Page 9 - The American Lawyer Trailblazers - South 2022

North Carolina

Greg R. Kilpatrick

McGuireWoods

What was the genesis of the idea/path that has made you a trailblazer?
Access to capital remains an important factor limiting the establishment, expansion and growth of minority-
owned businesses. Despite an increased emphasis on diversity within the investment management industries, we
recognized that access to capital by Black professionals remains elusive. So I, along with McGuireWoods partner
Gerald Thomas, sought to establish a platform to encourage, empower and support the advancement of Black
professionals in private equity and finance.
Building upon McGuireWoods’ ongoing efforts to support and nurture diversification and the expansion of busi-
ness opportunities we launched the Black Professionals in Private Equity & Finance (BPE) initiative in 2021 to help
Black private equity and finance professionals develop business opportunities, share ideas and drive progress
toward a more diverse and inclusive community.

What sort of change has resulted from the concept?
We were immediately encouraged when we launched the initiative because investment professionals contact-
ed us directly to express gratitude and support while also presenting opportunities for potential partnerships.
Dialogue is integral to fostering diversity and helping the industry make progress. Truth be told, I’m not sure we
would have established these relationships otherwise.
In addition, the response affirmed the need for a forum where Black professionals can share ideas and insight,
build relationships and support each other in their capital raising endeavors.
What bearing will this have on the future?
We hope our community building efforts will, at minimum, provide a place where folks can meet each other, share
experiences, form bonds and do business together. At maximum, we hope minority-owned businesses will gain
access to capital, leading to measurable progress and change.

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