Growth Awards, bands on tour, key deals and who's picking off FTSE assets
Our weekly free round up of key deals and major moves in the Rainmakers world
Hello Rainmakers,
We’ve got a fantastic opportunity to share with you this week, the launch of the Growth Awards across our regions. Details below.
We’ve also got a round up of deals, moves and market commentary on the week just gone.
This is free to all who have signed up, however Rainmakers subscribers get two unique pieces a week, and also full access to our back catalogue of investigations, scoops, and insights, including updates from The Secret Investor, interviews with entrepreneurs, and the leaders from VC and PE investors like Endless, Foresight, Mercia, and LDC.
A Hull-based firm which has literally been keeping the show on the road for touring artists for more than a quarter of a century has been acquired. Transport specialist MM Band Services has worked with big names including the Foo Fighters, Shakira and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It has been bought by Netherlands-based entertainment logistics company Pieter Smit Group.
The deal aims to strengthen Pieter Smit’s presence in the UK, enabling the group to more effectively serve touring productions confronting the complexities of post-Brexit travel between the UK and Europe. MM Band Services, which was founded in 2000, will continue to operate under its established brand, with managing director Mike Moulds remaining in place alongside the existing team.
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Azets has received a major boost to its healthcare offering after completing a deal that sees the accountancy and advisory firm acquire BDO’s medical services team and client portfolio - giving its specialist practice a clean bill of health.
The 16-strong team has joined Azets’ Birmingham and Ipswich offices, bringing with them a wealth of experience supporting healthcare professionals, including GP practices and Primary Care Networks (PCNs).
Led by Sarah Lock, Partner, Juliette Maguire, Director, and Louise Barter, Director, the team will help strengthen Azets’ growing healthcare practice, which now supports more than 600 GP practices, 3,500 GP partners and locums, and 100 PCNs across the UK.
It’s a move that adds further depth to Azets’ healthcare expertise - proving the firm is not just balancing the books, but helping healthcare businesses stay in good financial shape.
Peter Gallanagh, UK&I chief executive at Azets, said the transaction reinforced the firm’s ambition to become the UK’s number one provider of specialist accounting and advisory services to the healthcare sector.
Sarah Lock said the move provided an opportunity to continue delivering specialist support while becoming part of one of the UK’s leading healthcare practices.
The acquisition builds on Azets’ growing presence in the East of England following its acquisition of Ensors last year, as the firm continues to expand its specialist advisory services.
With more healthcare expertise joining the team, Azets looks to have found a healthy formula for growth - combining specialist knowledge, trusted relationships and a prescription for long-term success.
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Overseas predators are continuing to target UK companies, further diminishing the breadth, depth and quality of the London market.
The latest name to fall prey to a bid is engineer Rotork. The UK is home to several UK industrial businesses who are global leaders, albeit in niche areas.
A takeover approach from Swiss engineering giant ABB is likely to see their ranks thinned, with Rotork’s board having signed off on the deal and shareholders likely to fall in line given the offer is in cash and pitched at a healthy premium.
Energy group DCC also looks likely to join the queue for the exit after a slight improvement in the terms on offer from a consortium made up of US buyout firm KKR and Energy Capital Partners.
The deadline for a firm offer has been pushed back towards the end of the month, and the deal looks likely to go through. Further down the ranks, pawnbroker Ramsdens has agreed to an improved bid from US rival FirstCash.
Dan Coatsworth of AJ Bell said: “These potential departures would be less of an issue if there was a healthy pipeline of new names listing in the UK. Given this isn’t the case, there will be concern about what the departure of names via takeovers mean for the diversity and depth of a market which has already lost relevance compared with its global counterparts.”
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Northern Gritstone, the investment company scaling early-stage life sciences and technology companies in the North of England, chaired by Lord Jim O’Neill, has promoted Simon Braham to Chief Investment Officer.
Simon joined Northern Gritstone in September 2025 to drive the growth of its portfolio companies in the newly created role of Head of Portfolio. In his new role as Chief Investment Officer, he will oversee all of the company’s investment activities.
Based in Manchester, Simon is an experienced venture capital and private equity investor. He joined Northern Gritstone from Bridges where he led its Sustainable Growth Funds in the North.
Since Northern Gritstone began investing in May 2022, its team has reviewed more than 1,500 opportunities, leading to investments in 52 cutting-edge companies in the North based on world-leading science. With a balance sheet of £383 million and set to increase, the company continues to originate opportunities and drive value in its growing portfolio of companies that are ‘rooted in the North but global in mindset’. These include spinouts from the universities of Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield (collectively known as the ‘Northern Arc’).
In line with its growth, Northern Gritstone continues to build out its investment team. James Bellis joins in the newly created role of Portfolio Director. Based in Manchester, James joins from the Global Advisory firm, Teneo, where he advised companies, investors and management teams through strategic and value creation situations. Narjeet Singh also joins as Investment Manager, having moved to Manchester from his London role in Lincoln International’s Technology M&A team.
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GC Angels, who we featured on Rainmakers on Tuesday, has backed Manchester edtech company, Gaia Learning, in a further £400,000 equity investment round alongside NESTA and a syndicate of angel investors.
Founded in 2019, Gaia Learning was created to address a growing challenge in education.
The online platform is dedicated to ensuring neurodivergent children have access to learning environments that understand and support their individual needs.
What began as a mission to improve outcomes for learners who often struggle in traditional educational settings has evolved into a specialist online alternative provision, supporting children and young people across the UK who may be unable to access mainstream education due to autism, ADHD, anxiety, school avoidance, mental health challenges, or other additional needs.
The business first secured £550,000 in 2024, led by NESTA Impact Investments alongside GC Angels.
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Do you back a fast growing company that should win in our new Growth Awards?
TheBusinessDesk.com’s brand new Growth Awards will be on the hunt for the next generation of regional business leaders — people who
have taken responsibility early, delivered results, and shown what they’re capable of.
The Emerging Growth Leader award is for leaders within five years of stepping up to a significant role who have already made a measurable difference.
Entries should tell us:
What role did they step into, and what was the context?
What have they built, changed or delivered in that time?
What has their leadership made possible for the business?
What do the next five years look like for them?
To enter the awards visit our Growth Awards 2027.
The awards span three strands – Company, Team and Individual – with categories recognising everything from turnaround success and international expansion to finance, technology, people and board excellence.
An overall Growth Business of the Year will be chosen from the category winners.
There is still an opportunity to sponsor the first Growth Awards, and meet some of the region’s most exciting businesses. Please contact sales@thebusinessdesk.com to find out more.
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Having now completed the Rainmaker events in the West Midlands, North West and Yorkshire, we have also now announced dates and an opening for entries for the East Midlands event on the 5th of November in Nottingham and the South West event on the 26th of November in Bristol.
Last year the events sold out, so book early to secure your table.
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