Skyscanner, RAMCO, Keenan Recycling and Vert Rotors are amongst the winners of the British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (BVCA) Management Team Awards 2017 for Scotland.
These awards are the annual celebration of UK companies supported by private equity and venture capital funds, produced in association with Grant Thornton UK LLP.
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Now in their ninth year, the BVCA Management Team Awards recognise and reward brilliant businesses across the country that have been backed by UK private equity and venture capital investors.
The Scotland winners were announced and presented with their prizes the BVCA National Dinner Series – the premier annual gatherings of regional private equity and venture capital professionals in the UK.
They will then go forward into the national final to compete against the other regions, before the national winners are announced at the BVCA Gala Dinner on 30 November in London.
Andrew Craig, chair of the Scotland judging panel and partner at Maven Capital Partners said: “The businesses of Scotland have truly had a great year. The 2017 BVCA Management Team Awards will recognise and showcase these thriving local companies, which are supported by private equity and venture capital. Congratulations to this evening’s winners and best of luck in the national final.”
Neil McInnes, Corporate Finance Director at Grant Thornton and a member of the judging panel, added: “This year’s winning businesses have demonstrated the wealth of talent currently driving Scotland’s vibrant economy. Despite facing a challenging and uncertain climate, private equity and venture capital-backed firms from a wide range of sectors are playing an increasingly important role in delivering resilient growth through innovation, collaboration and focused investment.”
Scotland winners
Skyscanner | Backed by: Scottish Equity Partners
Skyscanner compare cheap flights, hotels & car hire from more providers than anyone else.
Judge’s comments: This business continued to make significant progress in 2016, in the scale of its operations and in investing in its team and capabilities. The culmination of the year was the $1.75bn acquisition by CTrip. Skyscanner will continue to operate independently and remains a global success for the Scottish tech sector.
RAMCO | Backed by: LDC
RAMCO is one of the largest independent organisations specialising in the care and maintenance of Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) used in the international upstream oil and gas industry.
Judge’s comments: The judges were impressed with the resilience of this business through the difficult oil & gas market of the last few years. Derek Smith and his team have invested through the downturn, growing the business at a time when others were cutting back. Their determination to push ahead has paid off in terms of growth, market share and profitability.
Crawford Scientific Backed by: Maven Capital Partners
Suppliers of chromatography columns and consumables, spe products, instrument supplies, mass spectrometry training and analytical services.
Judge’s comments: The successful integration of a key acquisition followed Maven’s investment in 2014 and this has taken the business to a new level. The judges were impressed with the management team’s skill in building for growth and in using the acquired company to drive international expansion.
Keenan Recycling | Backed by: Business Growth Fund
Keenan Recycling is an award winning food waste recycling company which provides reliable and regular collections across the whole of Scotland.
Judge’s comments: Grant Keenan has grown this business from start-up to become market leader in Scotland for organic waste recycling. The investment and partnership with BGF has supported further growth and brought in some experienced advisers. The business is now set to expand across additional regions.
Vert Rotors | Backed by: Par Equity
Vert Rotors is a technology pioneer that designs and manufactures the world’s most compact high pressure, low-vibration screw compressors.
Judge’s comments: Olly Dmitriev and his team have built a new engineering product with disruptive performance and are manufacturing in Scotland for customers globally. The judges were impressed with the rapid integration of engineering breakthrough and commercial traction.
McGavigans | Backed by: Maven Capital Partners
McGavian Ltd is a provider of technical plastic components and assemblies to the automotive, industrial, medical and consumer products sectors.
Judge’s comments: The judges applauded the management team for the skill with which they have reconfigured this business around manufacturing in China, serving Asian as well as European customers. Growth in the past year has been impressive, and the commitment both to R&D and to further international expansion should create further growth opportunities.
