McGuireWoods is launching an initiative to help Black private equity and finance professionals develop business opportunities and drive progress toward a more diverse and inclusive community.
The Black Professionals in Private Equity & Finance (BPE) initiative will bring together professionals from across the financial services sector to network, share ideas and promote change in the industry. BPE will feature panel discussions and roundtables with leaders in the financial services sector and an online series highlighting trailblazers and rising stars.
McGuireWoods partners Greg Kilpatrick, chair of the Securities & Capital Markets Department, and Gerald V. Thomas II, chair of the Tax & Employee Benefits Department, lead the new initiative.
“Access to capital is a persistent challenge for Black-owned businesses and McGuireWoods wants to be part of the solution,” Kilpatrick said. “We believe that increasing diversity in private equity and finance will result in more capital flowing to Black and other minority-owned businesses.”
“McGuireWoods’ deal work and innovations distinguish the firm as a leader in private equity and finance,” Thomas added. “This initiative will build on that success by providing a platform for Black private equity and finance professionals to expand their relationships and opportunities.”
BPE leaders will appear on the “Deal Us In” podcast, part of the firm’s Women in Private Equity & Finance initiative, and on McGuireWoods’ healthcare-focused “Across the Table” podcast.
In league tables published by Refinitiv and Bloomberg, McGuireWoods consistently ranks among the leading law firms for syndicated lending, capital markets transactions, and M&A and private equity deals.