Diversity gains

We strongly believe in the power of diversity. We invest only in companies that are led by mixed management teams, consisting of a balanced combination of men and women. Different people have different views, management styles and priorities. These different leadership styles lead to more balanced decision making.

Research shows that companies with a gender diverse management team are better performers and consistently generate higher and steadier returns. The larger variety in leadership styles in a diverse company result in:

• higher level of creativity and innovation,
• better risk mitigation,
• focus on longer term results
• and a different culture: employees feel more comfortable and tend to stay longer with the company, companies are characterized as “better places to work”.

The combination of these factors leads to higher customer and employee satisfaction and ultimately to better financial results.

A selection of the backing research:

• Gender diverse companies generate 10% higher return on equity and 48% higher EBIT (McKinsey, Women Matter)
• Companies with more women board directors outperform those with the least board directors by 53% higher return on equity and 66% higher return on invested capital (Catalyst, The Bottom Line)
• Of the owners of bankrupt companies 14.6% were female entrepreneurs and 85,4% male. Of the total companies 25% was owned by a woman. (Graydon: Bankruptcies: cause and effect)