Vice-Chairman of the Operations Committee, Mathias Burghardt also oversees NAV Financing, Brand & Communication, Funds Tax, IT, Purchasing and Facilities activities.
Mathias Burghardt joined Ardian in 2007. He started his career in 1989 with Crédit Lyonnais in Media Telecom before heading HSBC Advisory and Project Financing in France. He has developed extensive relationships with international infrastructure industrials and financial sponsors, public authorities and regulators.

Frédérick Douzet is Professor of Geopolitics at the University of Paris 8, director of the French Institute of Geopolitics research team (IFG Lab) and director of the Center Geopolitics of the Datasphere (GEODE). She has been appointed senior member of the Institut Universitaire de France in 2022 and is the Principal Investigator of the ERC Advanced Grant project DATAROUTES.

Frédérick Douzet has been a Commissioner of the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace (2017-2020) and a member of the French Defense Ethics Committee (2020-2023). In 2017, she was part of the drafting committee for the French Strategic Review of Defense and National Security. From 2013 to 2018, she was the director of the Castex Chair of Cyberstrategy at the Institute of Higher National Defense Studies (IHEDN). In 2021, she was a member of the Bronner Commission on Disinformation appointed by President Emmanuel Macron.

Michel Paulin has spent most of his career in the Tech and Telecommunications sectors. He is currently the Chairman of the Comité Stratégique de la Filière (CSF) for Trusted Digital Players, a sector that includes software publishers, cloud providers, artificial intelligence, metaverse, and quantum technology companies.
He also serves as a Board Member of Inria (the French National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology) and Numéum, the employers’ association and professional organization for the digital industry.
In addition, he is an independent board member of three companies: one specializing in quantum technologies, one providing data center hosting services, and another developing B2B billing software.

Previously, he served for seven years as CEO and Board Member of OVHcloud. During his tenure, OVHcloud more than doubled in size - particularly through international expansion in the United States - to become the largest European cloud provider (with over €1billion in annual revenue). The company was listed on the Paris Stock Exchange at the end of 2023.
Before that, he was CEO of Méditel, the second-largest telecom operator in Morocco.
He spent ten years at Neuf Cegetel, where he served as CEO and Board Member. The company, which went public in 2006 before being acquired by SFR, grew from a startup into France’s second-largest fixed-line operator (with €3.5 billion in annual revenue) through rapid organic growth and the acquisition of 14 companies over nine years.
Michel Paulin also spent several years at Bull Group, where he was responsible for network administration and security software activities.
Earlier in his career, he worked on numerous projects in the United States and France with the strategy consulting firm McKinsey, and began his professional journey at France Télécom.

Michel Paulin is a graduate of the École Polytechnique and the École Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications de Paris, and a member of the Corps des Télécoms.

Henri Verdier has been a digital entrepreneur since 1995. Starting in 2013, he joined the French government, first as Chief Information Officer, then as Ambassador in charge of digital affairs.
In that role, he notably served as the President of the Republic’s envoy for the preparation of the “AI Action Summit” in Paris in 2025 and led the French delegation in UN negotiations. He is now the CEO of the Inria Foundation.

He is the co-author, with Nicolas Colin, of L’Âge de la multitude: Entreprendre et gouverner après la révolution numérique, and, with Jean-Louis Missika, of Le Business de la Haine : Internet, la démocratie et les réseaux sociaux.

Gonzague Boutry is Managing Director and board member of portfolio companies such as Indigo and A88.
He joined Ardian in January 2012 as an Analyst within the Infrastructure team in Paris.
He was a member of Ardian Millenial Comex.

Audrey Herblin-Stoop joined Mistral AI in February 2024 and serves as its Vice President, Global Public Affairs and Communication.

Prior to this role, she was Director of Public Affairs and External Communications for the Betclic group from January 2022, following her tenure as Head of Public Policy for France and Russia at Twitter for 7 years (2015-2022).

She began her career at the French Business Confederation (MEDEF) in 2008 as Public Affairs Deputy Director, before joining TBWA\Corporate in 2012 as Account Director, where she led the public affairs division.

