LDC wins six awards at the East Midlands Rainmaker Awards 2026

LDC’s East Midlands and East of England team took home six awards at the 2026 East Midlands Rainmaker Awards last night, scooping Rainmaker of the Year, Private Equity Team of the Year and four Deal of the Year awards including Large Deal of the Year, Medium Deal of the Year, Small Deal of the Year and Out of Region Deal of the Year.

The awards, held at the Crowne Plaza in Nottingham last night, brought together 300 corporate finance professionals to celebrate the standout deals, teams, and individuals of the past 12 months.

David Bains, Partner and Head of East Midlands and East of England at LDC, took home the prestigious Rainmaker of the Year award. Over the judging period, David has led the team to complete several significant transactions, including its investments in Coalville-based vegetarian and vegan products provider Bespoke Menu Solutions in September 2025 and Lincoln-based drone training and operations platform Eagle Eye Innovations in February 2026. He has also played a key role in its exits from Nottingham-headquartered marina owner and operator Aquavista in September 2025, premium milkshake brand Shaken Udder in November 2025 and Derbyshire-based global uniform solutions business MiHub in April 2026. In addition, David has continued to grow the team and support local communities through mentoring and volunteering.

The LDC East Midlands and East of England team was recognised with Private Equity Team of the Year reflecting its continued momentum and the completion of eight transactions during the qualifying period. This included supporting its portfolio to make a series of strategic acquisitions, including Aquavista’s acquisition of three marinas in the North West of England in August 2025 and Littlefish’s acquisition of Stripe OCT in February 2026.

The team also won Large Deal of the Year for the exit of Aquavista to Antin Infrastructure Partners following a successful seven-year partnership; Medium Deal of the Year for its investment in Eagle Eye Innovations; Small Deal of the Year for IDSL Group’s acquisition of Fire Doors Rite; and Out of Region Deal of the Year for its exit of Shaken Udder to Idilia, the leading chocolate business in Spain, following a successful four-year partnership during which the business scaled significantly.

LDC extends its congratulations to all the companies and individuals that were recognised at this year’s awards. You can view the full list of winners at the East Midlands Rainmaker Awards 2026 here.