Positive impact through responsible investment

We firmly believe that success in our industry involves more than just excellent financial returns. This is why we have been developing Ardian’s approach to responsible investment for more than 10 years. We are constantly experimenting and learning so that we can improve the way we measure ESG performance in our investments and set meaningful targets for improvement. We report in detail on these issues to our LPs and actively support industry initiatives to promote responsible investment.

“Ardian empowers individuals to collectively create sustainable value for all stakeholders” This is our company’s vision for sustainability, which draws together the essential elements of our approach – Ardian’s role as a catalyst for change; the importance of each individual’s actions and the power of collaboration; and the need to ensure the value we create together benefits all stakeholders.

Our Responsible Investment Policy

Our team

Sustainability Regulatory Information

our publications

  • 156+

    individualized roadmaps for portfolio companies since 2009 (direct funds)

  • 80%

    of the companies in our Buyout, Expansion and Infrastructure portfolios that are part of the Ardian Sustainability Program have put in place employee profit-sharing schemes during our ownership

  • 290+

    GPs reviewed since 2011 (Secondaries & Primaries)

Invested in the future

The private sector has an opportunity to make a positive impact on society. Find out with Candice Brenet, our Head of Sustainability, what makes Ardian a leading private investment house building the future in all sectors such as data & artificial intelligence, healthcare and the energy transition.

Sustainability Program and main priorities

Our aim is to maximize Ardian’s positive contribution to society (people and planet) and ensure our company can grow sustainably by incorporating Environmental, Social and Governance considerations into our investment process and throughout our operations. Through our investments and corporate actions, we endeavour to address the four main priorities for Sustainability at Ardian: Climate Change, Diversity & Equal Opportunities, Profit Sharing and Governance & Ethics.

Climate Change

Ardian aims to take a leading role in addressing the global challenge of climate change. We actively support multiple industry-wide initiatives to address this threat and we are committed to helping our portfolio companies identify emissions and carbon trajectories, and develop effective operational plans to reduce their carbon emissions. At the corporate level, climate change is also a source of major concern and several employee-led initiatives are aimed at reducing Ardian’s carbon footprint throughout our offices and operations.

Diversity and Equal Opportunities

We believe greater diversity in our organization will both fulfil Ardian’s social obligations and improve our performance. Our membership of the global Investor Leadership Network represents a public commitment to improve gender balance within Ardian and within our portfolio companies and funds. Beyond gender balance, Ardian is committed to developing and strengthening Diversity and Inclusion throughout our company. We also monitor diversity indicators for our portfolio companies and our Fund of Funds holdings.

Profit Sharing

Our approach to responsible investment is rooted in the idea of sharing, beginning with our decision in 2008 to share capital gains at exit with all employees of our portfolio companies whenever possible. Through our annual engagement program, we actively encourage all our portfolio companies to establish their own profit-sharing mechanism for employees.

Governance and Ethics

As Ardian’s size and impact continues to grow, so does our responsibility to set the best possible example for our wider community of stakeholders. To ensure this, Ardian favors the appointment of independent members to Management Boards and actively promotes the formalization of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability policies in all our portfolio companies. We also pay close attention to codes of ethics and conduct at both corporate and investment levels.

Collaborating for sustainable finance

Ardian is an active supporter of sustainability initiatives in the private investment markets and is a leading voice in its industry, calling for greater focus on sustainability issues.

Sustainability team Ardian 2023

The Team

Ardian has a full-time team of Sustainability specialists based in Paris, London and New York, working closely with our Sustainability Committee.

  • Candice Brenet

    Head of Sustainability

  • Antoine Bateman

    Director

  • Thomas Bonnisseau

    Director

  • Taea Calcut

    Director

  • Louise Doucet

    Director

  • April Tissier

    Director

  • Tamara Krzisch

    Senior Manager

  • Laura Andremont

    Manager

  • Lucile Degrave

    Senior Associate

  • Anne Lescure

    Senior Associate

  • Marine Morelli

    Associate

  • Alice Bordas

    Analyst

  • David Chemla

    Data Specialist

2022 ESG Infrastructure Equity Investor

2022 ESG Infrastructure Equity Investor - IJ Global

In October 2022; Ardian has been awarded “2022 ESG Infrastructure Equity Investor” at the IJGlobal ESG Awards.

Infrastructure Investor Award 2021

Sustainable Investor of the Year, Global - Infrastructure Investor

In March 2022, Ardian Infrastructure won the award of Sustainable Investor of the Year, Global, by Infrastructure Investor.

Energy Investor of the Year, Europe Infrastructure Investor

Energy Investor of the Year, Europe - Infrastructure Investor

In March 2022, Ardian Infrastructure won the award of Energy Investor of the Year, Europe, by Infrastructure Investor.

SWEN Capital Partners ESG Best Practice Honours 2019

SWEN Capital Partners ESG Best Practice Honours 2019

Ardian received the award in the Multi-Strategy Investment Platform by SWEN Capital Partners at the ESG Best Practice Honours 2019.

Our new impact measurement framework shows our commitment to stay at the forefront of the industry’s thinking on sustainability.

Candice Brenet Head of Sustainability

Back in 2019, Ardian started developing Ardian Air Carbon, a pioneering solution to support airports in their sustainability strategy towards net-zero...

  • Infrastructure, Sustainability Market watch Responsible finance

To meet the targets of the Paris Agreement and reduce the impact of climate change, airports have to evaluate their long-term resilience and innovate...

  • Infrastructure, Sustainability Market watch Responsible finance

The aviation industry is an important contributor to both global and local economies and plays a key role in connecting territories. As the urgency...

