Holistic focus of Sweef Capital Gender ROI™ drives better diversity outcomes

INSIGHT SERIES: Over coming months Sweef Capital will explore the use cases, benefits and different dimensions of the Sweef Capital Gender ROI^TM in a series of articles with co-authors from diverse industries, sectors and geographies. In this overview, Sweef Capital’s Head of Impact Measurement and Management, Brianna Losoya-Evora, outlines how the Gender ROI^TM is designed to achieve better diversity outcomes while supporting impact measurement and management.   

In an accelerating trend, investors are increasingly scrutinising the diversity, equity and inclusion performance of enterprises and investments and using that data to inform their investing strategy and decision making.

The Sweef Capital Gender ROI™ tool stands out for its focus on assessing and improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in enterprises and investment portfolios, and also for its ability to support impact measurement and management (IMM).

This uncommon dual focus is critical for discerning investors who want to be able to assess financial returns alongside the effects of an enterprise’s actions on people and the planet, and see leaders take effective action to amplify positive impacts and mitigate the negative.

IMM enables investors to set goals, define their strategy and balance expectations for risk, return, liquidity and impact. Clear metrics and targets are a core part of tracking investee performance and these vary depending on portfolio, investment expertise or client demand.

By its nature, measuring impact can’t be a box-ticking exercise. Whatever method investors use to assess diversity performance, it must be able to accommodate the interconnected and multi-dimensional realities of how organisations and businesses actually operate.

That’s where the Gender ROI™ comes in. Unlike other gender analysis tools that may solely identify gender gaps and disparities, the Gender ROI™ takes a holistic approach designed to address this complex challenge in a practical and iterative way.

It incorporates 24 qualitative and quantitative indicators across four enterprise dimensions and three outcome pillars, providing a comprehensive framework for evaluating an organisation’s commitment to gender diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The tool goes beyond conventional gender analysis by not only evaluating diversity, equity, and inclusion but also in supporting IMM.

In addition to its detailed scoring system and assessment of gender-related indicators, the Gender ROI™ is designed to help organisations measure and manage their progress towards achieving better gender inclusion over time.

The Gender ROI™ isn’t binary – a company is not labelled inclusive or not inclusive. It provides enterprise-wide transparency, enabling investors and practitioners to assess the effectiveness of policies, processes, and practices implemented to enhance gender inclusion.

This capability empowers enterprises and investors to make informed decisions, refine strategies, and drive continuous improvement in their gender equality initiatives.

Because women are particularly underserved in the investing space, aspects of the Gender ROI™ focus on women and girls. It can also illuminate valuable insights into other dimensions of inclusion and diversity that help create an inclusive environment, such as age, race, skills, backgrounds, sexual orientation and other differences.  

As a women-led private equity firm, Sweef Capital has integrated our firm’s gender commitment across the business and through our impact investment strategy, including regularly evaluating the firm’s progress toward inclusion using the Gender ROI™.

Sweef’s first investment was in TEKY, a women-owned educational academy in Vietnam.

As part of its expansion strategy, TEKY is hiring and training hundreds of teachers in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) education across the country. This gives these women an income and a STEAM background that broadens their career options, all the while inspiring new generations of girls to seek out and embrace STEAM opportunities in the future.

TEKY is delivering excellent business outcomes, empowering women and girls and generating multi-generational community impact.

What’s exciting about the Gender ROI™ is its potential to inspire and demonstrate impact even in traditional predominantly male-owned businesses and industries.

A male business leader can deliver significant socio-economic benefits, for example, simply by choosing to source their product from women vendors, or by employing women who might not otherwise be able to access meaningful work. Value chains are another area of potential impact, with innovative businesses targeting products that women or girls desperately need or can’t access.

Smart leaders and investors recognise that there are demonstrable business dividends in being an inclusive organisation and industry. It’s not just an ethical imperative.

The Gender ROI™ not only diagnoses issues and untapped opportunities; it provides a clear path forward and ways to systematically track progress, sharing information in a way that’s evidence-based and easily understood. Importantly, the Gender ROI™ recognises the interconnectedness of gender equality efforts and organisational performance.

By assessing the links between gender inclusion and overall performance, it enables organisations to demonstrate the tangible benefits of promoting diversity and equity. This, in turn, can attract investors, stakeholders, and customers who value organisations with a strong commitment to gender equality.#

Brianna Losoya-Evora is Sweef Capital’s Head of Impact Measurement and Management, based in Washington DC, and an experienced monitoring and evaluation specialist. Join Brianna and colleague Rowena Reyes on September 12 for an online forum exploring the Sweef Capital Gender ROI™ tool and how to use it. To register for this forum, and to sign up for Sweef Capital’s new Insight Series, email contactus@sweefcapital.com. For more about the Gender ROI™, visit: https://sweefcapital.com/gender-roitm/

About Sweef Capital 

Sweef Capital is a Singapore-based impact investment firm investing in the potential of women and the future of Southeast Asia. As a private equity firm, Sweef Capital focuses on investing equity and quasi-equity capital in growth-stage companies, primarily in Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, where its experienced investment professionals are deeply rooted. The team strives to maintain an ethical and responsible business practice in the selection and management of their investments. The firm’s investment practice is very much relationship-centred and value creation-oriented, which instils confidence in investee companies and leverages established channels to drive strong deal flow. Sweef Capital targets investments in growth markets including education, healthcare, food systems and climate resilience, sectors that are experiencing strong and increasing demand. For more about Sweef Capital, see https://sweefcapital.com/