IFC

We helped IFC make the business case for gender-lens investing to their private equity fund managers

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is a global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector in developing countries. A key objective of IFC is to create markets that address the biggest development challenges of our time, including gender equality. One of the ways in which IFC seeks to advance gender equality, is by engaging the private sector from a business case angle.

Steward Redqueen collaborated with Women’s World Banking, non-profit that strives womens financial inclusion around the world, to develop a gender-lens investing training for IFC’s private equity fund managers.

We researched how gender-lens investing affects financial results when applied to different stages of the investment process. Although gender-lens investing is still a relatively nascent topic, we relied on our experiences in developing trainings within the impact investing field, and Women’s World Banking’s gender expertise. We developed a straightforward training for fund managers that showed mainstream investors the business case for gender-lens investing and provided them with practical tools that they could apply after the training.

The training supports IFC’s efforts to emphasise equal opportunities for participation of men and women in both fund manager operations and their portfolio companies and establishes a set of tools for IFC Investment Officers and IFC Client Funds to close gender gaps.