Tributes have been paid to corporate finance legend Chris Silverwood, who has died suddenly.
Silverwood was a corporate financier at Harrogate-based CorpFin, an independent corporate finance boutique, offering entrepreneurs a range of corporate finance advisory services.
A familiar and popular name across the North, he was prolific on LinkedIn and his last post was just before England’s World Cup match against DR Congo on Wednesday.
Julian Kynaston, founder of Propaganda Agency, wrote on LinkedIn: “It’s with immense sadness and absolute disbelief that I woke to the news that my friend, colleague, and all-round legend Chris Silverwood passed away yesterday.
“I know many of you will already know, but for those who don’t, this will come as a real shock. Louise, his wife, has asked that the news be shared.
“He leaves behind a beautiful family. It’s very raw, and there aren’t really words – only to say that Chris leaves a hole in a lot of hearts that won’t be filled.”
Kynaston told BusinessCloud: “Chris was a big character with a genuine heart of gold and a passion for what he did. He loved people… helping them especially. He knew so much about the world in which he operated and knew so many people, the majority of who
“He was fun to be around to the point where sometimes you just needed a break from him to recover!
“Chris understood that we wanted to prove ourselves in the world of PE and he was responsible for our introduction to Endless LLP which really helped us build our credibility in the brand advisory space. For that we will always be grateful.
“Most recently we spoke daily and were active on many fronts so the news of Chris’s passing has hit the agency hard. He will be missed. Especially his smile and his stories.
“I didn’t know him in his ‘Wolf of Greek Street’ years but I once had a night out in Liverpool with him that showed me a glimpse of that wild reputation.”
Garry Wilson, chair of private equity firm Endless, said: “A tragic loss at such a young age and Yorkshire and the M&A community have lost a huge character. One of the greatest connectors of people I ever met and he always delighted in others’ successes.
“Never held back if he had an opinion or needed an explanation which the rest of us also wondered about. His posts were the most entertaining on LinkedIn.
“Thoughts to Louise and his boys and to his daughter and wider family. Also to his business partner, Tony Norwood.”
Numbed with disbelief
Mike Fletcher, managing partner, Arete Capital Partners, said he was ‘numbed with disbelief’ at Silverwood’s sudden death.
Writing on LinkedIn he said: “What can I say? My ‘big brother from another mother’, the scouser from the ‘wrong side of the Pennines’, so full of life, fun, happiness and opinion, with the drive of 1,000 men and wit sharper than a Japanese knife.
“Nearly 30 years ago, Chris was one of the first people I met in my first C&L Residential’s at the West Brom Moat House.
“To say we hit it off immediately was an understatement as we created havoc all week amongst the ranks pulling seminars off agenda in the day and not going to bed at night.
“Latterly, Chris was always a welcome visitor several times a year to Liverpool, our box at Anfield and was the scourge of the local casinos! I would always love our catch-ups, as would everyone else.
“Chris was a true one-off and as Garry Wilson said, ‘he delighted in the success of others’ – I wish more people were wired just like him.
“My sincere thoughts to his wife, Louise, and of course all of his kids at this terrible time.”
Fletcher told BusinessCloud: “Chris was just a unique guy, I think a ‘legend’ is definitely true, and someone who was brave enough to say it as it was when others would just melt away into the background/skirt around things.
“Some people employ agents these days to have a voice or create a voice for them, Chris was his own voice and whether you agreed or not, was always entertaining and thought-provoking at the same time. Maverick yes, is that a bad thing though?
“I think he came to a footie match with me last year and then went on to the casino and won about £4k and was wandering around Liverpool with wads of cash.”
James Penny, managing director at Worktool, said: “I thought I’d share a post for a man that absolutely loved a good LinkedIn post.
“I’m absolutely devastated to hear the news of Chris Silverwood’s passing.
“It feels so strange writing a post when I only spoke to you two days ago. You were a crazy man, a family man, extremely good company, loved a BBQ and a good glass of red and had a very dark sense of humour. Rest easy mate.”
David Broadbent wrote on LinkedIn: “A larger-than-life character who always had a smile on his face – big personality but actually very humble at the same time. He will be missed .”