Hamilton Lane Partners with Girls Who Invest as Part of Commitment to the Advancement of Women in the Private Markets
For the third consecutive year, Hamilton Lane has partnered with Girls Who Invest, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the number of women in investment management and executive leadership in the asset management industry.
The partnership is a key component of the firm’s commitment to the advancement of women in the private markets, which also includes Hamilton Lane’s annual Undergraduate Women’s Private Equity Summit; the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Council Speaker Series; and sponsorships of a number of conferences and organizations including the Women’s Association of Venture & Equity (WAVE) and the Women’s Private Equity Summit, among others.
Hamilton Lane supports Girls Who Invest through financial sponsorship and by hosting two undergraduate interns. Again this year, the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Council and Fund Investment Team spearheaded the program, during which the undergraduate students work on the firm’s Fund Investment Team for the summer.
Girls Who Invest’s vision is to have 30 percent of the world’s investable capital managed by women by 2030. To help meet this goal, the organization provides finance education, internships, mentoring and an ongoing supportive community to high-potential scholars. In total, over 325 students have completed the flagship 10-week summer intensive program since inception four years ago. Eighty percent have pursued careers in finance.
“It’s no secret that fewer women than men select private equity as a career path out of college, and an even smaller minority stay in the industry long enough to take on a leadership role,” said Andrea Kramer, Global Head of Fund Investments at Hamilton Lane. “Through a combination of our own initiatives plus partnerships with organizations like Girls Who Invest, we believe we can start to change this paradigm by introducing undergraduate women to the various career opportunities in the private markets.”
“Hamilton Lane has been an ardent supporter of Girls Who Invest for the past three years,” said Janet Cowell, CEO of Girls Who Invest. “We’re deeply appreciative of their partnership and efforts in helping us work towards achieving gender parity in the investment management industry.”
Mario Giannini, CEO of Hamilton Lane, commented: “From our early days we have worked to cultivate a diverse and inclusive environment at Hamilton Lane, which we’ve done through a culture of mentorship, supportiveness and inclusivity. Today, women comprise 40 percent of our employee base and 36 percent of senior positions globally, compared to the industry average of just 10 percent. Still, we know there’s always more to be done and we are committed to continuing to support women in the private markets both internally and through programs like Girls Who Invest.”