Committed to a Culture of Inclusion
Roark believes in advancing diversity in all forms—and in engaging all team members in this journey. We know that our best decision-making, which drives our best results, has come from a welcoming environment that embraces thinking from a variety of backgrounds, education, perspectives, and experiences.
As such, our leadership team has made diversity, equity, and inclusion a strategic priority for our business, including efforts to create an inclusive culture and build our diverse pipeline of talent. Toward that end, we engage in education and mentorship of diverse youth to encourage them to enter the field of finance.
Our Core Values remain a constant guiding force in how we operate and we believe those transcend all forms of diversity. To emphasize the importance and power of inclusion on business performance, our team wrote a standalone Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Principle.
READ OUR DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION PRINCIPLE ►
Roark offers a two-week externship program for students from the industry’s most underrepresented groups - BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and women. The Roark Spring into Private Equity program provides rising seniors with training on relevant financial skills such as valuation, financial modeling and data analytics, and exposure to Roark’s senior team members.
In collaboration with BLK Capital, a black-owned, student-run organization, Roark has developed the Roark Investment Fellowship for those interested in learning more about investment banking and private equity from current professionals in the field. The creators of the Fellowship, Roark investment professionals Brett Ubl (Program Director) and Max Mudd (Teaching Director), teach alongside Madeline Frye and Martin McLendon in this year-long program of weekly classes that cover a range of topics from industry overviews and case studies to resume and interview prep. The Fellowship includes one-on-one mentorship from professionals at leading Investment Banks, as well as a networking trek sponsored by Roark to visit banks in New York and Chicago.
Sponsorships
Roark is currently engaged with numerous leadership groups that support diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field of finance, including:
Girls Who Invest: We support the financial education of young women that are college sophomores through the Girls Who Invest community of both online scholars and boot camp participants. The rigorous education program provides an introduction to the alternative investment industry and covers the essentials of finance, ethics, and investment roles via The CFA Institute, Wall Street Prep, and Wharton Foundations of Investment Management.
Rock the Street, Wall Street: Roark sponsors this high school finance club program in the Atlanta area. The women investment professionals of Roark teach the curriculum to the young women and serve as mentors to create early interest in the field of finance.
WAVE – Women’s Association of Venture and Equity: Our team provides insights and feedback to women undergraduates and MBA students on entering into the alternative investment industry. Roark also participates in their annual forum that includes roundtable discussions and educational panels, as well as one on one meetings.
BLK Capital: Roark sponsors this undergraduate program that strives to promote the financial literacy of black college students through education, professional mentorship, and real time active money management.
Roark also provides opportunities and information on careers in private equity to diverse campus organizations, such as Women in Business and Black Engineers. We are always happy to discuss new sponsorship ideas: contact Allison Hill, ahill@roarkcapital.com.
