Nominate the Women of Influence in Private Markets 2023

Tell us who you think should be included on the third annual list, which celebrates the achievements of women working across alternative assets.

Nominations are open for the third annual Women of Influence in Private Markets list, which recognizes trailblazing women in alternative assets. The deadline for nominations is end of day Wednesday 22 March 2023.

Each year, PEI Group’s Women of Influence list celebrates 60 women working across private markets, including private equity, private debt, infrastructure, real estate and venture capital. It aims to highlight the myriad ways women demonstrate excellence in private funds and to shine a light on their accomplishments in an industry that has traditionally been male dominated. 

Among the 10 women named in the real estate category in last year’s Women of Influence list were Gemma Burgess, chief executive officer of Ferguson Partners; Kathleen McCarthy, global co-head of Blackstone Real Estate; Tracy Stroh, managing director and region head for Europe at GIC; and Kim Hourihan, global chief investment officer of CBRE Real Estate Investments.

Across the other asset classes, MV Credit managing partner and head of investor solutions, Nicole Downer; Tara Bishop, founder at Black Opal Ventures; Melanie Biessy, chief operating officer and senior partner at Antin Infrastructure Partners; CVC’s partner and head of healthcare for EMEA, Cathrin Petty; and Blackstone global head of private wealth solutions Joan Solotar, were just some of the women who were recognised.

Read about the 60 professionals included in last year’s Women of Influence list here.

PEI Group’s editorial teams will decide the list based on the following criteria:

  • The nominee’s achievements over the last 12 months (since 1 March 2022) in their careers, their firm or the private funds industry;
  • Evidence of innovation or game-changing actions (eg, closing an innovative deal, securing an LP commitment or launching DE&I initiatives);
  • Evidence of leadership, impact or influence on others within the industry and beyond.

Achievements considered noteworthy might include, for example: a promotion; starting a mentoring program; playing an instrumental role in an innovative or significant deal; implementing an ESG policy; leading their fund’s investment activity in a new sector or region; taking identifiable steps to facilitate greater DE&I in their firm/portfolio companies/the wider industry; founding a new firm; helping their organization successfully navigate market disruption.

To be eligible, nominees must work in the private funds industry, namely private equity, private debt, infrastructure, venture capital or real estate. We welcome nominations for women working in a variety of roles at managers, investors, as well as advisory firms.

There are no age or geographical restrictions. However, nominees should not have appeared in PEI Group’s 2021 or 2022 Women of Influence in Private Markets lists.

The Women of Influence list 2023 will be published in July by Private Equity International, Private Debt Investor, Infrastructure Investor, Venture Capital Journal and PERE.

How to submit your nomination

  • Fill in the online nomination form.
  • On the form, in less than 300 words, include details of what the person has achieved over the last 12 months (since 1 March 2022) to make them worthy of being included in the list. Include any other achievements over the course of their career that should be considered.
  • Any information included in the nomination should be suitable for publication.
  • Tell us which category you are entering the nominee for: private equity; infrastructure; private debt; venture capital; real estate; cross asset class. Choose the category that applies most closely – PEI Group’s editorial teams reserve the right to consider all entries for all categories.
  • Tell us the profile of the organization the individual works for (GP/fund; LP/investor; advisory firm).
  • Firms and PRs are welcome to submit nominations, with no more than a single nomination per firm for each category.
  • If you are nominating someone from your own firm, you must also nominate a candidate from another firm to be eligible.

Submit your nomination.

If you have any queries, please contact: womenslist@pei.group