PEWIN Foundation Announces 2025 Brilliance Awards Recipients

Private Equity Women Investor Network (PEWIN) Foundation Announces 2025 Brilliance Awards Recipients
Inaugural awards recognize leadership contributions in five powerful categories
New York – July 29, 2025 – The Private Equity Women Investor Network (“PEWIN”) Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the preeminent organization for senior-level women in private markets, today announced the recipients of its 2025 Brilliance Awards.

The Brilliance Awards are borne from the organization’s longstanding annual LP/GP awards and are focused on individual contributions, along with one organizational award in five powerful categories. Now proudly housed under the PEWIN Foundation, this program reflects a mission to build a stronger ecosystem for women in private markets for the long term.

“The Brilliance Awards are more than a celebration—they’re a powerful reminder of what’s possible when bold leadership and unwavering commitment converge to champion women in private markets,” said Kelly Williams, Chair of the PEWIN Foundation. “By honoring these trailblazers and institutions, we not only recognize their extraordinary impact, but we also reaffirm the values that will shape a stronger, more inclusive, and dynamic industry where women don’t just participate—they lead.”

North Star Lifetime Achievement Award
Kim Lew, President and CEO, Columbia University Investment Management Company

The North Star Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded to an industry veteran who has continuously stayed true to their vision, lit the way and served as a “leader of leaders” for women in private markets over the course of a long and illustrious career.

Kim Lew has maintained a lifelong dedication to advancing women in private markets via her leadership, advocacy, and ongoing commitment to building a more inclusive industry. She has created a multi-faceted platform—leading by example, mentoring, and using her voice—to support and elevate women in finance. Drawing from her experience as a half-Black, half-Asian woman and first-generation college graduate, Kim mentors diverse candidates personally, encouraging resilience, confidence, and authenticity.

As CEO of Columbia Investment Management Company and previously as CIO of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, she has committed herself to sponsoring young women’s growth into leadership roles. She has also encouraged and supported the formation and development of women-led funds, asserting that “outperformance will be driven by diverse and creative investing ideas.” Her ongoing, steadfast engagement with PEWIN and organizations across the broader ecosystem, including Girls Who Invest, reflects a distinctive and sustained commitment to advancing women’s long-term progress in the industry.

Torch Bearer Mentorship Award
Seema Hingorani, Founder and Chair, Girls Who Invest and Managing Director, Morgan Stanley
The Torch Bearer Mentorship Award honors an individual who has dedicated their time to elevating, educating, and supporting the next generation of women leaders in private markets.

Seema Hingorani has dedicated her career to expanding opportunities for young women in finance through mentorship, talent development, and advocacy. As the Founder of Girls Who Invest, she created a pioneering nonprofit focused on building a pipeline of future female leaders in investment management by providing education, internships, mentorship, and community-building opportunities. In addition to this work, Seema has consistently mentored aspiring professionals across the industry, offering guidance, sponsorship, and access to career-building opportunities.

At Morgan Stanley, she has further embedded her commitment to women’s advancement by leading emerging talent development initiatives, shaping inclusion and advancement strategies, promoting gender-smart investment, and amplifying women’s voices through firm-wide and industry events.

Throughout her pioneering efforts and consistent championing, Seema’s commitment and drive have changed the career trajectory of thousands of women creating an unparalleled legacy of empowerment.

Ignite Benefactor Award
Erin Harkless Moore, Managing Director, Investments, Pivotal Ventures
The Ignite Benefactor Award is awarded to an individual who has made a meaningful impact through investment or philanthropic funding of women-led firms, organizations, or companies in the private markets.

Erin Harkless Moore has emerged as a pivotal force in the quest to funnel investment capital toward women-led firms and companies. At Pivotal Ventures—the organization founded by Melinda French Gates—Moore serves as Managing Director of Investments, where she oversees a suite of early-stage investments in female-led startups and venture capital funds. She has spearheaded an aggressive strategy that channels capital early into women-founded companies operating in areas such as caregiving, women’s health, mental wellness, and fintech.

