Benchmark International is home to a team of exceptionally talented individuals, among whom was the remarkable David Karnofel. Tragically, we lost Dave in December, a loss that reverberates deeply throughout our organization.

The Benchmark International team recently attended the 22^nd Annual M&A Advisor Awards Gala in New York City, presented by The M&A Advisor. We are incredibly proud of the achievements we earned, reinforcing the hard work and dedication of our team members.

Benchmark International is pleased to announce that it has been ranked in several of Mergermarket’s league tables for the number of deals it has conducted over the first three quarters of 2023, beating previous record highs.

Benchmark International is proud to be recognized again as one of the most active leaders in the M&A industry by Pitchbook, the leading resource for comprehensive data, research, and insights spanning global capital markets.

Mergermarket has released their global financial advisor rankings for the first half of 2023 and Benchmark International ranked prominently in several prestigious categories.

Benchmark International has been honored with a Gamechangers™ Progress Champion Award for diversity and fostering inclusion.

Benchmark International is proud to have been honored with two new M&A Atlas Awards from the Global M&A Network:

• Industrial Services Deal of the Year as sell-side advisor for the sale of ARC Abatement to West Fork IP, an affiliate of Fernandez Holdings
• Consumer Services Deal of the Year as sell-side advisor for the sale of Classic Emporium, LLC, to Champion Xpress Car Wash

Refinitiv, previously known as Thomson Reuters, has released their League Tables for Q1 2023, and Benchmark International was revealed as the #1 privately held M&A Advisor Worldwide and in the United States for the Middle-Market and Small Cap Markets.

We proudly announce that Opus Connect has named two of Benchmark International's esteemed team members to 2023's Top 25 Women in M&A. Amy Alonso, Senior Transaction Director, and Kendall Stafford, Managing Partner, have both been awarded the outstanding honor.

Benchmark International is delighted to announce that it has been ranked in several league tables for the number of deals it has conducted throughout 2022.

Mergermarket’s M&A League Tables for 2022 has ranked Benchmark International number 10 for the number of deals it has conducted in Ireland, up from position 27 in 2021. Other companies in the top 10 include Deloitte, KPMG and PwC.

FactSet’s Flashwire Advisor league tables has also ranked Benchmark International in its quarterly league for the number of deals it has conducted in the UK, Europe and globally in Q4.

In the UK, Benchmark has placed 8^th, 22^nd for Europe, and has ranked 40^th globally.

Benchmark International is pleased to announce that it has ranked in FactSet’s Flashwire Advisor league tables for the number of deals it has conducted in the UK, Europe and globally in Q3.

In the UK, Benchmark has placed 8th, among companies such as BDO, Grant Thornton, KPMG, and PwC.

Meanwhile, for Europe, Benchmark has placed 23^rd, and has ranked 40^th globally.

FactSet Mergers covers all deals where the buyer and seller are disclosed and the transaction involves the sale of at least 5% stake in a business, with some exceptions for impactful or high value deals.

Benchmark International is pleased to announce that it has been ranked in the top 10 by Mergermarket for the number of deals it has conducted in Ireland.

Bank of America, PwC and JPMorgan are amongst the companies to also rank in the top 10.

An Acuris company, Mergermarket delivers M&A intelligence, data and research. To qualify in its league tables, transactions must be over 5m USD in value and publicly available.

James Thornton, COO at Benchmark International, commented: “We are delighted to have been ranked in Mergermarket’s Global & Regional League Tables for the first quarter of 2022. To be ranked in these league tables is further acknowledgement of the hard work and effort our teams put into every transaction.

“Having only established an office in Ireland less than five years ago, it is great to see that we are growing our footprint and have established ourselves as a distinguished institution in this location by conducting a number of deals over 5m USD, competing with M&A industry giants.

“Over the course of the last year, Benchmark International has expanded its international reach further, establishing an office in Germany, and I’m looking forward to seeing what our new team will achieve, and seeing Benchmark International on the German league tables as well very soon!”

