At IFC, we have long enabled companies and economies to grow by strengthening women’s participation in the private sector. On March 7 2019, together with investment firm RockCreek and management consulting company Oliver Wyman, and with the generous support of the Government of Canada, IFC launched the report Moving Toward Gender Balance in Private Equity and Venture Capital.
Join the conversation: #Equality4Equity
Additional resource: Private Equity and Value Creation: A Fund Manager’s Guide to Gender-Smart Investing (2020)
The study explores the link between financial returns and gender diversity; the lack of women in the industry; and steps needed to achieve gender balance. One of the key findings of the report is that private equity and venture capital funds with gender-balanced senior investment teams generated 10 percent to 20 percent higher returns compared with funds that have a majority of male or female leaders.
The report draws on gender diversity and performance data from more than 700 funds and 500 portfolio companies; survey results from over 500 fund managers and institutional investors; interviews with more than 50 investors and gender diversity experts; and case studies of more than 10 private equity and venture capital funds and institutional investors that are addressing the gender-imbalance in their own work. The report also gathers recommendations for fund managers and institutional investors to help move the industry towards gender balance.
