in St Swithin's Lane, Rothschild has been gaining market share in the advisory busines, for example advising the Hong Kong Exchange on the $2.1bn bid for the Global Metal Exchange.
TRADER OF THE YEAR
Driss Ben-Brahim
Before departing from GLG earlier this year Driss established a successful reputation for trading in currencies, sovereign bonds and interest rates. Ben-Brahim started his career at Goldman Sachs in 1994 and was made partner there in 2004.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Deloitte
For Deloitte this year will be defined by one event – the London 2012 Games. Signed up as a lead partner in 2003, the firm estimated it has contributed more than 750,000 hours of work to help plan the events that defined London this summer.
ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
Paul Lindley
Ella's Kitchen
Paul Lindley is founder of children's food brand Ella's Kitchen, one of the fastest growing companies in the UK – doubling revenue every year since it was founded in 2004. In 2011, families spent over £50m on Ella's Kitchen.
INNOVATION OF THE YEAR
Market Invoice
Founded by Anil Stocker and Charles Delingpole, the firm offers companies a way to finance their business via an online marketplace for invoices. The innovation has made waves in the lucrative but somewhat hidebound invoice finance sector.
MARKETING CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR
John Lewis, Christmas campaign
The store's £6m campaign, created by Adam & Eve, saw a seven year old boy stare at the clock as he waited for Christmas Day. Set to a cover of The Smiths' Please Please Please, it has over 4m hits on YouTube. It gets us every time.
RISING STAR OF THE YEAR
Michael Steele
Freshfields
Michael became one of the magic circle firm's youngest partners this year, at the age of 30. He joined the company in 2008, having begun his career in Australia.
PROPERTY GROUP OF THE YEAR
Westfield
Westfield opened its 1.9m square feet Stratford City shopping centre in September, transforming London's East End and setting the bar high for retail in the UK. The £1.45bn mall is Europe's largest shopping centre, and stands as a prestigious gateway to the Olympic Park, with 300 shops, 70 restaurants and a 14-screen cinema.
LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR
Norton Rose
Norton Rose reaped the benefits of its acquisitions this year, seeing good growth in overseas tie-ups. The firm, led by Peter Martyr (pictured), ensured its domestic practice is at the forefront of its sector specialisms, including advising the buyers of Battersea Power Station.
INSURER OF THE YEAR
Prudential
Speculation over its threats to relocate outside Europe cannot detract from the Pru's global success. Chief executive Tidjane Thiam has overcome the failure of his bid for part of AIG and survived a shareholder pay revolt to lead a firm that shows more growth potential than most British insurers. Profits at its Asian business have risen by 32 per cent.