Paris, Tokyo, 15 February 2018 – Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, today announces the opening of an office in Tokyo, Japan. As well as deepening already established relationships in Japan, the new office will consolidate the company’s growth across the Asia Pacific region. Adding to Ardian’s multi-local approach to managing client relationships, the company now has a total of 13 offices, with three in Asia, following the opening of offices in Singapore and Beijing in 2005 and 2012 respectively.
Japan forms an important part of Ardian’s international development strategy. It will continue to be a significant base for the company in terms of both fundraising and investing, and will build on Ardian’s established strong presence in the region. Ardian has more than a dozen blue-chip clients in Japan, which represent over $2bn of AUM and comprise some of the most respected pension plans, insurance companies and financial institutions.
The office will be led by Kanji Takenaka, who joins Ardian as Head of Japan and Managing Director. Mr Takenaka’s career includes senior roles at Simplex Real Estate, Fortress Investment Group, Norinchukin Bank and most recently at HarbourVest Partners, where he held the position of Principal.
Dominique Senequier, President of Ardian, said: “The opening of our office in Japan is a natural progression for us as we continue our strategy of evolving and growing our business globally. Ardian has established itself as a leading player in the global investment industry and this latest office opening marks our commitment to the region. As more and more Japanese pension funds, companies and institutions are increasingly looking to diversify their investments outside of the domestic market, Ardian is well placed as a global investment house to provide an array of quality opportunities to deliver superior returns.”
Jan Philipp Schmitz, Member of the Executive Committee of Ardian and Head of Asia, said: “This is a great step for Ardian, and it will allow the company to meet the requirements of a market in which we see a lot of growth to come. We already know the Asian market well. We have nearly 50 clients in the region, who have invested $8.2bn in our funds, while we have made nearly 100 fund investments in addition to 20 direct investments. Having this local footprint is essential in serving our existing clients, as well as attracting new ones and benefitting from emerging opportunities.”
ABOUT ARDIAN
Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$66bn managed or advised in Europe, North America and Asia. The company is majority-owned by its employees. It keeps entrepreneurship at its heart and focuses on delivering excellent investment performance to its global investor base.
Through its commitment to shared outcomes for all stakeholders, Ardian’s activities fuel individual, corporate and economic growth around the world.
Holding close its core values of excellence, loyalty and entrepreneurship, Ardian maintains a truly global network, with more than 480 employees working from thirteen offices across Europe (Frankfurt, Jersey, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Zurich), North America (New York, San Francisco) and Asia (Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo). It manages funds on behalf of 650 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Funds of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.
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