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PEWIN expands Africa operations to Nigeria

By Editor
14 November 2016   |   12:02 am
The Private Equity Women Investor Network (PEWIN), a global networking organisation for senior women in private equity, has expanded its operations to Nigeria.
PEWIN

PEWIN

The Private Equity Women Investor Network (PEWIN), a global networking organisation for senior women in private equity, has expanded its operations to Nigeria.

The group, with chapters in the United States, Europe, Africa and Asia, made the move, following its formal entry in Africa earlier in the year, in South Africa.

The invitation-only members organisation, which was founded in 2007, in the United States, has been expanding internationally, opening London and Hong Kong chapters in 2015, in its first international expansion move.

Future expansion on the continent will include Cote d’Ivoire and Kenya.On 10 November 2016, PEWIN hosted an Africa Institutional Investor Roundtable in Lagos, Nigeria.

This event was attended by nearly 30 senior women investors, representing pension fund administrators, fund managers, development finance institutions, insurance companies and other stakeholders focused on private equity.

The purpose of the event was to bring into focus the role of private equity, not only as a developmental tool for the country at large, but also for women in Nigeria.

The theme of the roundtable discussion was, “Will Private Equity Save Nigeria?” and speakers included Mrs. Titi Lawani, Chief Executive Officer of Progress Trust CPFA; Ms. Eme Essien, Country Head, IFC; Ms. Abimbola Sulaiman, Head of Investments, PAL Pensions PFA; and Mrs. Ijeoma Agboti-Obatoyinbo, a senior private equity advisor.

PEWIN’s expansion in Africa comes as the investment management and private equity industries are increasing their focus on how to boost the number of women working in the industry, which is one of the most male-dominated areas of financial services.

The recently published McKinsey Women Matter Report also underscored this point on gender diversity in the workplace in Africa. According to the report, women are under-represented at every level of the corporate ladder, and fall in number the higher they climb, as only five per cent of women make it to the top.

The Chair of PEWIN, Kelly Williams, said: “It’s so rare that you interact or see a woman across the table from you on a daily basis. So we have to create these events.

“There is a real pent-up demand for women to have other women to talk to, to share their experience with, to do business with. We have seen a great response wherever we go.”

Co-Chair of PEWIN Africa and Managing Director of CBO Investment Management, Joanne Yoo, also said: “This event has taken place at a critical inflection in Nigeria where PE can truly play an important role in mobilizing long term capital into local businesses.

“We have observed that are many women in senior decision making roles who have the ability to make significant impact on the Nigerian economy.”

This theme is also reflected in a recent piece published by the Financial Times and co- authored by PEWIN members, Aubrey Hruby and Joanne Yoo, titled: “The Missing Middle in African Private Equity”.

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