#WhyWednesday: Ashley Kegan
We are delighted to continue our #WhyWednesday series with Ashley Kegan!
#WhyWednesday is a weekly feature of a leader that is involved in our organization. A “why” is the reason they decided to become involved with Female Strong, what female empowerment and leadership mean to them, or why they do what they do.
Ashley Kegan is a Director and Shareholder of Accelerated Growth. As a member of the firm’s senior leadership team, she heads the Corporate Development function and is responsible for driving portfolio performance as well as developing new products and offerings. Ashley was previously a Manager at the firm where she led engagements with some of Accelerated Growth’s largest and most complex relationships, including private equity sponsors and the venture arms of Fortune 500 companies.
Ashley also serves as Co-Chair of Global Minimum, an organization whose mission is to inspire the next generation of African youth to tackle challenges affecting their local communities.
Prior to Accelerated Growth, Ashley was a Manager at a specialized litigation consulting firm where she served as a damages consultant and expert witness. Ashley started her career at Deloitte and worked on engagements ranging in scope from IPOs of hyper-growth companies to cost reduction initiatives within the Fortune 500.
Ashley holds a Bachelors of Science degree from DePaul University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Ashley is also one of the founding members of the new Young Professionals Board at Female Strong. Their inaugural event, Level Up Your Network, is a virtual event for young female professionals who want to intentionally build relationships with those at similar stages in their careers.
What is Your “Why,” Ashley?
I grew up in a very supportive household where my parents encouraged our interests. I see youth and adults give up on great ideas and even themselves without support, whether the support is from family, friends, a professional network, or confidence-building programming like Female Strong.
I want female students and budding entrepreneurs to know it’s okay to fail, and there is a support network for all the failures and successes along the way.
