Mergers & Acquisitions names the 2022 Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A, including Kinzie Capital Partners’ Suzanne Yoon.

How are you a champion of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)?

I am very proud to use my position to help advance diversity, equity and inclusion within Kinzie, our portfolio companies, our industry and our communities. Diversity has been a core value at Kinzie from our inception, and this year we formally defined our DEI policy with the help and feedback of our entire team. At our portfolio companies, we’ve prioritized their custom DEI goals around building and maintaining diverse teams, representative management, equitable treatment of all employees and inclusive cultures.

I also feel very strongly about giving back to our communities whenever possible. I currently serve as a board member for HFS Chicago Scholars and Chicago Public Library Foundation, two organizations that are committed to advancing equity through education and opportunities, especially for youth. At Kinzie, we have developed a robust, employee-led Community Outreach Program which supports organizations with time and resources to build more equitable communities. Some of the organizations we’ve worked with this year include HFS Chicago Scholars, Big Shoulders Fund, CARE and Advocates for Urban Agriculture.

How did you further your firm’s ESG goals?

This year we formalized our ESG policy in order to ensure proactive management of ESG practices at Kinzie. We have incorporated an ESG assessment into the entire investment process and, as active owners, we have included ESG management in our value creation process at portfolio companies. As a firm, we have committed to thoughtful and systematic evaluation of our ESG practices over time to ensure constant learning and improvement.