Sovereign wins "Small Buyout House of the Year" at Unquote British Private Equity Awards 2008

Sovereign is very pleased to announce that it has won the strongly contested "Small Buyout House of the Year" category at last week's British Private Equity Awards 2008.

Acknowledging clear leadership in the UK lower mid market, the award was presented to Sovereign in recognition of its consistently high standards in successful deal origination, execution, portfolio management and exits.

The judges praised Sovereign for "doing what it does best" in the ongoing application of its Buy & Build strategy and for its "incredible", yet prudent, deal flow and strong exits.

Sovereign has won four private equity awards during 2008 proving a strong endorsement of its strategy and the value it creates for both its portfolio companies and for its investors.

Commenting on the latest award, Andrew Hayden and Ryan Robson, Managing Partners at Sovereign said: "We are delighted that Sovereign has once again been recognised as a leader in the UK lower mid market. We continue to clearly differentiate ourselves, both in terms of the rigorous application of our Buy & Build strategy, and our UK sector focus and expertise."

Sovereign has completed 20 platform, bolt-on and rollout transactions so far in 2008 in its chosen sectors of healthcare services, education & training and business support services.