PwC, Uber and Zoopla win big at the 2014 Morning Wire Awards
From Legal & General boss Nigel Wilson to WPP boss Sir Martin Sorrell, you could barely move at the fifth annual Morning Wire Awards – held last night at the Grange St Paul's Hotel – without bashing elbows with a few City grandees.
The ceremony celebrated the brightest and best of the nation's money-makers – whether that was City old guard, such as PwC, or relative newcomers, such as breakthrough taxi app Uber.
The BBC's Katie Derham presented 14 awards, paying tribute to everything from 2014's best bank to the entrepreneur of the year.
Morning Wire editor David Hellier thanked the judges, entrants and sponsors, including Lexus.
This is the fifth Morning Wire awards and I'm pleased to say that the event has become a fixture in the City calendar that so many of us now look forward to. For me, it is the first time I have introduced the awards as editor. I would like to especially thank those of you who either started out five years ago buying tables for the then untried event or who have recently bought tables, some reserved as far back as January.
Round-up of the winners and losers below:
Sir Martin Sorrell took to the stage at the awards ceremony
Accountancy firm of the year
Sponsored by: Heathrow Express
Winner: PwC
What the judges said: "PwC is the outstanding winner in terms of retendering. [Chief executive] Ian Powell has done a very good job."
Analyst of the year
Sponsored by: Piquadro
Winner: Ian Whittaker, media analyst at Liberum Capital
What the judges said: "Ian has done brilliantly, really raised his own profile and that of the firm"
Bank of the year
Sponsored by: The Color Company
Winner: Handelsbanken
What the judges said: "In terms of retail, it's been pushing out physical locations in places other people think is undesirable, paying wages way above the average and totally messing up perceptions that you can't have a retail banking business that's successful"
Business services firm of the year
Sponsored by: RLM Finsbury
Winner: Compass Group
What the judges said: "Chief executive Richard Cousins has managed to grow stunningly well. And it's all organic – not through M&A, and with a complete lack of ego. They just keep on performing"
Award winner Jim Durkin from Cenkos with private equity veteran Martin Clarke
Dealmaker of the year
Sponsored by: Bell Pottinger
Winner: Jim Durkin, chief executive at Cenkos
What the judges said: "The AA deal was exceptional – Jim is a very smart and understated Scouser"
Entrepreneur of the year
Sponsored by: Goldman Sachs
Winner: Zoopla's Alex Chesterman
What the judges said: "Alex has done more for the entrepreneurial ecosystem than most. He's also done it once before with LoveFilm"
Fund manager of the year
Sponsored by: Alliance Trust
Winner: Mark Slater, Slater Investment
What the judges said: "Slater has carved out his own niche. He's not mainstream – he's an individual who has done well over 20 years at his own firm."
Innovative company of the year
Sponsored by: Lexus
Winner: Uber
What the judges said: "Uber is truly innovative. It has gone from being a speck to a sensation in less than a year
Insurance company of the year
Sponsored by: Grange St Paul's Hotel
Winner: Standard Life
What the judges said: "Credit needs to be given for speaking out strongly about the referendum early. The sale of its Canadian arm has caused the share price to rocket."
Law firm of the year
Sponsored by: Nutmeg
Winner: Shearman & Sterling
What the judges said: "Shearman & Sterling has done the most in terms of pulling themselves back up from a fall through strategic development."
Private equity manager of the year
Winner: Joseph Schull, managing director, Warburg Pincus
What the judges said: "Poundland was a hugely successful IPO and Warburg hadn't had it for that long"
Property firm of the year
Sponsored by: Chapel Down
Winner: Berkeley Group
What the judges said: "Berkeley's performance in dividends is huge – it's been paying back bucketloads for years"
Business of the year
Sponsored by: Morning Wire
Winner: Aldi
What the judges said: "Aldi has completely changed the whole retail space – Aldi has taken on the establishment and thrived."
Nigel Wilson won the award for personality of the year
Personality of the year
Sponsored by: Lexus
Winner: Nigel Wilson, chief executive, Legal & General
What the judges said: "L&G has enjoyed a fantastic share price and Nigel has taken some interesting public positions on things"