Contributors
Womble Bond Dickinson’s (WBD) Newcastle-based Corporate team has secured two accolades at Insider’s North East Dealmakers Awards 2026, winning Corporate Law Firm of the Year and Deal of the Year for LDC’s reinvestment in Aspire Technology Solutions.
The annual awards celebrate the standout transactions, teams and individuals shaping the North East’s corporate finance community. WBD’s Corporate Law Firm of the Year win recognises the strength of the team’s work over the past 12 months and its contribution to a busy and ambitious regional deals market.
The second award recognised LDC’s new investment in Gateshead-headquartered Aspire, a leading UK provider of managed IT, cyber security and modern workplace solutions. WBD advised longstanding client LDC on its reinvestment for a significant minority stake alongside new minority co-investor Federated Hermes. The transaction followed a period of strong growth for Aspire, during which revenue increased by 158% and headcount by 55% in the three years after LDC’s original investment.
The investment is intended to support Aspire’s next phase of expansion as it works towards a £100 million revenue target by 2030. The business supports more than 2,000 organisations and 30,000 end users across the UK, with more than 300 specialists based across Gateshead, Glasgow, Leeds, London and Stockton. Its progress also reflects the continued strength of the North East’s technology sector and the role of regional dealmakers in helping ambitious businesses scale.
The WBD team advising on the transaction was led by corporate partners David Ridley and Robert Phillips, with support from specialists across the firm. The winners were announced at a gala dinner at Hilton Newcastle Gateshead on 24 September 2026, bringing together leading advisers, investors and businesses from across the region.
