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Breaking the Bias in Investment: How Women Investors Offer a Valuable Perspective

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Hannah Waters, BGF, a lead investor in Wales, has played a strategic leading role in some of the most prominent deals in the region over the past year, including a £14m investment in South Wales-based Victorian Sliders – the biggest ever investment for the group, and a multi-million investment in Swansea-based Character.com.

As a woman working in the investment world, I am definitely in the minority. The world of business and investment is still a predominantly male preserve. However, being part of the UK’s most active investor group, BGF allows me to challenge the norm and break the mould.

It is a proven fact that diverse and mixed board and business advisory teams are more effective and commercially successful than all-male teams.

The rise of women in business

Women are increasingly setting up their own businesses and female entrepreneurship is thriving – particularly post-pandemic. Having a blended male and female board team ensures that a range of qualities and perspectives are represented when making strategic decisions about a company’s future direction.

In my experience women in business often add huge value bringing tenacity, life experience and communication skills. Board teams need to understand the true perspective and motivators of staff, company culture and customer desires. With women on the board they are better equipped to recognise and meet the needs of their varied stakeholders.

We all have our own unconscious biases and therefore all, or predominantly, male management teams will not be able to benefit from a truly holistic view afforded by mixed teams.

Laying the foundations for the future

Women who have made it to the senior ranks and are in positions of leadership will have a platform for influence.

It’s important for us to use this to bring forward other women. Broadening peer groups and networks is one of the best ways to expand and create new professional opportunities. Mentorship is highly valuable, and not just from other women. Male mentors also have an important role to play in furthering the future prospects of their female peers.

Inspiring confidence

Confidence is a key differentiator in business, and often a reason that women have less commercial success when compared to their male counterparts. Investing in and building confidence in ourselves as women in business and inspiring this trait in others can be the key factor in promotion, progression and unlocking new opportunities.

Women should not be afraid to promote their skills within their networks and to proactively support each other in introductions to new contacts.

I’m very proud to have been integral in the team which put together one of Wales’ biggest investment deals in 2021. We invested £14m in Victorian Sliders, a specialist manufacturer of uPVC sash windows. I now sit on the board of this exciting and fast-growth company advising them on future plans and expansion strategies. We placed female Chairs on UNRVLD (Sally Tilleray, M&A veteran from her time at Huntsworth Group) and Character.com (Karen Hubbard, former Card Factory and George at Asda).

Celebrating success

I am fortunate to be working with many highly successful companies which have women leaders at their forefront. BGF has a great track record of investing in businesses with women leaders and entrepreneurs.

In 2021 we put together a multi-million-pound investment deal to acquire a 23% stake in Swansea-based Character.com, a market-leading online retailer of children’s licensed apparel and accessories. This exciting business is founded and run by husband-and-wife team Stephen and Karen Hewitt. It’s great to work with companies like this where a woman has a key leadership role.

BGF also recently invested in female-founded and run online underwear retailer Stripe & Stare, a deal which I was instrumental in managing. This is another great example where women are breaking the mould and pioneering in business.

While being a woman in business at the senior echelons may not yet be the norm, there are enough of us challenging the status quo and breaking the bias. I feel very optimistic about the future and look forward to working with many more inspiring women in the years to come.

Business News Wales