Painter named Young Financier of the Year at the North West Insider Young Professionals Awards

James Painter has been named Young Financier of the Year, at the North West Insider Young Professionals Awards. In the qualifying period alone, James has completed one new deal, two bolt-on acquisitions and Palatine’s largest ever exit.

The successful exit of Westleigh Partnerships achieved over a 3x return and 96% IRR within less than two years of making the original investment. James supported the secondary buyout of ZyroFisher. In addition to this, Palatine provided follow on funding to ZyroFisher to fund the bolt-on acquisition of Royal Velo France, a French cycling parts and accessories business, which would enable growth in international markets.

James was also commended for his non-executive director roles at TTC and Verdant Leisure. In particular he supported Verdant Leisure’s buy-and-build strategy with the bolt-on acquisition of Scoutscroft Holiday Centre. This marked the fourth holiday park purchase in 18 months for the business, and its eighth site overall.

“In particular, James has provided exceptional support to Verdant Leisure over the last two years. He has actively helped seek out new opportunities for growth, whilst also implementing operational changes that have improved efficiency and cost-saving. James stands out as an exceptional PE professional and a wonderful character, and he thoroughly deserves the title of Young Dealmaker of the Year.” Graham Hodgson, Chief Executive Officer – Verdant Leisure