“You were the guys that came into the room and said yes, we’re going to do this” was how Clare Balding welcomed us at the BT Sport Action Woman of the Year Awards in December 2014.
Our involvement with Action Woman represents a new era for Cerno Capital. The referral-based nature of our growth trajectory to date is perhaps in contrast to the visible world of sporting sponsorship. We have learned, however, from many years investing in the markets that opportunities can appear in unexpected places and as such we try to go about most things we do in a considered way.
While the commercial relevance of being involved with a project which promotes diversity and inclusion was not lost on us, there was a more profound connection. On a cultural level, the process of immersing ourselves in the world of Action Woman has been an enlightening one, in particular through driving us to extend our values beyond investment.
To us Action Woman is the recognition of talented individuals who have worked incredibly hard and achieved extraordinary things, usually against the odds. We admire their attributes – dedication, professionalism and discipline to name a few.
Cerno Capital is a small, close-knit and hard-working team operating in a competitive and performance-driven industry. We recognise the hurdles involved in breaking through.
The determination and drive of the Action Woman nominees to succeed at the very top of their game connected deeply with our own culture and values. Meeting the nominees and their ambassadors has served to strengthen the belief that these individuals are people with whom we are proud and honoured to be associated. Perhaps more importantly, they are people with whom we can work to shift perceptions across all walks of life.
Clare Balding’s message to Cerno Capital:
