A Look at the Private Equity Top Female Deal Makers
Wall Street Journal’s Private Equity Analyst announced its 2019 Women to Watch honorees recently. 17 senior and rising stars in the PE industry have been given this honor and spotlight.
We’re especially proud to share this news as an all-female team dedicated to investment banking and private equity. It is wonderful to see women in the industry being recognized and celebrated! Congratulations to these 17 amazing women, and all the other women in the industry working hard to make a difference.
Here is a quick look at each of the 2019 Women to Watch:
Elizabeth Bell - Principal, Jaguar Growth Partners
Why watch: Bell oversees all stages of the deals Jaguar makes anywhere in the region outside of Brazil. Her competitive nature and sense of emotional intelligence as a team member to the firm coupled with her experience in the industry makes her stand out.
Sonya Brown - General Partner, Norwest Venture Partners
Why watch: Brown has spent the past eight years at Northwest Venture Partners, growing into her current role as general partner. Her time spent thus far with the firm includes an impressive resume of deals, including Kendra Scott LLC and PCA skin.
Melissa Dickerson - Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director, Genstar Capital
Why watch: A business-savvy leader with years of experience and incredible decision-making skills sets Dickerson apart. One of her notable achievements while Genstar Capital -- leading the build-out of Genstar’s operational infrastructure as the firm’s assets under management expanded to $17 billion from $200 million.
Stephanie Geveda - Managing Director, Warburg Pincus
Why watch: Geveda’s experience in the industry has continued to grow rapidly since her start at Morgan Stanley as an investment banker. In her current role, she has worked on some of Warburg Pincus’ most significant investments.
Elena Lieskovska - Partner and Head of European Financial Services, Värde Partners
Why watch: Lieskovska spearheaded Värde’s private equity strategy in Europe and has been a key asset to the team that has closed 11 deals totaling $2.5 billion invested since 2008.
Jennifer Mulloy - Managing Director, TA Associates
Why watch: As a member of the TA Associates team for over 20 years, Mulloy currently co-leads their North American healthcare activities and also is active on boards of multiple portfolio companies.
Emily Pollack - Managing Director, Cornell Capital
Why watch: Pollack started her career as an M&A attorney and has since combined that skills with a strong career with multiple firms, sourcing and leading notable deals. She credits her success in the industry to her “diverse background”.
René Yang Stewart - Co-Head, Vista Endeavor Fund, Vista Equity Partners
Why watch: Stewart’s background helping to grow B2B SaaS companies has given her the invaluable experience needed to be an integral part of the Vista Endeavor Fund team, focused on identifying opportunities in enterprise software.
Suzanne Yoon - Founder and Managing Partner, Kinzie Capital Partners
Why watch: Yoon took her extensive PE industry background to her hometown of Chicago in 2017 to start her own firm, Kinzie Capital Partners. Yoon and her team closed their first fund in June 2019.
Caroline Young - Partner, Hammond Kennedy Whitney & Co.
Why watch: Focused on overseeing the exit processes with the operations team and entrepreneurs at HKW, she is a very valuable member of the team.
Amy Weisman - Director of Business Development, Sterling Investment Partners
Why watch: Weisman’s deep understanding of both marketing and investment banking sets her apart from many in this industry. Her success in PE business development does not go unnoticed, and her platform advocating for continued diversity in the industry is remarkable.
Part of the 17 featured women are six women that have been successful at a young age in the industry and greatly stand out at the midlevel. Those women include Carolina Joyce, Vice President, Warburg Pincus; Meghan Leggett, Principal, White Deer Energy; Laura O’Donnell, Investment Professional, Permira; Christine Wang, Principal, Francisco Partners; Delara Zarrabi, Principal, Platinum Equity; and Angela Zhang, Principal, GI Partners.