Hugo Le Picard is an Associate Research Fellow at Ifri's Geopolitics of Technology Center and co-founder of Clone, a start-up specializing in image generation.
Previously, he was a researcher at Ifri's Energy & Climate Center, which he joined in 2018. His work focused on electricity access and the development of electrical infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa, using satellite image analysis and deep learning methods.

He has also taught at the University of Paris-Dauphine, where he gave courses on image analysis, introduction to deep learning, and microeconomics.
Additionally, he contributed to master’s courses at Sciences Po Paris and holds a PhD in economics from PSL University.

Vincent Luciani is a French entrepreneur born in 1985 in Paris and currently serves as Executive Chairman of Artefact, after having been its CEO for more than ten years.
Artefact is a company specializing in artificial intelligence technologies. Graduated from École Polytechnique and HEC Paris, he began his career at McKinsey & Co, where he worked in the aerospace and industrial sectors.

In 2014, he co-founded Artefact alongside Guillaume de Roquemaurel and Philippe Rolet. Under his leadership, Artefact has grown into a global leader in data and artificial intelligence. The company now employs nearly 2,000 people across 27 offices worldwide and was valued at 1 billion dollars in the summer of 2025.

In 2021, Vincent Luciani launched the 'School of Data' to train individuals in data-related professions. He is also an investor in several artificial intelligence companies and frequently participates in conferences and events to share his expertise.

Artefact now invites the global AI business ecosystem to gather at the Adopt AI Summit, which will take place at the Grand Palais on 25–26 November 2025.

Jean-Louis Missika is Senior Adviser to Ardian, and the editor of La Grande Conversation, the journal of the french Think Tank Terra Nova. He was vice-chairman of the board of the telecommunication and Internet company ILIAD-FREE, and member of Axa Venture, the venture capital fund of Axa Private Equity, which later became Ardian. From 2008 to 2020, he was Deputy Mayor of Paris, first with mayor Bertrand Delanoë, in charge of innovation, research and universities, then with mayor Anne Hidalgo, in charge of urban planning, architecture, economic development, Greater Paris, and attractiveness.

Previously, he funded and managed a consulting firm specializing in media, information and communication technologies. He directed documentaries for television, including interviews. He has been General Manager of BVA (Market Research), Deputy General Manager of Sofres (Market Research) and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Médiaspouvoirs. Between 1988 and 1991, Jean Louis Missika directed the Information Service of Prime Minister Michel Rocard.

Elina Ashkinazi-Ildis is a Partner at Artefact with over 20 years of experience in Strategy, Data, and AI consulting, as well as operational leadership within one of France’s leading retailers.

Since joining Artefact in 2021, she has been supporting clients in building, industrialising, and deploying AI-powered solutions at scale to create tangible business value across Private Equity and Consumer industries.

Arthur Garnier is a Senior Data Scientist and IT Chief of Staff at Ardian, dividing his time between the IT department and the Data Science team to help drive innovation and AI initiatives across the firm and its portfolio companies. Prior to joining Ardian, Arthur was a Data Science and Strategic Consultant at Roland Berger. He holds a double degree in Artificial Intelligence (Télécom Paris) and Corporate Finance (HEC Paris).

Dr. Fanjuan Shi is a seasoned technology executive with over 18 years of experience leading transformative strategies and projects.
As the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Chief Data & Analytics Officer (CDAO) at Prosol, he drives the development of innovative tech solutions that fuel business growth and operational excellence.
Prior to Prosol, Dr. Shi served as CDAO at Pierre & Vacances Center Parcs, where he leveraged marketing technology and data to significantly enhance the ROAS of e-commerce media.
He then took on the role of Global Head of Data Value Office at LVMH, where he helped luxury brands implemented data-driven strategies across, optimizing business performance and elevating the customer experience.
Dr. Shi holds a PhD in Computer Science with a specialization in deep learning. His expertise uniquely positions him at the intersection of advanced technology and strategic business application.
In addition to his executive roles, he actively contributes to the fields of information technology, data analytics, and artificial intelligence through teaching and research in universities.

