London, June, 2013 – ACQ, a premier global M&A magazine, is proud to release the results of its ACQ Global Awards 2013 sponsored by Merrill DataSite, taking the ultimate step in the search for the most outstanding company, practice area, individual and firm-wide professionals within the public & private sectors across the globe

Since 2005, the ACQ Global Awards have been celebrating achievement, innovation and brilliance in their annual awards. A strong claim, but ACQ really is different to other publications. Very few can truly boast the heritage and reputation of ACQ.

ACQ operates a legitimately independent nomination process that importantly, our award winners are chosen by our readership.

Every year, we seek their assistance in recognizing industry leaders, eminent individuals, exemplary teams and distinguished firms, which we believe represent the benchmark of achievement and best practice in a variety of fields – and every year, we turn to our readers to help as we strive to recognize an ever-widening spectrum of services, markets, industries and organisations that the sector serves.

Exceptional individuals, teams and firms across the marketplace represent the very best in their field from around the world and truly deserve the accolade of being an ACQ Award winner." said Jake Robson, Editor in Chief of ACQ. "All category winners are in effect, a brand. In one sense, perhaps the most important sense, a brand is a promise. You know what you're going to get with a well-branded product or service. It takes a lot of time, money and very hard work to build and maintain great brands, brands that can speak volumes in just a few syllables. It's shorthand for what you are.

All category winners in the ACQ Global Awards 2013 represent this ethos and this year, our dedicated subscribers have once again recognized the genuine leaders in the market. The quality of this year's entries is astonishingly high and a testament to the fact that the profession continues to innovate and deliver high-quality services even in economically challenging times".

The marketplace is changing quickly, with greater external pressure and competition, so it's good to see that all ACQ Global Awards 2013 winners are showing no signs of complacency. Far from it, this year's nominations show that the market continues to spearhead solutions that allow it to stay at the top of the game.

The full list of winners will soon be announced at www.acqmagazine.com and promoted on FT.com** (a specifically targeted partner platform).

On behalf of ACQ, I personally would like to thank our sponsors for contributing to the success of these awards and encourage all in the marketplace, whether its businesses large or small, individuals in niche sectors or the genuine icons of the "game" to continue to pioneer and nurture new talent.

Jake Robson
Editor in Chief, ACQ