How can you use Use Diversity Portfolio Analysis to Create a More Inclusive Workplace?
The Future of Responsible Capital Distribution
The investment industry is becoming more and more engaged with the importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion on a global scale; with the field of impact investing growing significantly. Consumers of finance and investment products are becoming increasingly connected to the mission of using capital to drive positive social outcomes as well as generating profits, putting accountability onto the shoulders of investment firms around the world.
Although such developments can be complex for organizations to navigate, it also opens opportunities for firms to build better relationships with stakeholders, and highlight why they’re competitive in the industry.
PWC’S Global Private Equity Responsible Investment survey notes that firms are using ESG criteria not just to assess risks and identify value-creation opportunities, but also to manage their portfolio. Many experienced finance and investment professionals are maintaining the mindset that socially responsible portfolios are more sustainable and future-proof. Learn more about to relationship between ESG and DEI here.
What is Diversity Portfolio Analysis?
In this context, when discussing diversity portfolio analysis we’re referring to the process of assessing the diversity and inclusion of individual portfolio companies within an investment firm. In other words, we’re getting into the granular data to understand the employees within portfolio companies, see how diverse they are, and assess what inclusive policies could be implemented to drive positive change.
There are various areas to consider within DEI work that can be split into the brackets of either ‘diversity’ or ‘inclusion’. Examples of such considerations are:
Diversity:
- What is the current breakdown of employee identities within the organization?
- What is the current breakdown of employee identities within the leadership / C-suite?
Inclusion:
- What does our recruiting and hiring process look like, and are we ensuring it welcomes people from all backgrounds?
- What are our employee policies, and are they supportive of diverse needs in the workplace?
- Do we have equitable initiatives to ensure that all employees are equipped to thrive in their roles and progress to leadership positions?
- Are a diverse range of voices heard, are we executing ideas from a diverse group, and are we being allies to historically marginalized groups to help drive change?
How can Diversio help?
At Diversio, we work with investment clients around the world through our ‘Diversio for Portfolios Platform’.
The Diversio for Portfolios platform is designed so that our academically validated DEI survey is implemented within the ‘host’ firm, as well as each individual portfolio company. With the data collected, we can visually show the current breakdown of diversity for each company, highlight ‘pain-point’ areas that require improvement, provide tailored recommendations, and offer resources to support implementation.
The Diversio platform equips users to clearly and concisely analyze detailed data sets, with which they can establish applicable DEI initiatives. This includes employees’ intersectional experiences and comparisons between different demographic groups within your organization. After changes are implemented, improvements can be tracked so you can see your progress toward your organization’s DEI goals.
Diversio offers services to support our investment and portfolio firms to incorporate DEI considerations into every stage of their work:
Sourcing – we can help to embed a DEI lens into the process of selecting portfolio firms
Diligence – we can support legislative developments and risk analysis
Engagement – we help you to effectively communicate your DEI efforts to stakeholders
Tracking – we work with clients to continuously track data and make improvements
Educational training to improve DEI within firms
Educational training to improve DEI within investment considerations
For more information on Diversio, or how we can help you start your DEI program contact us at info@diversio.com
