Managing a middle-market private equity firm with a $1.8 billion portfolio is demanding enough, but for Daphne Dufresne, there is even more to do — at work and within the private equity industry at large — especially when it comes to increasing diversity.
"I am passionate about making sure that I am not the only one," said New York-based Ms. Dufresne, who earns high praise from colleagues and portfolio company executives alike for her leadership and personal skills.
Within GenNx360 Capital Partners, she is a role model who pushes for diverse hiring candidates, including at portfolio companies.
Outside the firm, she works to increase capital for diverse investment managers as a board member of the National Association of Investment Companies and its Women in Alternatives Initiative.
She also co-founded the steering committee of PEWIN, the Private Equity Women Investor Network.
Mentoring other women is a given for Ms. Dufresne, managing partner at GenNx360.
"I have been fortunate to have people helping me along the way. It's important to look back and to make sure that you are constantly reaching back as you climb," Ms. Dufresne said.
She is excited about the next generation of women in her field, who are "not as timid. I think they get it," she said.
Still, they do face the same obstacles in private equity, including getting one's voice heard, she said.
She will keep fighting because "at the heart of it, I love what I do. That's what keeps me here. I think it's a great industry for women because there is a level of transparency. You are either performing or not," Ms. Dufresne said.