At the American Advertising Awards, Benchmark International's marketing team won another ADDY® award for their "Virtual Black Box" in the Microsite category. A microsite is any web page or series of pages that are a part of a larger website but intended to feature specialized information. 

At the 20th Annual M&A Advisor Awards—known as the Oscars of the M&A world— Benchmark International was awarded Investment Banking Firm of the Year. The awards are presented by The M&A Advisor, and the winners were announced at the Gala Ceremony live event held in New York City on November 17, 2021.

Benchmark International beat out the other nominees, which included Capstone Partners, Clearsight Advisors, DC Advisory, Drake Star Partners, Generational Group, Leonis Partners, and Raymond James.

These awards serve as the industry benchmark for dealmaking excellence, recognizing the leading M&A transactions, restructurings, deal financings, products/services, firms, and professionals.

Benchmark International has been listed as a finalist in nine categories in the 20^th Annual M&A Advisor Awards, presented by The M&A Advisor. The awards are known as the benchmark for dealmaking excellence, recognizing the leading M&A transactions, restructurings, deal financings, products/services, firms, and professionals. The winners will be announced at the Gala Ceremony live event held on November 17, 2021. 

The impressive categories in which Benchmark International is a finalist are listed below. 

Benchmark International is pleased to announce that Associate Director, Jack Redwood, has been shortlisted by the Thames Valley Deal Awards in the category of Young Dealmaker of the Year.

The leading event in the region’s corporate finance calendar, the awards bring together corporate finance advisers, lawyers, bankers, private equity investors, accountants, and funding specialists.

The Young Dealmaker of the Year award will be presented to the person who has had the most significant impact on completion of deals within the region and, over the qualifying period, Jack led and completed a list of impressive list of deals. Deals included the sale of Suttons Seeds to BVG Group-owned Thompson & Morgan, the transaction between RivaNet to NPIF-backed Intec Business Solutions, and the sale of Adelante Software to Aquiline Capital Partners-backed ClearCourse Partnership.

Benchmark International’s new Tampa headquarters has been spotlighted by The Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 2021 feature called Workplaces Reimagined.

The series showcases how business offices in the Tampa Bay region have changed since the pandemic, focusing on new, innovative spaces in Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota counties.

Workplaces Reimagined features one office per month in the weekly edition, and our fantastic new Tampa location in the MetWest building was covered by the publication on July 30, 2021. Our 15,000+ square-foot office was recognized for its welcoming atmosphere, sweeping views, unique décor, and ample amenities that enhance the workspace for our team.

It is just another example of how Benchmark International goes above and beyond to make sure our teams have everything they need to continue to be leaders and trailblazers in the community, and in our industry.

Benchmark International proudly announces that our Managing Partner Kendall Stafford, from our Texas office, has been named Best Mid-Market Financial Services Business Leader 2021 by the 2021 Influential Businesswoman Awards, hosted by Acquisition International.

The winners' selection is made using careful analysis of the panel's final shortlist, as well as anything else that their internal research team learned while doing their online and public due diligence. In addition, the nominee must demonstrate a high level of excellence and work ethic within their chosen field, with their dedication to innovation, commitment, and business development taken into account.

The awards are based solely on merit and not the number of votes that a nominee receives or their financial stature, offering a level playing field for individuals to showcase their talents and achievements.

The Benchmark International team congratulates Kendall on this well-earned commendation, as this isn't the first time she has been recognized as one of the best in the business. "This award confirms everything that we already know about Kendall—that she is a true leader with a unique vision that helps to keep our firm on our trajectory of success and innovation," said Global CEO Gregory Jackson.

Benchmark International is pleased to announce that our chairman Steven Keane has been named Best International Chairman of the Year by the 2021 Global 100, which is comprised of the world’s leading firms and individuals with votes from global readers in more than 163 countries.

The purpose of the Global 100 is to provide its readers with a complete picture of the world’s true global leaders within their areas of specialty. The unique process follows a very strict format of self-submission and third-party nomination, with the winners then shortlisted based on a highly comprehensive set of criteria. The judging process assesses:

• The strategic nature of work conducted
• The complexity of work conducted
• The scale of work conducted
• Whether it was done in a timely manner and within budget
• Any groundbreaking or innovative processes used

In their own words, the Global 100 provides “a benchmark of the very best of the best industry leaders, exemplary teams, and distinguished organizations.”

