Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia: Institutional investors in the alternative investments industry are driving efforts to improve gender diversity at the funds and portfolios they invest in.
However, recruiting, retaining and advancing women is still the biggest challenge, finds KPMG's sixth Women in Alternative Investment's report.
The majority of women and men (84 and 76% respectively) surveyed agree that achieving gender diversity is a business imperative. The report titled "The Call to Act", was based on a global survey of 886 participants, which, for the first time, included both women and men.
Over the next year, 75% of the investors surveyed said they plan to ask investment teams to report their diversity efforts, up from 60% last year.
More than one third (37%) of the investors surveyed said they will require disclosure of diversity statistics for all potential investments, up from just 16% last year.
42% of investors said they will require the firms in their portfolios to improve diversity, up from just 11% last year.
"We are at a critical time for women in business, and even in the highly male-dominated Alternative Investments industry we're starting to experience progress," said Kelly Rau, co-author and Audit partner for KPMG's Financial Services practice.
"There is still work to be done, but what's interesting is that the push toward more balance is coming not only from inside the AI organizations...................... To view our full article Click here
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