Call for Nominations

The M&A Advisor has announced the call for nominations for the Thomas Farrell Memorial Award, now in its 5^th year. The deadline for submitting nominations has been Extended to Friday, September 22, 2023 at 4pm Eastern. You may submit nominations of your dealmaker who meets the below criteria.

Who Was Thomas (“Tom”) Farrell?

Tom Farrell was a man of faith, family and passion.

Tom grew up in New York, graduating from the Rochester Institute of Technology.  He held long-term senior positions with Eastman Kodak, Geneva Citigroup, and Generational Group.

Tom LOVED the business of mergers and acquisitions.  He loved the people, the products and the demanding process of client origination.

Tom operated with an infectious positivity.  If he noticed someone having a sour day, perhaps after a deal had just collapsed, he would grab them by the lapel and say “I love this business!” 

The capstone of his career occurred at the M&A Advisor Awards Gala in November 2016, where he accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award. He bravely spoke about his experiences and the health battle he was facing. It was one of the few times at a Gala you could hear a pin drop. Tom succumbed to his illness shortly thereafter passing on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2016.

Memorializing Tom’s Legacy of Passion and Success

The Thomas Farrell Memorial Award was established by The M&A Advisor, in partnership with Generational Group, to honor dealmakers who:

1. Share Tom’s unbridled passion for the business of mergers and acquisitions.

2. Have led skilled implementations of deal origination and/or business development strategies.

3. Have enjoyed sustained professional success over an extended period.

Over the last 5 years, the Award has become an important element of The M&A Advisor culture and community.

Criteria for Nominating a Professional for the Thomas Farrell Memorial Award

We are striving to recognize an M&A professional who exemplifies leadership in mergers and acquisitions in the model of Tom Farrell, with the following criteria:

a. Nominees must demonstrate leadership and have worked in the M&A industry for at least 10 years.

b. Upon selection, the winner must be present to receive the Thomas Farrell Memorial Award and attend other sessions and festivities of the Future of Dealmaking Summit in New York City on November 14-15, 2023.  Please do not submit a nomination if the nominee has an existing conflict on these event dates.

c. Prior recipients of the Thomas Farrell Memorial Awards are NOT eligible.

d. Eligible candidates are invited to submit a nomination directly or be nominated by their company, colleagues, friends or family.

e. The nomination must be completed in its entirety for the Nominee to be eligible.

f. A separate nomination form must be submitted for each professional nominated.

g. Nominations must be submitted online using this website only. 

Nominations Fee and Deadlines

NOMINATION DEADLINE EXTENDED: Friday, September 22, 2023 at 4pm Eastern – There is no submission fee for submitting a nomination for the Thomas Farrell Memorial Award. Nomination fees have been subsidized and paid for by Generational Group.

Submission Process

The process for submission is as follows: 

Prepare the following information that will be requested for online submission:

· Nominee contact Information
· Biography – 150 word maximum (for publishing)
· Nominee high-resolution headshot picture – 300 dpi, .jpeg format
· Communication contacts
· Responses to 4 confidential short essay questions (which generally overlap with the published biography) – career accomplishments, professional expertise, community and/or charitable activity, and any unique circumstances.

Create an account to manage your nomination submission(s). You will be able to save the data and return to the online form to complete your submission(s) at your convenience.

Fill out the Online Nomination Form. Note that a separate Nomination Form must be prepared for each professional nominated.

Judging Process

An independent committee of M&A, Financing and Turnaround industry business leaders will judge the nominations. These judges will evaluate the nominees’ career accomplishments and professional expertise. Consideration will also be given to community service, philanthropic endeavors and any unique circumstances.

Confidentiality

The M&A Advisor and its independent judges will maintain the strictest confidentiality possible for all sensitive details provided. Nomination forms will not be publicized. Upon the selection of Award Winner, only the candidates’ names, titles, firm name, photograph and submitted biography will be publicized.