Our team proudly congratulates Steven Keane on earning such esteemed recognition, which is well deserved. Global CEO Gregory Jackson said, “With Steven’s outstanding leadership, Benchmark International is strongly positioned to continue to thrive and reach new milestones. This acknowledgment is further validation of how our dedication to being the very best in the business is a philosophy that permeates all levels of our team from the top down.”

The Benchmark International team is proud to announce that our chairman, Steven Keane, has been named International Chairman of the Year in the 2021 Global Business Awards given by Corp Today Magazine.

London-based Corp Today is a business enterprise magazine that focuses on emerging businesses and the world’s leading and fastest-growing companies, as well as their style of doing business and manner of delivering effective and collaborative solutions to strengthen market share. Their reader base consists of 138,000 C-level executives, VPs, Consultants, VCs, managers, and advisors.

The publication’s dedicated team of in-house researchers handpicked all of the 2021 winners based on merit and not popularity. Their stated goal is to recognize the best in the business.

We salute Steven for earning this prestigious recognition, as he certainly deserves it. CEO Gregory Jackson stated, “Steven’s exceptional leadership is a testament to the greatness that our company continually aspires to achieve, never settling for anything less than the very best. It’s just how we are wired at Benchmark International. Congratulations, Steven.”

In the GAMECHANGERS (ACQ5) 2021 GLOBAL AWARDS, Benchmark International has been named the International Mid-Market Corporate Finance Advisory of The Year.

The ACQ is a leading corporate news publication serving the sector since 2003, with a global audience of more than 261,000 subscribers. The GAMECHANGERS (ACQ5) GLOBAL AWARDS celebrate achievement, innovation and brilliance, recognizing the most outstanding organizations and professionals in the world. 

PitchBook has released their 2020 Annual Global League Tables, and Benchmark International is ranked the #1 Sell-Side Exclusive, Privately-Owned, M&A Advisors in the world. PitchBook is a leading financial data provider covering M&A, private equity, and venture capital deal activity.

“We are delighted to be recognized by PitchBook as one of the most active firms in the world,” said Greg Jackson, CEO of Benchmark International. “We remain grateful to our clients for their continued confidence in us and proud of our team’s unwavering dedication and success.”

Executive Chairman, Steven Keane added “This important news solidifies Benchmark International’s standing in the world as a true market leader in the mergers and acquisitions community. It is also a “benchmark” for our company, which was founded in 2008 and remains in private ownership, knowing that our talented team can only continue to make strides from here and carry out our mission to accomplish great things for our clients. We add this recognition to our long and growing list of accomplishments.”

PitchBook’s Global League Tables are a comprehensive report on private equity and venture capital activity worldwide for the year. They are compiled using the count of completed deals for the specified deal type, region, and other criteria. The listing only includes publicly disclosed transactions and/or those confirmed by PitchBook’s primary research team.

We are pleased to announce that Benchmark International has been named ‘Best Practice Operator of the Year (Corporate Finance)’ for both International Markets and the USA at the ACQ Global Awards of 2020.

215,000 ACQ5 subscribers were asked to nominate/vote for those they felt were the leading players within their jurisdiction. The total number of nominations received stood at an impressive 107,211 nominations.

Guided by the poll’s results, those organizations and individuals that have had the most significant impact on the industry during the past decade are duly honored. In judging these awards, ACQ5 Country Awards Program studied the nominations made by voters and recognize that all of those nominated are leaders in their fields, but the exceptional performances of some deserve recognition.

The ACQ5 Country Awards Program provides topical analysis of key trends, opportunities, and challenges, and risks representing significant regional interest or concern across a range of industries and work areas. The guide presents accessible insight into those issues transcending geographical borders and impacting strategic decision making at an International level.

Benchmark International is delighted and humbled to have received this prestigious award.

