Pantheon backs boost to ethnic minority ranks in PE

The private equity giant has pledged to offer paid summer internships to minority undergraduates through SEO's Alternative Investments programme for a number of years, allowing the successful candidates to take on analyst roles in the firm's New York office.

Pantheon hopes to make under-represented minorities interested in private equity before their careers are shaped through choices made at college.

SEO was founded in 1963 as an organisation dedicated to providing academic and career development opportunities to young people from minority groups in the US and now holds subsidiaries in London, China, Vietnam and Africa. The group's SEO Career branch trains college students from minorities for internships with investment banks, corporate law firms and private equity houses. Existing corporate partners and sponsors of SEO include CCMP Capital, TPG Capital, Barclays Capital, Crédit Suisse and Morgan Stanley.

The organisation's Alternative Investments programme holds educational conferences and offers minority undergraduates the opportunity to network with key players in the alternative investments field.

Around 15% of Pantheon's current US staff force is made up of under-represented minorities, according to the firm, which is a 6% increase from three years ago. In addition, a third of the firm's US senior staff is female, up from a quarter five years ago.

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