Gender bias in M&A sector - Claire Trachet

Business Advisor, Claire Trachet, speaks on her experience in the Mergers and Acquisitions sector, having facilitated $500m worth of deals in the past three years

Business Advisor, Claire Trachet

I set up the business as a hands-on boutique advisory in 2016 following both a successful career in corporate finance and as an award-winning entrepreneur with the mission of helping others accelerate growth. In the six years since the firm's inception, we’ve now amassed an impressive track-record across a wide array of sectors globally ranging from Cybersecurity to other tech heavy sectors, however the road to becoming an established business came with an array of challenges, especially as a female founded and led advisory in what is predominantly male dominated sector - finance.

After embarking on my entrepreneurial journey, friends and acquaintances continuously turned to me for guidance and counsel, ranging from simple transactions to some very complex operations. I began to understand how limited the access to appropriate counsel was for many startup founders - especially women - with established businesses.

Since women-led businesses have to do with lesser capital - to avoid dilution - they hence see their growth potential tethered which puts the business’ survival at risk - especially in light of the challenging economic climate, which will be an important factor over the next six months. The silver lining is that women are used to being resourceful and doing with less capital, hence are well experienced for tougher market conditions. This is also probably a key reason why women-led businesses generate better ROI over time.

We commissioned national research to highlight the gender inequalities that continue to exist throughout the UK’s business arena. Shockingly, we found 52% of all Brits stated they share the sentiment that women must work twice as hard or be twice as qualified as men to reach the same objectives in business. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this need to work harder is having a knock-on effect on mental health, with 36% of women stating they often feel tired, helpless, or lonely from the world of work due to their workload.

Social models are unfortunately still significantly biased against women and minorities. This is reflected in business by lower salaries, a slower career path, distinct lack of access to C-suite or board positions and both fewer and smaller investments received. There is no chance of reaching a more balanced set of opportunities for women and men without society making conscious choices to start with – just like getting into any new habit. In spite of these undeniable barriers, women-led businesses regularly outperform other businesses, meaning excess returns for the investors, and they tend to reach these top echelons of performance in a more capital-efficient way.

Crucially, it is important to note that I’m not advocating for the promotion of subpar businesses because they are led by women. It is about giving people a fair shot and owning the fact that biases run deep within businesses and institutions all around the world, including tech.

Claire Trachet, CEO/Founder of business advisory Trachet