Lancer partner Victoria Lakers contributed a feature article for Forbes, “How To Attract Top Diverse Talent For Private Equity-Backed Companies,” providing guidance for private equity firms looking to hire diverse executives or board members for their portfolio companies:

There are significant rewards for forward-thinking companies to take advantage of this massive competitive gap by making inclusive employment practices a key foundation of organizational hiring practices. While I’ve observed many private equity firms say diversity is a priority, the paradigm has been slow to change. Because private equity firms are accountable for driving long-term returns for their limited partners, and the right executive team can mean the difference of tens to hundreds of millions of value creation, there is little room for error in hiring.

Given this backdrop, how should private equity firms solve the “pipeline” issue and look to find and attract strong diverse candidates in the near term? The key to finding and hiring high-caliber leaders is to expand networks and examine which qualifications will really drive success for the hiring company and its private equity backer.

Read the article on the Forbes website.