March Women - Women in M&A

Events are huge part of March Women - Women in M&A, they underpin everything but we do so much more. Our members have recently shared: - Messages about job offers members have received and how March has played a big role - Messages saying we’ve created something very special - Emails from members partnering up to co-host events with us (here and in Europe) - Members organising break-out meet-ups between events We are rapidly approaching 150 members - which means we will be moving to a waitlist for any new members interested in joining. One of the beautiful things that we are incredibly proud to have created is the sense of connection and closeness our members have. 

We spent a wonderful evening on Thursday with Eton Bridge Partners Ltd and their guests celebrating International Women's Day with a drinks reception and private tour of the incredible art at this year's Affordable Art Fair in Battersea. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with other senior leaders from the M&A space whilst enjoying the special combination of networking and viewing exclusive artwork. Thank you to Steve Clarke and team for bringing our teams together and sponsoring this event.

“March Women - Women in M&A!! Probably the best network (not just female but generally) I have ever been a part of!” We will be (metaphorically) framing that. Thank you Aika (Aigerim) Kussimova for that outstanding accolade - and to all our other members that nominated us on 10 Million Women’s call for the best female networking groups.

An absolutely 🔥 breakfast social yesterday where we heard from member Katharina Dalka on negotiation styles and skills. Trained in negotiation by Stanford and Black Swan (set up by Chris Voss, the famed hostage negotiation expert) Katharina set up BIA by StellarOne - Assertive Female Negotiation Training to focus on female negotiation skills. In her talk, Katharina discussed 5 methods of negotiation: collaborating, competing, compromising, accommodating, avoiding, and how women negotiate differently when advocating for themselves. A fascinating insight was how the women in the room negotiate. They primarily use: ✭ the collaborating method when negotiating for client vs ✭ the accommodating method when negotiating for themselves Clearly we need to get more comfortable at being uncomfortable when negotiating for our own benefit. Katharina will be running a masterclass and Q&A for us in June, more details to follow.

JC London is a women's activewear brand featuring three unique collections: Revive, Stealth, and Evolve, each thoughtfully designed to meet your sporting needs. Their high-waisted leggings are perfect for everything from yoga and gym workouts to everyday wear. Not only did JC London make a generous donation to our charity fundraiser prizes in January, they are also a partner in our member benefits programme - members can access an exclusive offer across their collection, just head to the Member Benefit Programme board in the March online community. Discover the ideal blend of durability and comfort, whether you're working out indoors or outdoors. 

We love receiving messages like this from our members: “the Cripps fireside chat was 🔥❤️ I left even more inspired and motivated”. In collaboration with Cripps, on Thursday evening we held our first of two events marking International Women’s Day 2025, with a fireside chat discussing female leadership and shifting the discussion to a “business first” one. Insightfully moderated by Hayley West, our panellists Lucy Delaney, Waleed Jamil and Victoria Symons led a lively discussion with our members and guests. Focusing on the actionable steps that organisations can take to ensure equitable opportunities for all - and a more successful business - key themes included: ✭ Flexibility as a benefit for all Flexible working should be viewed as a benefit for all employees, not just those with caregiving responsibilities. It’s crucial to measure its success through engagement and retention metrics. ✭ Sponsorship goes both ways Mentorship is valuable, but sponsorship is essential for accelerating women's careers. Leaders must actively advocate for women in rooms where decisions are made. In addition, younger men need mentorship from female as well as male leaders. ✭ Diversity as a business case Diverse teams drive innovation and better outcomes. Despite current moves to downplay it, DEI is a business imperative, not just a “nice-to-have” initiative. This needs to be expressed not with the high-level “diverse businesses are more successful” but with focus on the specifics, the lost opportunity cost and other measurable metrics. ✭ Quotas and breaking systemic barriers While divisive, quotas can play an important role in breaking down long-standing barriers. Businesses must challenge biases in hiring and promotion decisions to create equitable opportunities. _____ March Women is a private community transforming the deal making landscape for women., with members from across the M&A and private capital ecosystem.

One of our greatest pleasures is sharing how brilliant our members are - and on International Women's Day here's a recap of our Member Muses from 2024. Not forgetting our OG Member Muses from 2023 Elizabeth B., Diane Blaxland, Katharina Dalka and Victoria Welsh Together with our 2025 Member Muses Elissa von Broembsen-Kluever and Lucy Orhnial, with plenty more to come. Thank you to all our members for making March Women - Women in M&A such a special and thriving place.

A few days ago, we had the privilege of hosting a surprise baby shower and afternoon tea for one of our members, Victoria Welsh. We were thrilled to pull off this surprise and share an afternoon filled with laughter, advice on welcoming a toddler, and a little champagne for good measure! 100 Queen's Gate Hotel London looked after us very well in the beautiful Botanica atrium and we will certainly be back. The outpouring of support from everyone who contributed or attended reminded us just how close-knit and supportive our network is. At March Women – Women in M&A, we’ll continue to stand beside one another every step of the way.

On March 19th we will be hosting our first in a series of immersive wine tasting evenings with Lay & Wheeler, who will be guiding us through the art of tasting. The first session will demystify the techniques used by professionals to assess wine, focusing on appearance, aroma, and palate. By mastering these fundamentals, March members will enhance their sensory awareness and build a solid foundation for appreciating wines from around the world.

Tomorrow evening we will be hosted by Cripps for our next "In Conversation With" event: a fireside chat reframing the debate on female empowerment and moving away from “how to help women” to “how to advance the business”. Last year, Cripps surveyed 101 female C-suite executives, business owners, and founders. The resulting “Beating Bias” report examined the gender bias and career barriers senior businesswomen face, particularly in mid-market businesses across the UK. Leading the conversation will be: Lucy Delaney is a member of March Women and a Managing Director at FTI Consulting, specialising in organisational change. She advises executive boards and senior leaders on managing workforce impact during complex business transformations and transactions, including divestments, M&A, integrations, and Private Equity buyouts. With deep expertise in how people think and work, she redesigns and transforms organisational cultures and teams to drive high performance, optimise costs, and enhance operational efficiency.    Currently, she is partnering with the executive team of a global PE-owned business to reshape its culture and leadership behaviours, accelerating the execution of its Value Creation Plan and driving long-term performance. Waleed Jamil is a Relationship Development Director at Barclays Investment Bank supporting businesses across London & South East within the mid-market space. Waleed has been in banking for c14years working across two banks within Trade Finance team and his current role. As Co-Chair of Barclays’ Male Ally Group, he champions an inclusive culture. Waleed’s stated desire in this field is to enact positive change in any way he can from the small easy wins to hopefully something more strategic and longer lasting. Victoria Symons is a partner in the Cripps corporate team and head of its corporate practice group, with over 25 years' experience. Victoria is passionate about female empowerment issues and leads on the firm’s long term commitment to support women in business. Highlights over the last 12 months include the publication of the firm’s recent, “Beating Bias” research report and the launching Cripps’ first accelerator programme aimed specifically at women: EmpowHer - an entrepreneurial programme designed to help scaling female led business access mentoring and funding support