Ardian | Inclusion & Divesity

A powerful way to strengthen our collective intelligence

We are conscious of our role in society and we want to deliver positive outcomes for all our stakeholders. We are also convinced that inclusive and diverse organizations are more creative, innovative and likely to outperform. For these reasons, inclusion and diversity are strategic objectives for Ardian and are fundamental to our talent.

We regard inclusion and diversity as the platform that empowers everyone to reach their full potential within our company, while being respected and feeling free to express their ideas and differences, whether of religion, gender, age, education, social background, national origin, mental or physical disability or sexual orientation. We want our teams to reflect the society in which we operate.

Read our Inclusion & Diversity Charter

100%

employees trained on Conscious Inclusion
40%

of women in investment teams by 2030

Concrete commitment, measurable objectives

In January 2021, Ardian published its Inclusion and Diversity Charter, which sets up concrete and measurable targets and commits us to address all types of discrimination and promote equal opportunities.

The four key principles of our Inclusion and Diversity Charter are:

Ardian-Talent-Inclusion-Diversity-inclusive-working-environment

Creating an inclusive working environment that welcomes people from all backgrounds

Ardian-Talent-Inclusion-Diversity-Gender-balance-and-social-diversity-agenda

Developing our agenda in three priority areas: gender balance, social diversity and disability

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Promoting equal opportunities to increase our positive social impact

Using our governance system to continuously improve our initiatives and measure their effectiveness

Inclusive working environment and talent initiatives

We want our people to thrive together while being able to express their differences. We know how important it is to build an inclusive and diverse culture that embraces learning and fosters trust—a culture where every employee can do its best work and reach its full potential. Ardian has published its Code of Conduct, which is about much more than merely being polite and courteous. It is about considering others, being open to different cultures, communicating respectfully and adopting behavior which reinforces mutual respect and cohesion. We all have a role to play in developing this inclusive working environment, that’s why our year-end appraisals include an individual I&D objective.
All Ardian staff have received training on stereotypes and I&D, and our managers have attended a dedicated training session on Conscious Inclusion. An I&D workshop also forms part of our integration seminars for new joiners.

Attracting talent

We are pursuing multiple initiatives to broaden the range of people who feel that joining our company could be right for them. Through our VoxPopuli program we train 20 candidates from less advantaged backgrounds every year to prepare them to apply for internships. We reach out to female business school students through our Generation Women events and are building partnerships with universities that have a more diverse student pool. We go into high schools to show pupils what Ardian does and we use the Ardian Foundation’s network of educational charities to identify talented young people from under-represented parts of society.

Recruiting talent

We have scrutinized our recruitment processes to ensure they support our inclusion and diversity objectives, in line with local laws around the world. Our HR guidelines require diverse recruitment shortlists that include at least one candidate from each gender. We pay special attention to gender balance among our interns and ensure that we are represented at student fairs by gender-diverse groups of employees. Our HR team specifically addresses the rights of candidates with disabilities and ensures they receive equal access to job opportunities.

Retaining talent

Ardian strives to create a secure and ambitious environment in which people can continue to grow. We fully recognize the importance of work-life balance and flexible working for all our employees and provide exceptional support for parents and care-givers. We are studying pay levels across the company by gender and are committed to reducing any differences. We ensure our managers are reminded of our policies on salaries and employment equality before every pay and benefits review. Our thriving women’s club has the mission to encourage parity within Ardian, it gives female staff the opportunity to receive mentoring from senior colleagues and build their internal networks.

Memberships and certifications

Ardian supports I&D by actively participating in organizations which take concrete steps to advance inclusion, diversity and equity for the private markets industry.

ILPA (Institutional Limited Partners Association)

In December 2020, Ardian became a founding signatory of the ILPA’s Diversity in Action initiative, making a commitment to take new concrete steps to advance inclusion, diversity and equity, for Ardian and the financial industry more broadly.

Level 20

In February 2021, Ardian joined Level 20, the organization dedicated to improving gender diversity in the European private equity industry.

France Invest

In 2020, Ardian signed France Invest’s Gender Diversity Charter. The initiative promotes gender parity within French private equity firms and the companies they support.

In October 2023, Ardian received the France Invest Award, recognizing the most active management company in terms of gender diversity within its investment teams.

Investor Leadership Network (ILN)

In 2019, Ardian joined the Investor Leadership Network which addresses issues of sustainability and long-term growth. Ardian is particularly involved in issues concerning diversity in investment.

OUT Investors

In January 2024, Ardian joined Out Investors, the LGBTQ+ network of private investment professionals. Expanding their network to France, Out Investors are committed to fostering inclusivity and open discussions on sexual orientation within the workplace.

Ardian is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to our employees, applicants and candidates based on individual qualifications, without regard to religion, gender, age, national origin, educational background, mental or physical disabilities or sexual orientation.

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