Arshnoor Amershi has been crowned Corporate Rising Star of the Year at the 2024 Legal 500 Northern Powerhouse Awards.

The Associate Partner at Manchester law firm, Pannone Corporate, was one of 49 winners at the annual event in Leeds, with nearly 400 people shortlisted across 25 categories.

Arshnoor, who recently co-led the corporate team on the sale of the MIDEL and MIVOLT businesses to Shell plc, commented: “I’m still absolutely speechless! To win the Corporate Rising Star of the Year Award is a real privilege and testament to the incredible team at Pannone, our fantastic clients, and everyone who has supported me along my journey.”

The Legal 500 Northern Powerhouse Awards recognise the array of legal talent across the North, North West, North East and Yorkshire & the Humber, celebrating their achievements over the past year. This is the second year the awards have been held, following last year’s inaugural event in Manchester.

Based on The Legal 500’s market-leading independent research for the annual directory, winners are selected by a judging team spearheaded by The Legal 500 UK editor Georgina Stanley, with the support of a 40-strong team of in-house and freelance researchers.

Paul Jonson, senior partner at Pannone, said: “Huge congratulations to Arshnoor! This award is truly deserved and highlights the dedication and passion she has shown, while building an excellent reputation in the corporate finance market across the North.”

Pannone Corporate has advised APRIL Group, the leading wholesale insurance broker in France and Europe, on the cross-border acquisition of Lexham Insurance, a specialist two-wheeler insurance broker.

Lexham was established in 1999 and has since become a leading provider of moped, scooter and motorcycle insurance in the UK.

The acquisition reinforces APRIL’s ambition to expand its international footprint in specialist personal property and casualty (P&C) niche insurance, such as two-wheeler insurance, building on its presence in France and Spain. As part of the deal, Lexham CEO, James Miller, will continue to lead the business with his team.

Pannone’s corporate team included partner Tom Hall who co-led the deal with director Andrew Walsh, with further support from Belinda Cheung and Georgina Bligh-Smith.

Hall said: “This is a fantastic deal to kick the year off with – one that demonstrates the continued appetite of overseas investors and trade buyers, seeking to scale their operations internationally through strategic buy and build opportunities.

“APRIL has built up an excellent reputation in the European two-wheeler insurance sector and the acquisition of Lexham Insurance marks an important step in expanding its presence in the UK market.”

APRIL has a network of over 15,000 partner brokers internationally. With 2,400 employees, the company provides health and personal protection insurance, loan insurance, international health insurance (iPMI), property and casualty niche insurance and savings in investment products.

Marc-André Dupont, Head of APRIL Group property and casualty division, said: “We share Lexham’s passion for customer service and its recognised expertise in network management. With James Miller, who will continue to lead Lexham, we have begun to identify synergies that will enable us to create value across Europe.”

Lexham Insurance offers in excess of 20 different insurance products, including quad insurance, car insurance for motorcyclists, motorhome and camper, as well as motor trade and commercial insurance. It employs 200 employees across three UK offices.

Other advisors on the deal were:

• Charles Pétré and Olivier Cœnon of Caurus Partners (buy-side: corporate finance)
• Jenny Pape at Azets (buy-side: tax and structuring)
• Josh Bates at O’Connors (buy-side: regulatory)
• Osborne Clarke (sellers – legal )
• Grant Thornton (sellers – corporate finance).

Photo credit: Milos Muller

Pannone Corporate has advised on the share sale of Detectronic– a specialist in sewer and wastewater network monitoring and management.

The Lancashire-based company was acquired for an undisclosed sum by environmental services business Adler and Allan Limited. This is A&A’s fourth acquisition in the utilities sector, and sixth overall in the last 18 months. The deal will further enhance its capabilities in wastewater telemetry and monitoring.

Pannone’s corporate team advised the shareholders of Detectronic, a long-standing client of the North West law firm. The team included corporate partner, Tom Hall, and Andrew Walsh, senior associate. They were supported by Renee Neophytou and Lizzie O’Leary.

Hall said: “Since we first started working with the team at Detectronic more than a decade ago, the company has built up an unrivalled reputation for its innovative and creative approach to environmental services, with extensive experience in sewer and wastewater management.

“The business has achieved enormous success in recent years and the sale to a company of the ambition of Adler and Allan marks an important chapter in Detectronic’s growth journey. As a long-standing and trusted client, we look forward to seeing how the company flourishes under the expert stewardship of Adler and Allan.”

Detectronic is an environmental and engineering company with a proven track record of helping customers prevent flooding and reduce pollution. It designs and manufactures a range of flow and level monitors for wastewater monitoring including LIDoTT, a market-leading range of sewer level monitoring devices.

Steve Woods, Executive Chairman at Detectronic, said: “We are delighted to be joining the Adler and Allan Group. The services it offers, combined with its established position in the utilities market, allows us to extend our expert monitoring and management solutions to more companies.”

Adler and Allan provides environmental services across utilities, energy, and industrial infrastructure, to reduce risk to the environment, people, and organisations.