A special congratulations to Managing Partner Kendall Stafford at Benchmark International for receiving the Americas Rising Star Dealmakers award for 2020.

Global M&A Network honored the winners of the Americas Rising Star Dealmakers during the 3rd annual virtual ceremony celebrations held this year. The prestigious "once in a lifetime" award singularly recognizes brilliant and exceptional young dealmakers from the private equity and growth investors, lending, M&A, and restructuring transactional communities.

"We congratulate the winners for their talents and commitment to excellence in executing growth generating deals. They represent the future of the industry as an invaluable team member at their firm. We are especially delighted to honor their outstanding achievements during these times of economic uncertainty as the recipient of the "rising golden star" personal trophy accolade and wish them many successes throughout their professional career and for many more years ahead." said Shanta Kumari, CEO and global group editor, at Global M&A Network.

Kendall Stafford was chosen based on her track record of success, compassionate leadership skills, and expanded M&A knowledge. Kendall commented regarding the award, "It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by the Global M&A Network as one of America’s top dealmakers. I am passionate about helping middle-market business owners achieve their exit strategies. I have been fortunate to have been given the opportunity to thrive in such a rewarding market.”

Kendall began as a Director at Benchmark International's US headquarters in Tampa, Florida. She now resides as the Managing Partner at Benchmark International's Austin office, where she continues to lead with compassion, empathy, and transparency, not only for her clients but for her team. 

Check out the full list of 2020 winners HERE, and again congratulations to Kendall Stafford for being acknowledged and receiving this prestigious award.

Benchmark International is proud to announce that James Robinson, Associate Director for the Manchester Transaction Team, has been awarded ‘Young Accountant of the Year’ by Insider Media as part of its North West Young Professionals Awards 2020.

This award is for accountancy-related professionals and includes people working in professional practice and in the finance teams of corporate businesses.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions, no awards ceremony took place this year, but the achievements of those across a range of sectors including banking, accountancy, law, property and marketing, are still being honoured.

A special congratulations to Managing Partner, Kendall Stafford at Benchmark International who was recognized and awarded by Insights Success Magazine as one of the top 10 most successful businesswomen to watch in 2019.

Insights Success Magazine focuses on leading companies, their style of conducting business and ways of delivering effective solutions to strengthen market share.  

Kendall was recognized for her compassionate leadership skills and M&A knowledge that continue to shine throughout her career and success with Benchmark International.  

Kendall began as a Director at Benchmark International’s US headquarters in Tampa, Florida. She now resides as the Managing Partner at Benchmark International’s Austin office, where she continues to lead with compassion, empathy, and transparency not only for her clients but for her team.  

She is responsible for motivating and mentoring the team in Austin, ensuring customer service standards are consistently met, and effectively transacting duties the team was hired to perform.  She says, “If I do these three things successfully, everything else falls in line. My effective communication, organization, and negotiation skills serve me well in this role.” 

Kendall's reaction to receiving this recognition and award demonstrates her determination to continue to be a leader in this space and an inspiration for other women. “I’m honored to have been recognized for this award. I think it is a testament to the values I hold for myself but also for the values I continue to evoke as my role as Managing Partner at Benchmark International.”  

Kendall added in the article that for budding women leaders, she advised, “Young women who would like to start their own business should just go for it. There’s no time like the present and you must believe in yourself. Don’t listen to anyone that says you can’t do something and never let fear stop you from trying. You will learn a lot about yourself and your business during the journey and, ultimately, you will be surprised at what you accomplished along the way.” 

Check out the complete article here, and again a special congratulations to Kendall Stafford for being acknowledged and receiving this prestigious honor.  

On November 06, 2018 Benchmark International professionals attended the 17^th Annual M&A Advisor Awards in New York City and walked away winners. The award ceremony is part of a larger summit hosted by M&A Advisor that is dubbed ”the country’s premier gathering of professionals engaged in M&A, restructuring and financing.” Industry leaders, watchers, and influencers travel from around the world to participate in this renowned professional-development summit and to be recognized for their accomplishments.