Clément joined Ardian in 2019 where he established and leads the Portfolio Digital Transformation team. The mission of this team is to support Ardian Portfolio companies in creating value with technology (defining tech roadmap, building appropriate organization and running key projects). Prior to Ardian, Clément spent 10 years at Carrefour, where he started as Group Strategy Director, and then took on various Digital Transformation roles, both at Corporate and BU level.
Notably, he was in charge for Carrefour Spain of Digital Marketing and Loyalty Program, piloting advanced usage of customer data. His last role at Carrefour was Group Innovation Director, selecting and rolling-out advanced technologies.
He started he career in consulting, spending 10 years with McKinsey & Company, serving global High Tech client, and being a core member of the EMEA High Tech Practice. He is an alumnus of HEC.

Xavier holds a Master’s degree in Finance from Université Paris Dauphine and is a graduate of ESCP. After early roles in sports and marketing, he joined SFR, where he built a career across marketing and sales before moving to Google in 2011.

Starting in France in advertising, then media technologies, he later took on a European strategy role. In parallel, he co-founded Artefact and Sutter Mills in 2016. After Sutter Mills was sold to Accenture in 2019, Xavier became Managing Director overseeing digital marketing and data teams for France, Benelux, and the Netherlands. He now leads, with his brother, the French subsidiary of the JAKALA Group.

Alexander Graubner-Müller is Founder & Co-CEO of Reneo, the leading platform for the decarbonisation of real-estate in Germany, and exhibits over 15 years of experience in the software and technology sector.

With his extensive knowledge in building and scaling fast-growing digital companies, Alexander previously co-founded Kreditech, one of the first fintech companies, where he served as CTO and CEO from 2012 to 2018. Under his leadership, Kreditech has grown to more than 850,000 customers, 400 employees and 70 million euros in annual revenue and has secured more than 500 million euros in funding from leading investors around the world.

Alexander holds a double degree in Business Administration and Economics from the University of St. Gallen, with specializations in Computer Science and Financial Mathematics from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich.

Skander joined Ardian in 2021 as an Analyst – Data Scientist within the Infrastructure Team in Paris following an internship. Skander is a member of Ardian Infrastructure Digital and Data Science Team.
Prior to joining Ardian, Skander completed internships as a data scientist at Air France – KLM in the Operations Research department and in investment banking both at Citi and Société Générale.

Pauline Thomson is Managing Director Infrastructure and Head of Data Science at Ardian. Pauline Thomson is Board member of Wintics in France, Mila in Iceland and Verne in the UK.
Pauline joined Ardian in 2011. Previously, Pauline completed various internships at AXA Private Equity in Paris and Terrafirma Capital Partners Ltd. in London.

Sophie Pedder has been the Paris Bureau Chief and the political and economic correspondent of the The Economist since 2003.
A British and French citizen, she began her career at The Economist in London in 1990. She also covered the end of the apartheid from Johannesburg for three years.
She graduated from Oxford University and the University of Chicago (Fulbright Scholar). Before joining The Economist, she was a researcher for William Julius Wilson, at the Urban Family Life and Poverty Project at the University of Chicago.
In 2006, Sophie received the David Watt Prize for the best political article of the year. She is the author of "Revolution Française: Emmanuel Macron and the quest to reinvent a nation" Bloomsbury, 2018; 2019).

Jonas Corné co-founded Greenbyte in 2010 and was its CEO until exit in 2021. Greenbyte was a world leader in asset management and analytics software for wind and solar with more than 50 GWs under management at time of exit to Power Factors. Following the exit, Jonas led strategy and M&A at Power Factors, working closely with Vista Equity Partners. Under Jonas’ lead Power Factors acquired Inaccess – the market leader in controls and automation for utility scale the solar PV. Prior to Greenbyte, Jonas ran a software consultancy company in Gothenburg Sweden. Jonas has a M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from Chalmers University of Technology with further studies at ETH in Zürich and Stanford University.
Jonas is now an Operating Partner to Ardian Infrastructure advising on matters related to digitalization.