Business News

Diversity a strategic business priority for Irish law firm

By Business & Finance
15 March 2016
Matheson diversity
Liz Grace, partner, Asset Management and Investment Funds Group at Matheson pictured with students from Maynooth University

Matheson has announced that diversity in the workplace forms a key business initiative to ensure they support the growth and development of their existing workforce and to also attract top talent in the future.

This is clearly seen with their consistent appointments at new partner level over the last three years, which is at par with the male counterparts.

Liz Grace, partner, Asset Management and Investment Funds Group at Matheson, said that over the past 12 months there has been a considerable increase in the number of associations and support networks for women not only in Ireland but around the world.

“The International Women’s Day initiative is no longer a one day event, and associations such as the 30% Club and Women Mean Business (WMB) now represent exceptionally strong networks which articulate a compelling business case for change. Here at Matheson we can see some very important developments, with a significant increase in the number of female leaders within our business,” Liz said.

In September 2015 Grace was named as a finalist for the WMB annual awards, one of just five Irish businesswomen in the Empowering Women category.

With support from Matheson, Grace also founded and teaches the Investment Funds Law Programme at Maynooth University, the first such academic course to be taught in an Irish university.

Professor Michael Doherty, head of Maynooth University Law School praised Grace’s work ethic: “At university level there are more and more female undergraduates choosing to study law, and it is really important for these female students to be able to see examples of success such as Liz Grace, who has reached the very top of her profession. It is a huge boost for female students to see this.”

Also speaking at Northern Trust’s International Women’s Day event was Matheson’s Tara Doyle and Cara O’Hagan.