Is it necessary to be manly to get ahead in banking? In theory, no. In reality, it may help.
Following a study suggesting ageing hedge fund managers compete to achieve a “warrior physique” in order to further their careers, it has become apparent that the same dynamic may exist in investment banks. – Or at least among ex-senior bankers who now work for private equity funds.
58 year-old Alexander Dibelius, the former head of Goldman Sachs’ German operation has appeared in a video posted by his 34 year-old wife, Laila Maria Witt, on Instagram. You can see the video below: it shows Dibelius lifting her in the gym as an alternative to lifting weights.
Far be it for us to speculate on Dibelius or Witt’s motivation for making the video demonstrating Dibelius’ muscularity, but it’s worth noting that the video has gone viral in Germany and has had 66,000 views and counting. Handlesblatt notes that the video appears intended to display Dibelius as an alpha male and Maria Witt as his loving (younger) wife.
Dibelius left Goldman Sachs in 2015 and is now managing partner and head of German operations for private equity fund CVC. As an industry, private equity has a notorious preponderance of men and finds it difficult to attract women. CVC appears no different: out of 30 employees listed on its website, only around three are female. Dibelius’ new video is unlikely to do much to address this issue.
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