As the only program of its kind in Canada, the Canadian Dealmakers program recognizes participants who have made a significant contribution to the M&A market. The awards honour Canadian companies and individuals whose transactions have significantly impacted their industry through innovation and growth; establishment of best practices; enhancement of customer needs and products; and creation of value.

The Canadian Dealmakers awards are jointly run by Deloitte, The Globe and Mail, Lexpert and Thomson Reuters and draw on a panel of eminent judges. The event marks the highlight of calendar for the business community, where we are able to bring together all the leading decision makers and strategists involved in M&A and raising money, in one place at one time, to celebrate the art of the deal.

Does your deal qualify? 

View the 2009 list of publicly disclosed transactions. 

Each year, we identify the deals, and the people behind them, that stand out. The same is true whether it's against a backdrop of easy money and large deal volume -- or a year like this past one where financing got tight and the deals and financings got tougher to get done. In these turbulent times, we give special consideration to the innovation and perseverance needed by lawyers, bankers and company executives to deliver.

The awards gala on March 3, 2010 brings the same groups celebrated in the annual Big Deals report in The Globe and Mail, which offers the definite league table guide to top performance in underwriting and legal advisory roles in M&A, IPOs, stock and bond offerings and other categories. The Big Deals report profiles the winners and captures the trends of the year in deal making, based on data provided by Thomson Reuters.

But the Canadian Dealmakers isn’t just an award ceremony. By bringing together the great minds of the M&A sector, the program sheds light on deal-making best practices and delivers insight into the factors that contribute to real world success.

Award categories

The following award categories allow our eminent judges to identify the world-class achievements of both companies that initiate leading deals and the dealmakers who execute them:

• Deal team of the year
• Foreign outbound deal (U.S. & global)
• Foreign inbound deal
• IPO
• M&A by industry
• Mid market
• Private Equity
• Infrastructure
• Value creation (for transactions in the past three years)

Each year, our program partners and independent judging committee determine which award categories apply. Not all award categories are awarded every year.

New: Private Equity awards
Sponsored by the CVCA- Canada’s Venture Capital & Private Equity Association. The CVCA is currently seeking nominations in two categories:

An award for M&A transactions whose enterprise value exceeded/will exceed $100 million at close
This award will most likely emanate from investors or service providers from the Buyout side of the industry.

An award for M&A transactions whose enterprise value have been less than $100 million at close
This award will most likely emanate from the investors and service providers from the Venture Capital side of the industry.

To qualify for one the CVCA Sponsored Canadian Dealmakers Awards, the nominating member must submit a completed information sheet, prior to December 15, 2009.

Getting started
Does your deal qualify for a Canadian Dealmakers award?

To nominate your deal for an award, please review the eligibility criteria, complete the nomination form and submit your nomination as soon as possible to dealmaker@deloitte.ca. The process involves two assessment phases and judging by a panel of preeminent business leaders.

Program administrators have already compiled lists of top publicly announced transactions in each award category. Companies that have done smaller transactions or whose transaction value was not publicly disclosed should submit this form in order to be eligible. Companies that have done large transactions should also consider submitting this form to provide additional information for the judges to consider.

Nominations for the Deal Team of the Year award should describe the team’s achievements during the year but also consider the nature of the information requested for the other awards for guidance purposes when drafting their nomination.

What makes Canadian Dealmakers different than other award programs?

As the only program of its kind in Canada, the Canadian Dealmakers takes a unique approach to these industry awards. Unlike other programs, Canadian Dealmakers is:

• Limited only to Canadian companies and dealmakers.
• Focused on a broad range of industry segments, including oil and gas, basic materials, industrials, consumer goods, consumer services, telecommunications, utilities, financial and technology.
• Free to applicants. Your only investment is approximately 15 minutes to complete the nomination form.
• Much more than an award ceremony. We also offer year-round opportunities for networking, education and the sharing of best practices.

Nominations are now closed, with the first round of judging taking place in mid-December 2009.

Supporting Canada’s future dealmakers

Canadian Dealmakers is once again committed to supporting Junior Achievement of Canada. All net proceeds from the Canadian Dealmakers awards gala will go to Junior Achievement of Canada. Junior Achievement's purpose is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.

To purchase a table or sponsor the event please contact Grace So at (416) 609-5838 or grace.so@thomsonreuters.com