New data reveals the top 10 dealmakers of 2021
New data, shared with City PM has revealed the UK’s top dealmakers of 2021. The figures come on the back of a record year for mergers & acquisitions, which saw the completion of more than $5 trillion worth of deals.
JP Morgan’s James Robinson ranked as the UK’s top investment banker, after topping MergerLink’s charts by brokering 10 deals worth more than £21.2bn.
Last year, Robinson, managing director at JP Morgan Cazenove, played a role in brokering cybersecurity firm Norton’s $8bn (£5.9bn) merger with Avast, and helped negotiate private equity fund EQT Partners $4.6bn acquisition of transport company First Group’s US bus businesses.
The UCL economics grad also brokered Blackstone’s £1.2 acquisition of British property development company St. Modwen Properties, according to data from MergerLinks that has been shared exclusively with City PM
M&A boom
Alisdair Gayne, head of investment at Barclays, came in as the UK’s second top dealmaker, after striking just three deals worth almost £18bn.
The past year saw Gayne broker three utilities industry takeovers, including National Grid’s £7.8bn acquisition of Western Power Distribution and Pennsylvania-based electricity company PPL Corporation’s $5.3bn takeover of Narragansett Electric Company – the biggest electricity supplier in Rhode Island.
Gayne also oversaw water company Pennon Group’s £425m acquisition of Bristol Water, which is now being investigated by the UK’s Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA).
Goldman Sachs’ Karen Cook took joint third place, alongside Robey Warshaw managing partner Sir Simon Robey, for their work on two major deals worth £17.1bn.
Cook, chair of Goldman Sachs investment banking division, is one of the most senior women in Goldman Sachs, and has dubbed the “Queen of M&A” for her dealmaking abilities.
Sir Simon Robey founded boutique investment bank, Robey Warshaw, in 2013 after spending 25 years at Morgan Stanley. In 2020, Robey Warshaw recruited former chancellor of the exchequer George Osbourne as the company’s fourth partner, alongside Robey and his fellow founders Simon Warshaw and Philip Apostolides.
Anthony Gutman, head of investment banking at Goldman Sachs came in fifth place for his work striking three deals worth £14.3bn, including Rentokil’s $6.7bn acquisition of pest control company Terminix, US private equity firm Clayton and Dubliner & Rice’s $10bn takeover of supermarket chain Morrisons.
Jeffries & Company’s Philip Noblet ranked sixth for his work on nine deals worth £16.25bn including IQ Student Accommodation’s acquisition of Gcp Student Living and Boohoo’s acquisition of Burton.
Seventh place was snatched by JP Morgan’s Dwayne Lysaght for six deals worth £14.6bn.
Rothschild & Co’s Ravi Gupta took eighth place for brokering eight deals worth just under £14.1bn, while Rothschild’s John Deans took ninth place for six deals worth £10.75bn.
Finally, in tenth place Citigroup’s Sian Evans gained recognition for striking three deals worth £9.39bn including private equity fund CVC Partner’s $1bn acquisition of Buckinghamshire-based vodka business Stock Spirits.