Moore’s influence extends beyond funding: she has reshaped investment processes to intentionally root out bias and ensure that performance potential, not founder archetypes, drives decisions. Pivotal’s rigorous and inclusive evaluation model aims to send a clear message that capital allocated to women can be both profitable and transformative. In parallel, Moore serves on the selection committee for Bridge Funding Global, an initiative focused on steering capital toward diverse fund managers, including women, reinforcing her mission to elevate the underrepresented.

In totality, Erin Harkless Moore has architected a robust, multi-channel approach to advancing women’s access to capital—investing directly, reshaping fund selection, enabling women-led managers to thrive, and influencing broader industry norms.

Beacon Advocacy Award
Lareina Yee, Senior Partner Client Services, McKinsey Global Institute Director of Technology; Global Alliance Leader, McKinsey & Company
The Beacon Advocacy Award recognize an individual that has made an impact on advancing women’s causes through research, journalism, and/or thought leadership within the private markets.

Lareina Yee’s research, advocacy and public leadership have played a role in transforming the conversation about women in private markets and corporate America. Lareina co-founded the landmark Women in the Workplace initiative, now the largest study of its kind in the United States. This annual research has provided critical data and actionable insights on the advancement of women in business, shaping corporate policies and public discourse for over a decade. In addition, Lareina has authored and co-authored influential reports—including “Delivering through Diversity” and “The Future of Women at Work”—that have become essential reading for leaders seeking to drive gender equity. Her recent book, The Broken Rung, distills years of research and practical advice to help women navigate and overcome systemic barriers in the workplace.

Her work underscores how organizations’ intentional investment in sponsorship, employee benefits, and career development resources is critical to building lasting pipelines for women into senior leadership. Her influence extends into advising CEOs and investment firms on embedding gender-smart policies—such as creating critical-mass teams, formal sponsorship programs, and metrics for retention and promotion—that ensure women are recognized and advanced equitably. Her work has tangibly shifted practices within financial services. Yee has elevated the narrative that backing women leaders isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s essential for business success.

Ember Advancing Organization Award
California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS)
The Ember Award honors a firm or institution that has kept the flame burning for inclusion through policies, initiatives or programs that actively support the success, inclusion, and progression of women within the firm or across the industry.
CalPERS (California Public Employees’ Retirement System) has taken a multifaceted and influential approach to advancing gender equity in investing, leveraging its significant capital and shareholder influence to reshape standards across the financial industry. CalPERS’ Investment Office has made “board diversity and inclusion” a core pillar of its governance strategy. Through an ambitious engagement and proxy voting campaign the fund has helped increase female representation on corporate boards.

Further, CalPERS anchors diversity in its own investment process via its Emerging & Diverse Manager Program, which has been evolving for over 30 years investing substantial capital in women-led private equity fund managers. CalPERS also uses its thought leadership to drive industry-wide conversations through their annual Pathways for Women conference and partnership with CalSTRS to host the Catalyst: California’s Diverse Investment Manager Forum.

CalPERS’ proactive investment strategies, extensive advocacy, organizational reform, and convening power demonstrate sustained leadership in pushing gender equity forward. By holding companies accountable, funding diverse managers, elevating women’s voices, and integrating inclusive hiring and governance practices, CalPERS is treating gender equity not as a box-checking exercise, but as an essential driver of financial performance.

“These remarkable individuals and organizations embody the bold vision and unwavering commitment to the advancement of high-performing women that our industry needs,” said Dana Johns, Chair of PEWIN and Vice Chair of the PEWIN Foundation. “Through their leadership, advocacy, and impact, they are reshaping the future of private markets and opening doors for those who follow. We are honored to celebrate each of them and the lasting change they are creating.”

The PEWIN Foundation will be honoring recipients at the PEWIN Brilliance Soirée on the evening of September 3, 2025, in New York City, amidst an audience of PEWIN members, friends, and industry supporters.

About the PEWIN Foundation
The PEWIN Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Private Equity Women Investor Network (PEWIN), the preeminent global organization for senior women leaders in private markets. Established in 2022 as a 501(c)(3) organization, the Foundation channels the collective philanthropic power of PEWIN’s members to support women’s advancement within the financial services industry.

Through strategic grant making and Foundation-led initiatives, the organization supports programs focused on research and innovation, community building, and access to resources and a opportunities that propel women’s leadership and success in financial services. For more information, please visit https://www.pewin.org/initiative/foundation/