Page 18 - Admaius Responsible Investment report 2024

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Interviews with leading women – Hannah Gilkes

Hannah Gilkes joined Admaius Capital Partners in 2024 as a Partner leading our operations.
How have you ended up in the world of African Private Equity and what motivates you in this space?
My whole career has been focused on Africa - and with a particular emphasis on helping to support
responsible deployment of private capital on the continent, which is my core motivation. However, it was
complete chance, and the good fortune to meet some wonderful mentors, that brought me to private
equity specifically.

What unique or different qualities or skills do you believe women bring to leadership roles as
compared to men in this space?
It's a bit of a truism but this really is a people business and diversity at a leadership level is a crucial part
of keeping the broader conversation as meritocratic as possible.

What role has mentorship or sponsorship played in your career, and how do you support other
women in the industry?
Mentorship, from both men and women, has had a huge impact on my career. I have felt the benefits
particularly at certain crunch points: returning to work from maternity leave, making a mid-career move
to a new industry. However, mentorship wears many faces - the support that has meant the most to me
has come from people who have put time, effort and creativity into helping me navigate the world and I
take paying this generosity forward very seriously. Particularly when it comes to creativity: we all have
different challenges and insecurities and applying a thoughtful approach to how to engage most
effectively with someone's problems is, to me, a huge part of what makes a strong support base.

What do you think Admaius does really well to improve gender equity across the business? “Diversity at a leadership
A genuinely flexible and trust-based approach to teamwork. This is a high-pressure, high intensity and
hugely rewarding industry and a strong sense of team is essential when you add competing personal level is a crucial part of
pressures to the mix. I've had first hand experience of when I've needed to reach out to the team for keeping the broader
support and having the space and freedom to do this is transformational. conversation as

If you weren’t working in African PE, what other career or dream job would you love to pursue? meritocratic as possible"
A therapist! I was a big fan of Frasier growing up...
What’s one surprising or little-known fact about you that most people in the industry wouldn’t
guess? My dad – my first and most important mentor - has two world records! One for driving
backwards, which I have always thought is a great metaphor: sometimes you have to go backwards to
go forwards.

18 │ Admaius Capital Partners ESG & Impact Report 2024