Ardian (company)

Originally a subsidiary of Axa, the company operated under the name AXA Private Equity until 2013, when the firm achieved independent status and was renamed to Ardian.

In 1996, Claude Bébéar, founder and former Axa CEO, tasked Dominique Senequier with the creation of a private equity entity at Axa. Based in Paris, Axa Private Equity started off with ten clients and €100 million worth of assets.[11] The first investment took place in 1998 in the GSI Banque company Linedata.[12]

In 1999, the opened offices in London and New York. That same year, it launched its funds of funds investment strategy.[13]

In 2001, the company entered the German market by opening an office in Frankfurt.[14]

In 2005, Ardian opened an office in Singapore and entered the Asian market.[15] The same year, the company launched its Infrastructure investment strategy.

As a result of the 2007 financial crisis, the company postponed all new operations and instead focused on the management of its portfolio, in an effort to shield its companies from the effects of the crisis.

In 2008, Dominique Senequier insisted on distributing a higher percentage of the company's capital gains to the employees of the companies in Ardian's portfolio.[16][17]

In 2009, Ardian acquired 100% of Kallista, a French company specialized in the production of renewable energies. Ardian then invested heavily in transports, energy, water supply and waste management. €2.5 billion were invested in infrastructure systems between 2005 and 2014.[18][19]

The same year Ardian adopted the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) implemented by the UNPRI and published its CSR Charter.[20]

In 2010, during the increased activity in the private equity secondary market, Ardian acquired a US$1.9 billion private equity portfolio from Bank of America[21] and a US$900 million portfolio from Natixis.[22]

In 2012, the company opened an office in Beijing in order to invest on the Chinese market.[23]

On 30 September 2013, Axa Private Equity announced that it had completed its spin-off from the Axa Group and renamed the firm Ardian. Per the terms of the deal, Axa Group retained ownership of 23% of the firm, management and employees owned 46%, and the remaining 31% was held by French family offices and institutions. Currently, 85% of employees are shareholders.[24]

In 2013, Private Equity International ranked Ardian in the largest private equity firms by PE capital raised[25] and named it Company of the Year 2013 in France.[26]

On 2 September 2015, Ardian opened an office in Madrid, Spain.[27]

On 7 September 2015, Ardian announced the launch of Ardian Real Estate, dedicated to investment in non-residential properties in Europe.[28]

On 7 October 2015, Ardian opened an office in San Francisco, USA.[29]

On 5 December 2017, Ardian opened an office in Tokyo, Japan.[30]

The company operates on five business segments:[31]

• Funds of funds, which manages approximately $53 billion of assets[32] focusing on primary, early secondary and secondary Funds of Funds.

• Direct funds, which manages approximately $19 billion.

• Infrastructure, which manages approximately $16 billion.

• Private debt, which manages approximately $7 billion.

• Real estate, launched September 2015, manages approximately $1 billion.

Ardian was founded and is managed by Dominique Senequier, who was one of the first seven women admitted to the French Ecole Polytechnique in France in 1972.[45]

• $96 billion of assets (managed or advised)[46]

• 150+ companies in the direct funds portfolio

• 500 employees (2018)

• 13 offices (Northern America, Europe and Asia)

• $11 billion raised in 2014

• 85% of the employees are shareholders and hold, together, 52% of the company's capital.

• Private equity