Private equity investment firm Ardian has launched a real estate debt platform to manage funds and mandates related to finance pan-European real estate projects.
Ardian Real Estate Debt will be managed by Arnaud Chaléac, as Head of Ardian Real Assets Debt. With more than twenty years’ experience in finance, and Co-Head of Group Finance at Ardian since 2008, he has developed a strong expertise in structured financing. Arnaud Chaléac joined Ardian fourteen years ago after working with major French groups across the sector, including Air Liquide, Kering, and Crédit Agricole.
He will be supported in this new activity by Sandrine Amsili, Managing Director, who will develop the platform alongside him. Amsili has 20 years’ experience in the real estate sector, including 17 years in real estate debt. Prior to joining Ardian in 2021, she held several management positions, including at Europhypo, CBRE Global investors, and most recently as Director of real estate debt at SCOR Investment Partners, where she helped create the company’s platform.
The Real Estate Debt activity will focus on senior debt and will seek to finance, alongside banks, in European real estate projects. All investments will have a strong ESG angle – in line with Ardian Real Estate’s wider strategy – to create spaces and places for more sustainable and decarbonized cities. This strategy complements Ardian’s Real Estate activity, which is led by Stéphanie Bensimon.
“Real estate is an important growth driver for Ardian. We have great ambitions so the launch of our new Real Estate Debt activity is a logical next step in our development. The team, led by Arnaud Chaléac with the support of Sandrine Amsili and our European network, combines in-depth knowledge of the sector with expertise in debt structuring. Our ambition is for Ardian to become a key player in real-estate debt management and I am confident in our ability to meet growing demand from investors to access projects that contribute to the real economy,” said Dominique Senequier, Founder and President of Ardian.
“With the creation of the real estate debt activity we will be able to support major real estate investors with project financing, especially as leading banks increasingly need alternative lenders like Ardian Real Estate Debt as partners. With a team of recognized experts, excellent market access and the confidence of financial partners, we are well positioned to offer our clients an attractive risk/return profile and contribute to the growth of the real estate debt market in Europe,” said Arnaud Chaléac, Head of Ardian Real Asset Debt and Co-Head of Group Finance of Ardian.
“Since 2016, Real Estate at Ardian has grown significantly. Equity investments through two generations of value added funds have enabled the deployment of more than €3.7 billion of real estate assets in major European capitals, with a balanced risk profile and excellent performance. This new real estate debt platform complements our offer and will help meet the needs of investors seeking a secure debt return with a major real estate focus. For the coming years, our real estate development ambitions remain strong across the different risk profiles offered by our real estate markets in Europe,” said Stéphanie Bensimon, Head of Real Estate at Ardian.
