Verdane’s Blenda Lagerkvist named on Real Deals Future 40 Diversity and Inclusion Leaders list

Blenda Lagerkvist, head of talent & strategic HR at Verdane has won a spot on Real Deals’ Future 40 Diversity and Inclusion Leaders list. 

Real Deals has announced that Blenda Lagerkvist made this years’ list for putting D&I high on the agenda at her firm. Since joining the Northern European growth investor two years ago, Blenda has instigated a diverse hiring strategy, significantly increasing the number of women, social backgrounds, nationalities and LGBTQ+ employees

The Real Deals Future 40 Diversity and Inclusion Leaders list, in association with Private Equity Recruitment (PER), showcases key individuals in the asset class who have made or are making a notable impact on improving diversity and inclusion practices across their firm and the wider industry.

In light of recent events across the globe and continued efforts to make the industry a more diverse and socially conscious industry, it’s certainly a very apt time to shine a light on this extremely important topic. This years’ list not only highlights key dealmakers, but also those working behind the scenes at private equity and venture capital firms to make a true difference to how we engage with gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality and disabilities and wider D&I policies.

Lagerkvist said: “When these talents struggle to get a fair chance to succeed due to old fashioned norms or structures, I have always tried to create eye-openers for the people in power to get them understand the outcome of their actions and remind them that diverse companies perform better financially, with a higher employee engagement.”

Real Deals editor Talya Misiri said: “Private equity invests in all types of businesses across many different countries and societies, and yet, the people who invest, mainly share a similar race, sex or socio-economic background. Luckily, there is an increasing minority that are actively trying to change this.

“In this years’ list, we celebrate those who are breaking down these pre-existing barriers. Those who are opening the doors of the asset class to all, to make it an industry where people from all walks of life are accepted, welcomed and have the opportunity to succeed.”