Mergers & Acquisitions Names Its 2024 Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A

Mergers & Acquisitions has named 16 women as honorees of its 2024 Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A. This year marks our ninth annual effort recognizing exceptional women who excel and hold influential positions in the dealmaking community — the longest such awards in the industry. 

This year’s class hails from a variety of firms that play a role in the dealmaking ecosystem, highlighting the diversity and talent of women in mid-market M&A. They stand out as a whole in a challenging and competitive environment.

This year we received one of the largest number of nominations since the award process was started in 2016. To judge the candidates, nominees answered several questions around their accomplishments in 2023 and the role they played in advancing areas like DEI, ESG and the state of women.

While some progress toward gender parity has been made in recent years, women in leadership positions are still outnumbered by men by a large margin. For example, women account for only 20 percent of managing director or partner roles in private equity, according to research published in 2023 by McKinsey & Co.  

Our latest class of honorees are leading the way in driving change as role models and mentors to other women. 

“Sadly, there are still too few women in M&A and private equity, especially at senior levels,” says Beatrice Mitchell, co-founder and managing director at investment bank Sperry Mitchell & Co. “I have for years been active in organizations that help to recruit and advocate for women in the M&A/PE sectors. The industry needs to create greater opportunity and career paths for women, as we bring too much talent and ambition for the industry to ignore.

“Recently, I have taken a more proactive stance in terms of mentoring and advising women on a more personal, granular level,” says Mitchell, a multi-year winner of our award who made this list again this year. “I have come to recognize that change is in some ways best achieved on an individual basis, one woman at a time. While trying to advocate and affect change industry-wide is an important goal, I see a more tangible impact by individually mentoring and advising young women. Imagine the collective impact if we all made a greater effort to mentor and advocate for young women in the profession.” 

“I think about my career as one of many firsts,” says Emily Wildes, managing director and co-head of healthcare at Lincoln International, a first-time winner this year. “At my previous firm, I was the first female managing director in the healthcare group, which was the largest and oldest industry group in the bank. Similarly, I am the first female partner to co-head an industry group at Lincoln. So, I am always thinking about how I can continue to break these types of barriers to open doors for myself and other fellow women.” 

Below is the list of the 2024 Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A. The links in the chart take you to interviews with them, where you’ll read in their own words how this year’s honorees are making an impact in the middle market, including ushering in the next generation of dealmakers. We hope that their insights help to provide a roadmap and inspiration for women looking to build a career in the world of dealmaking. An additional 15 women received honorable mentions. They are also listed below.