Shaw & Co, the specialist corporate finance advisory firm, has won the ‘Business of the Year (1-10 Employees)’ category at the 2021 South West Business Leader Awards.

The award was presented to Jim Shaw, and members of the Shaw & Co team, by comedian and TV presenter Tom Allen and Kieran Murphy, Operations Director at Sounds Commercial Group, the category sponsor.

Now in their ninth year, the awards highlight the leading companies and individuals that are driving growth in the South West region in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, while also providing a platform for entrepreneurs and businesses to celebrate their success.

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Shaw & Co was also shortlisted in the ‘Advisory Firm of the Year’ category while Jim Shaw, the company’s CEO and Founder, was nominated for the ‘Business Leader of the Year’ award.

Key highlights of the company’s entries include:

• Pivoting the company’s services to focus on supporting CBILS (Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme) and CLBILS (Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme) applications for businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The team advised over 500 business owners, helping them to access over £35m of funding.
• Despite the impact of the pandemic, Shaw & Co grew its revenue in FY2020 by 54% to a record £2.0m.
• In the last 12 months CEO Jim Shaw has managed five major deals in the South West region with a combined deal value of £66m. These include the sale of Senta to the billion-pound IRIS Software Group, the sale of  Keep It Simple Limited (KITS) to The Panoply Holdings PLC, and the sale of Smartbox to CareTech Holdings PLC (October 2020).

Shaw & Co also sponsored the Customer Excellence Award at the event which was won by Pelican Business Services.

"Our win is testimony to the hard work and dedication of the Shaw & Co team who have excelled in the most trying of circumstances over the last 12 months."

Jim Shaw
Founder & CEO, Shaw & Co

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Jim Shaw added: “I would also like to thank our clients as they have provided us with the opportunity to demonstrate our range of industry-leading skills and expertise; be it in acquisition and exit strategies, securing finance for growth projects, or selling a business.”

The gala ceremony was held at Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol and was attended by 600 business leaders, professionals and entrepreneurs from across the region.