Benchmark International is pleased to announce that its Managing Director, Kendall Stafford, has been awarded with the title of “Investment Banker of the Year.” Stafford was one of eight finalists for this award, and went up against other outstanding individuals in the M&A realm. Stafford is an exceptional leader on mergers and acquisitions transactions, and Benchmark International is elated to say she is a prime example to the philosophy that we leave no stone unturned.

“The award recipients represent the finest in the M&A industry in 2018 and earned these honors by standing out in a group of extremely impressive finalists,” expressed Roger Aguinaldo, Founder of The M&A Advisor. “From lower middle market to multi-billion dollar deals, we are recognizing the leading transactions, firms, and individuals that represent the highest levels of achievement.”

The recognition of the 17^th Annual M&A Awards hosted by The M&A Advisor is additional support to the claim that Benchmark International truly strives to provide the best service to its clients. Benchmark International was also recognized earlier this year at the Emerging Leader Awards and the 10^th Annual International M&A Awards, both also hosted by The M&A Advisor; the leader in M&A recognition globally. Benchmark International’s Transaction Director, Luis Vinals, was named an Emerging Leader, and Benchmark International won Regional Deal of the Year for North America for the acquisition of Gasco Affiliates, LLC by Tech Air, and also won Financials Deal of the Year for the acquisition of Silexx Financial Systems by the Chicago Board Options Exchange.

When it’s time to sell your business, you want a team on your side that will bring you the most value for your business in every facet. Benchmark International works with clients on every front, from emotional needs, to monetary needs, to cultural needs for business owners looking to exit their businesses. Call today to find out how Benchmark International can help you.

Benchmark International is proud to announce that our Chairman, Steven Keane, has won Chairman of the Year 2018 by Acquisition International. Congratulations Steven!!!

The M&A Advisor announced the winners of the Emerging Leaders Awards on Tuesday, June 26, 2018. The M&A Advisor, renowned globally for its recognition of leading M&A, financing and turnaround professionals, created this event to promote mentorship and professional development amongst the emerging business leaders. Luis Vinals was chosen from a pool of nominees by an independent judging panel of distinguished business leaders.

“The Annual M&A Advisor Emerging Leaders Awards was born as the 40 Under 40 Awards in the United States in 2010 to recognize and celebrate the achievements of young M&A, Financing and Turnaround professionals who had reached a significant level of success and made a notable contribution to their industry and community. With the expansion of the Emerging Leaders program to the United Kingdom, and Europe in 2016, the 2018 US award winners join a truly global network of outstanding young professionals,” said David Fergusson, President and Co-CEO of The M&A Advisor.

On Friday, September 14th, 2018 The M&A Advisor will host a black tie Awards Gala at the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan to introduce the Emerging Leaders Award Winners to the business community and celebrate their achievements. The Awards Gala is a feature of the 2018 Emerging Leaders Summit – an exclusive event pairing current and past Emerging Leaders winners together with their peers and industry stalwarts.

Luis Vinals is a Transaction Director at Benchmark International. He leads a team of analysts to help achieve Benchmark International’s clients’ goals of growing or exiting their businesses. Luis has experience in many different industries including, importing/exporting, specialty manufacturing, business services, etc. Luis’s experience in international trade and banking provides a unique perspective to the various transactions that he leads.

Benchmark International’s Global CEO, Gregory Jackson, has been named the CEO of the Year by Corporate Insider for their 2018 M&A Awards. This marks the seventh award for Benchmark International this year and a second individual award for Mr. Jackson.

The M&A Advisor has named Benchmark International the winner of the North American Deal of the Year and the Financials Deal of the Year for their 10th Annual International M&A Awards. Here are some photos from the event:

FINANCIALS DEAL OF THE YEAR
Acquisition of Silexx Financial Systems by Chicago Board Options Exchange

The acquisition of Silexx Financial Systems by Chicago Board Options Exchange was chosen as the Financials Deal of the Year. Managing Director, Dara Shareef, steered this deal through to the end. He said what made this deal unique was the client’s acknowledgment that to get the best deal he possibly could, he knew he needed to use a mergers and acquisitions firm.

