The Quoted Companies Alliance, the representative body of the UK’s small and mid-cap quoted companies, brought together the small and mid-cap quoted company community at its 17th Annual Dinner held on 15 September 2011 at the Grange St Paul’s Hotel.
More than 450 small and mid-cap quoted companies and their advisers attended the prestigious event, sponsored for the third consecutive year by the London Stock Exchange. Guests were offered the unique opportunity to host a prominent small and mid-cap fund manager on their tables, which many found useful and enjoyable as they could meet investors away from the usual formal meetings and roadshows.
Speaking at the event, Xavier Rolet, Chief Executive of the London Stock Exchange, emphasised the Exchange’s commitment to small and mid-cap quoted companies and stated: “The SME community in the UK has achieved a great deal this year, and I believe we can be confident about the future. AIM, unrivalled in Europe in providing growth company finance, has emerged from the global recession as a more robust market with a wide array of quality companies, raising over £3.2 billion this year. And what's more, there are significant growth opportunities out there for all of us, in the UK, Europe and beyond. I would back our collective expertise and ability to tap into those opportunities, over and above anyone else in the world."
Fiona Kelsey, Quoted Companies Alliance Chairman and Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, also speaking at the event, noted the strength of the Quoted Companies Alliance and how a number of the organisation’s campaigns have brought forth change and positive results for quoted companies. She stated: “The overall aim of all of our work is to ensure that we have healthy and active primary markets. We call on all of you – including Government, policymakers and regulators – to work constructively towards this goal. We all need vibrant markets in which all companies of all shapes and sizes can raise finance – this is vital to the growth of the UK economy as a whole.”
Tim Ward, Quoted Companies Alliance Chief Executive, commented on the event: “Our Annual Dinner highlights the strength of the small and mid-cap community. As all our speakers touched on, small and mid-cap quoted companies are the backbone of the UK economy – their ability to grow and create jobs is key to its success. We all need to ensure that the UK’s primary markets are fit for purpose and able to provide these companies with finance to grow.”
Lucy Kellaway, an Associate Editor and management columnist of the Financial Times, gave an entertaining after-dinner speech.
Other sponsors for the evening included Simcocks Trust Limited, Wedlake Bell LLP and Morningstar.
