At the SuperReturn conference in Berlin in 2017, Advent International managing director James Brocklebank got up on stage to declare ‘There [are] not enough women in the industry’. Indeed, in 2017 the number of women in senior positions stood at 9%, below that in venture capital or hedge funds.
It is a complex issue, one whose detrimental effects extend to business performance as well as representation and recruitment. Over the course of several months The MBS group has used its extensive experience and network within the private equity industry to investigate the causes, current state, and potential solutions to the lack of women in leadership positions.
The implications are not just limited to the alternative asset industry. Just as private equity can draw valuable lessons from the work organisations such as The 30% Club have carried out among FTSE 100 companies, so other sectors can gain insight into potential solutions and causes from the efforts currently being made by PE firms.
You can download a copy of our white paper investigating the issue here: The Case for Gender Diversity in Private Equity