NORTH AMERICAN DEAL OF THE YEAR
Acquisition of Gasco Afilliates, LLC by Tech Air

The sale of Gasco Afilliates, LLC to Tech Air was chosen at the North American Deal of the Year. Managing Director, Tyrus O’Neill headed the team that closed this transaction. He said it took a lot of tenacity and determination to get the client the best possible value for the company. 

The Benchmark International Team at the M&A Advisor Awards 2018 in New York:

Benchmark International has been awarded the M&A Mid-Market Firm of the Year award for 2018 from Corporate LiveWire. Corporate LiveWire is a corporate news source that provides news from all corners of the globe to business professionals in the corporate sector.

Specifically, Corporate LiveWire focuses on companies involved in mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, MBOSs, and raising finance. They take a close look at the types of transactions completed in all shapes and sizes and analyze the current market. The Corporate LiveWire M&A Awards recognize and celebrate industry experts and dealmakers from across the world.

2018 has proven to be a year of great activity for Benchmark International. Benchmark International won awards from Corporate LiveWire, ACQ5, and International Advisory Experts. These awards are proof of the commitment Benchmark International places on setting the standard for quality performance and client satisfaction.

2018 MID-MARKET M&A FIRM OF THE YEAR

Corporate LiveWire awarded Benchmark International with the 2018 Mid-Market M&A Firm of the Year. As stated on their website “Corporate LiveWire provides business professionals and individuals in the corporate finance sector with information on the latest news and developments from around the globe. The resource offers regular up to date information on an array of subject areas such as corporate transactions, international markets, business strategy and changes in legislation.”

The Global Winner’s publication, by Corporate LiveWire, will be distributed to more than 90,000 businesses and professionals. Benchmark International will be a featured listing in this publication. The organization accepts nominations from its readers and analyzes industry best practices and track records for success when considering candidates for awards. Moreover, a third-party panel of judges is used to determine the final winners for the various award categories. The Corporate LiveWire Awards identifies the successes of businesses, finance firms and individuals who have led the way in every sector across the corporate finance world. Corporate LiveWire readers nominated Benchmark International, and after a review by the judging panel and the number of nominations considered, Benchmark International was chosen as the winner of this prestigious recognition.

INTERNATIONAL MID-MARKET CORPORATE FINANCE ADVISORY OF THE YEAR 2018

ACQ5 is a leading corporate magazine and news site. It is a finance sector news source for CEOs and CFOs and other corporate finance and private equity executives from all corners of the globe. ACQ5 hosts a legitimately independent nomination process and all award winners are chosen by the industry itself. Benchmark International was chosen as the International Mid-Market Corporate Finance Advisory of
the year.

Benchmark International is pleased to announce that it has been shortlisted by Insider Media for its ‘Young Professional Team of the Year’ award, along with Associate Director, Bhavina Halai, being shortlisted for its ‘Young Business Development Professional’ award.

It may be the bleak midwinter for some, although for others it marks a four year long wait for the Winter Olympics which, for 2018, is being held in PyeongChang, South Korea, between the 9th February and 25th February.

It just so happens that this has coincided with the annual Corporate Finance Review for 2017, presented by Pro-Manchester, the largest business development organisation in the North West that represents business communities across the region, in association with Experian MarketIQ – a UK business database provider.

The review’s aim is to give insight into Manchester’s corporate finance market, examining the deals that Manchester-based advisers have worked on. This has shown that Benchmark International is giving Team GB a run for its money with it gaining all three medal table positions in the (cool) runnings for Manchester’s ‘Most Active Financial Adviser’ of 2017.

In gold place was Peter Kelly, who advised on a remarkable 25 deals in 2017. In second place, and gaining the silver medal, was Nick Hulme; and in joint third place was Roger Forshaw, who brought in the bronze for Benchmark International.

Benchmark International is proud to announce that it has, once again, been named ‘International Mid-Market Corporate Finance Adviser of the Year’ at the annual ACQ Global Awards.