Ardian raises €2.65 billion European infrastructure fund

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Press release

Ardian raises €2.65 billion European infrastructure fund

  • 11 January 2016

  • Infrastructure

  • France, Paris

6 minutes de lecture

Ardian Infrastructure successfully closes its fourth generation fund attracting worldwide investors

Ardian, the independent private investment company, today announces that it has raised, in a matter of months, €2.65 billion for its fourth infrastructure fund, Ardian Infrastructure Fund IV. It is the largest infrastructure fund ever raised by an European firm in term of size. Ardian Infrastructure now has circa $7 billion assets under management.

As with Ardian’s previous infrastructure fund, which closed in 2013 at €1.75 billion, the latest fund will target infrastructure assets that are essential for the community across Europe, working alongside major industrial partners. Circa €1 billion of the new fund has already been committed in 2015 across four high profile investments: 2i Aeroporti, the largest airport holding in Italy in April; the second largest Portuguese toll-roll network operator alongside Ascendi in July; Repsol’s stake in CLH, the largest Spanish and UK oil and storage transportation company in September; and Géosel, the French strategic oil storage and transportation and storage company acquired from Total in September. 

The fund has attracted a diversified investor base of institutional investors; European, North American and Asian pension funds, insurance companies and sovereign wealth funds. In particular, there was a break-through in take up from US investors, illustrating the attraction of the mature European infrastructure market. 

Over €900m have been subscribed by new investors confirming the global reach of Ardian Infrastructure. Re-ups from the existing investor base exceeded the Fund III size, illustrating the support and satisfaction for Ardian’s infrastructure investment and asset management strategies.

Dominique Senequier, President of Ardian, said: “Closing a fund which surpasses the size of its predecessor by 50% is a huge achievement for the Ardian Infrastructure team. The speed at which this process was conducted demonstrates the market recognition of the team, whilst the amount re-committed by existing investors lies as a testament to the performance of our Fund III.”
Mathias Burghardt, Member of the Executive Committee and Head of Ardian Infrastructure said: “Raising a fund from such an internationally diversified group of investors indicates the dynamism of the European infrastructure market. Through Ardian Infrastructure IV, we will seek to invest in infrastructure assets that are essential for the community, particularly in the energy and transportation sectors, that will deliver long-term and reliable annual yields for investors.”

Ardian predicts that over the coming years, infrastructure assets will require more and more active asset management due to the disruptive effect of technology on the sector. Ardian has positioned itself to take advantage of this evolution by combining local expertise with a strong track record in active asset management so as to increase the utility of the assets it manages.

ABOUT ARDIAN INFRASTRUCTURE

Ardian Infrastructure is the division of Ardian that has been investing in infrastructure since 2005. The team of 30 professionals is led by Mathias Burghardt, a veteran of the industry. Since 2005 it has invested in 22 assets and has committed over €3.9bn.

Key investments include European airports (UK’s London Luton Airport and Italy’s 2i Aeroporti holding company), Luxembourg’s energy supplier Enovos, diversified renewables platforms in Italy (TRE Solar) and France (Kallista) and parking lot operator Indigo in France.

ABOUT ARDIAN

Ardian, founded in 1996 and led by Dominique Senequier, is an independent private investment company with assets of US$50bn managed or advised in Europe, North America and Asia. The company, which is majority-owned by its employees, keeps entrepreneurship at its heart and delivers investment performance to its global investors while fuelling growth in economies across the world. Ardian’s investment process embodies three values: excellence, loyalty and entrepreneurship.

Ardian maintains a truly global network, with more than 410 employees working through twelve offices in Paris, London, Frankfurt, Milan, Madrid, Zurich, New York, San Francisco, Beijing, Singapore, Jersey and Luxembourg.

The company offers its 433 investors a diversified choice of funds covering the full range of asset classes through Ardian Funds of Funds (comprising primary, early secondary and secondary activities), Ardian Private Debt, Ardian Direct Funds (comprising Ardian Mid Cap Buyout, Ardian Expansion, Ardian Growth and Ardian Co-Investment), Ardian Infrastructure, Ardian Real Estate and customized mandate solutions with Ardian Mandates.

Press contact

ARDIAN Headland

Francesca Tuckett

ftuckett@headlandconsultancy.com

+44 207 367 5232