  • Infrastructure, Sustainability Market watch Responsible finance

To meet Paris agreement targets and contain the effects of climate change, the air transport industry is rethinking its ecosystem model and developing...

  • Infrastructure, Sustainability Market watch

Investing In Climate Action: The Case For Hydrogen is a collaborative effort between Ardian and business leaders in the infrastructure industry.

  • Infrastructure, Sustainability Market watch

Rigorous management and measurement systems for workplace Health and Safety are important but will not ensure improvements on their own. To achieve...

  • Infrastructure, Sustainability Responsible finance

Ardian has published its Activity and Sustainability Reports for 2021, outlining key developments during the year and initiatives under way to prepare...

  • Sustainability, Ardian Inside Ardian

At Ardian, we are invested in the energy transition

Invested in the Energy Transition

  • Sustainability, Infrastructure, Investor Relations Responsible finance

At Ardian, we are invested in data & AI to accelerate the change

Invested in data & AI to accelerate the change

  • Sustainability, Expansion, Investor Relations Responsible finance

At Ardian, we are invested in innovative health solutions

Invested in innovative health solutions

  • Sustainability, Buyout, Investor Relations Responsible finance

Publications

Industry Engagement

At Ardian, we believe that it is key to engage with our peers and wider financial industry to drive a positive transformation and address current and future economic, social and environmental challenges.

Read the report

Ardian 2022 Integrated Report

This year for the first time we are publishing an Integrated Report, which brings together in a single document the separate Activity and Sustainability Reports that we have produced up to now. Our aim in doing this is to give a more comprehensive and coherent understanding of how Ardian creates value for all our stakeholders.

Read the report

PRI Summary Scorecard

The Assessment Reports, which are produced using signatories' reported information, support signatories to have internal discussions about their practices. They facilitate learning and development by outlining how signatories' responsible investment practices compare year-on-year, across asset classes, and with peers at a local and global level.

Read the summary

PRI Public Transparency Report

The public Transparency Reports, which are produced using signatories’ reported information, provide accountability and support signatories to have internal discussions about their practices and to discuss these with their clients, beneficiaries, and other stakeholders.

Read the report

Responsible Investment Policy

At the heart of Ardian's culture lies a commitment to create enduring value. Our role as a long-term shareholder and investor is to foster growth that is both sustainable and shared accross our stakeholders.

Read the policy

The Fight for a Net-Zero Aviation - The Augmented Infrastructure Part III

Acting collectively will be essential and necessary if we need to reinvent air travel with more sustainability at a global scale.
Discover our study on how to decarbonize the air transport industry.

Read the study

EXECUTIVE BRIEF - 5th Annual One Planet Sovereign Wealth Funds Summit

OPSWF members signal readiness to step up global efforts to finance and accelerate the mass scale-up of clean hydrogen solutions both in terms of new investments and transition assets.

Read the brief

2021 Activity Report

Ardian is a global investment house, specializing in three broad asset classes: Private Equity, Real Assets and Credit.

Read our 2021 Activity Report and discover how we are committing ourselves to responsible investment solutions.

Read the report

Ardian Circle - Workshop #4

The Ardian Circle community met for a fourth session on Inclusion and Diversity. This workshop brought together 15 participants from 12 companies in which Ardian has invested. [French only]

Read the report

2021 Sustainability Report

Sustainability is fundamental to Ardian’s investment approach. We want to create companies that are ethically sound, socially engaged and financially resilient.

Read our 2021 Sustainability Report and discover how we are widening our ambitions and increasing our impact.

Read the report

Ardian Circle - Workshop #3

The Ardian Circle community met for a third session on Inclusion and Diversity. This workshop on disability in the workplace brought together 15 participants from 11 companies in which Ardian has invested in.

[French only]

Read the report

Ardian Circle - Workshop #2

The Ardian Circle community met for a second session on Inclusion and Diversity. This workshop on inclusive management brought together 17 participants from 12 companies in which Ardian has invested.

[French only]

Read the report

Ardian Circle - Workshop #1

Ardian Circle is the community of executives and decision-makers from companies in which Ardian invests. Through these meetings, Ardian wishes to support the development of practices that proactively address social and environmental issues as well as transformation challenges that can create value for companies.

[French only]

Read the report

Sustainability in the private Fund of Funds market

At Ardian, we put Sustainability at the heart of our daily business to make a positive impact on society while generating excellent financial returns. For more than a decade, Ardian has implemented its Responsible Investment approach across all activities. This comprehensive Sustainability program is led by a team of 5 Sustainability experts working hand in

Read the study

Sustainability Report 2020

Driver of positive impact

Ardian empowers individuals to collectively create sustainable value for all stakeholders.
Ardian’s Sustainability Report focuses on three key priorities – Impact, Diversity & Equal Opportunities, and Climate – and how Ardian is tackling them within its own operations, through its investments and its portfolio companies.

Read the report

Sustainable Buyout

Investing for the economy, society and the planet. Sustainable Buyout is a new Sustainability Measurement Methodology that quantifies the impact of a company and the true reach of its sustainability efforts.

Read the study

Initiative Carbon 2020

FRENCH PRIVATE EQUITY AND THE INITIATIVE CARBONE 2020
The commitment of French private equity players to measure, manage and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of their portfolio companies.

Read the initiative
The Ardian Foundation

The Ardian Foundation

Ardian’s commitment to social mobility.
The Ardian Foundation, set up in 2010, funds projects that improve educational and employment opportunities for children, young people and entrepreneurs from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Ardian-Talent-Inclusion-Diversity-Ardian-depends-on-the-collective-intelligence-of-all-our-employees

Ardian depends on the collective intelligence of all our employees.