Women’s Investment Fund
The Women’s Leadership Fund, created by Naissance Capital, invests in companies having a greater than average number of women in key roles, which research has shown to generally outperform in the market. The eight-member board of the new fund encompasses seven top career women from around the world, including Cherie Blair, prominent lawyer and wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Kim Campbell and Jenny Shipley, respectively former prime ministers of Canada and New Zealand, and Wendy Luhabe, Chair of South Africa’s Industrial Development Corporation and considered one of Africa’s leading entrepreneurs.
A study of 89 top European companies by the McKinsey consultancy showed that return on equity (ROE) and stock price growth were higher in firms employing above average numbers of female directors and managers. Similarly, California’s Pepperdine University found that firms with the strongest willingness to promote women to executive positions enjoyed between 18%- 69% greater profitability than those that did not within the same industry. The study covered 215 different Fortune 500 firms over a period of 19 years. These studies and more can be found in European Diversity Research & Consulting’s International Business Case Report.
Naissance Capital will commit 20% of the fees raised by the Women’s Leadership Fund to relevant charitable opportunities. These are likely to include academic scholarships for gifted female students and donations to charities supporting women in developing countries.
