Thomson Financial's IFR Awards raises over £1.6 million

Thomson Financial's IFR last night raised £1,627,357 for Save the Children at its 13th annual awards dinner.

Tuesday 15 January 2008

Over the 13 years the event has now raised over £15 million for Save the Children.

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal attended in her capacity as President of Save the Children, and presented Goldman Sachs with the coveted Bank of the Year Award 2007.

The money was raised during the evening with participants pledging amounts over 15 minutes through an "interactive charity bidding board". The world's leading investment banks competed for places on the bidding board. Goldman Sachs ended up as bookrunner, donating £275,000 on the eve of the launch of Save the Children's Emergency Appeal for the people affected by floods in Mozambique.

The dinner, held in the Great Room at The Grosvenor House Hotel, London, and attended by 1,400 senior investment bankers, was organised by Thomson Financial's IFR (International Financing Review), the authoritative source of capital markets intelligence. Once again, the event was a sell out, and continues to be recognised as the key awards ceremony for global financiers.

Gary Cohn, President and Co-Chief Operating Officer, Goldman Sachs accepted the Bank of the Year award from Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal at the ceremony, which was compered by comedian Graham Norton. Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley hosted the 15-minute bidding slot where banks competed against each other to be the biggest donor. Later guests enjoyed entertainment by Jools Holland and Souled Out.

Jasmine Whitbread, Chief Executive of Save the Children, said: "The £1.6 million raised tonight by Thomson IFR and the banking community will help us save the lives of thousands of children around the world. Millions of children die needlessly every year. The money raised will ensure Save the Children can continue to save children's lives. Save the Children is incredibly grateful for the continued support given by Thomson who have raised in excess of £14million over the last 12 years."

Matthew Davies, Editor of IFR, said: "We are absolutely delighted that, despite what was a difficult 2007 for many in the investment banking industry, the industry continues to support the tremendous work carried out by Save the Children. STC's efforts across the globe are truly outstanding. The funds raised last night will finance vital projects and provide essential relief to some of the world's most vulnerable children.

"As for Bank of the Year, Goldman Sachs had another tremendous year. Many industry watchers - and many of its rivals - had characterised Goldman's strategy as one only suitable for a bull market, which would be found out in more difficult times. They couldn't have been more wrong. In fact, its emphasis on high-quality execution, insightful advice and innovative deals will be more in demand than ever in 2008, while its trading skills will be even more important in what could be a volatile environment."

A full list of winners can be viewed at www.ifrawards.com.

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Notes to Editors

1. This is the 34th anniversary of IFR, the global capital markets publication published by Thomson Financial. The Awards, which began over 20 years ago, have become a benchmark for outstanding performance in the industry, and are presented each year at the IFR Awards Gala Dinner.

The main 2007 Thomson IFR Awards are:

Key winners:
? Bank of the Year — Goldman Sachs
? Bond House of the Year — Deutsche Bank
? Equity House of the Year — UBS
? Loan House of the Year — Citi
? Securitisation House of the Year — Deutsche Bank
? Derivatives House of the Year — Deutsche Bank
? Leveraged Finance House of the Year — Credit Suisse
? Issuer of the Year — Rabobank

UK winners:
? Covered Bond House of the Year — Barclays Capital
? Sterling Bond House — RBS
? European Securitisation House — RBS
? North American Securitisation House — RBS Greenwich
? Middle East Loan House — HSBC
? Commodity Derivatives House — Barclays Capital


2. Thomson IFR is the world’s leading provider of international capital markets news and analysis. Published weekly through International Financing Review and on ifrmagazine.com, and in real-time through ifrmarkets.com and on Reuters, Bloomberg and TradeWeb, IFR provides in-depth coverage and analysis of all international bond, syndicated loan, equity and convertible issues, as well as developments in leveraged finance, emerging markets interest-rate and credit derivatives. It is read by all major banks, brokers, investors and borrowers. IFR was launched in 1974, as international capital markets activity first showed signs of growth towards a global industry. IFR is headquartered in London and has editorial bureaux in New York, Boston, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, Sydney and Sao Paulo.

3. Save the Children work with children in the UK and around the World who suffer from poverty, disease, injustice and violence.  Working with them to find lifelong answers to the problems they face. 

4. Thomson Financial, Thomson Financial, the publisher of IFR, is a provider of information and technology solutions to the worldwide financial community with 2006 revenues of US$2 billion.  Through the widest range of products and services in the industry, Thomson Financial helps clients in more than 70 countries make better decisions, be more productive and achieve superior results. Thomson Financial is part of The Thomson Corporation (www.thomson.com), a global leader in providing essential electronic workflow solutions to business and professional customers. With operational headquarters in Stamford, Conn., Thomson provides value-added information, software tools and applications to professionals in the fields of law, tax, accounting, financial services, scientific research and healthcare. The Corporation's common shares are listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC).