Our office in Abu Dhabi is a gateway between Ardian’s largest US and Europe operations.

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Inside Ardian, Growth stories

Our office in Abu Dhabi is a gateway between Ardian’s largest US and Europe operations.

  • 15 June 2023

  • Private Equity

  • Ardian

  • United Arab Emirates

Reading time: 5 minutes

François-Aïssa Touazi

François-Aïssa Touazi

Member of the Executive Committee, Head of Investor Relations (MENA, South-East Asia & Africa & France) & Public Affairs & Senior Managing Director

François-Aïssa Touazi joined Ardian in 2008. He co/heads the Investor Relations. He has been instrumental in developing and strengthening our relationships with our investors. In particular, he has developed strategic and diversified partnerships with major sovereign wealth funds and pension funds. He is Chairman of Ardian Abu Dhabi limited.

He also contributes to the international development of our portfolio companies. He is also Global Head of European and International Public Affairs for Ardian.

François is co-Chairman of the French Saudi Arabia - Kuwait - UAE Councils at Medef International, the largest French business organization and President of the Sovereign Wealth Funds task force.

Prior to joining Ardian, he worked for the French Foreign Office he was notably advisor for the Middle East and North Africa. He is based in Paris.

    François-Aïssa Touazi, Chairman Ardian Limited Abu Dhabi, discusses Ardian’s achievements in the Middle East, from our record of building leading-edge partnerships with key strategic players, to our long-term ambitions for the firm in the region.

    For how long have you been leading Ardian’s efforts in the Middle East?

    For how long have you been leading Ardian’s efforts in the Middle East?  

    François-Aïssa Touazi: I joined Ardian in 2008, at that time we were managing around $200 million from Middle Eastern clients. Today we are managing close to $20 billion of assets for around 65 clients in the region and we have established ourselves as clear strategic partners for the largest and most sophisticated sovereign wealth funds, governmental bodies and institutions.

    Ardian’s reach in the region is not that of a stand-alone general partner, as our competitive advantage lies also in our capacity to act as a leading liquidity provider in the world by acquiring portfolios on the secondary market, often from the same clients that are investing in our platform.

    François-Aïssa Touazi, Senior Managing Director and Chairman Ardian Limited Abu Dhabi, Ardian

    On the industrial side, our co-investment program offers direct exposure to EU and US companies for our largest partners. Many of our portfolio companies will also seek to expand their activities in the region, and to benefit from the sizable opportunities offered by the local diversification programs.

    We are very proud to have such strong relationships.

    • In 2008,

      when François-Aïssa joined Ardian, we were managing around $200 million from Middle Eastern clients.

    • As of Q4 2022,

      we are managing close to $20 billion of assets for around 65 clients in the region.

    Why did you decide on Abu Dhabi for Ardian’s first Middle Eastern office?

    Why did you decide on Abu Dhabi for Ardian’s first Middle Eastern office?

    FT: Our historical clients in the Gulf are in Abu Dhabi. Also, there is a concentration of high-quality financial institutions in the United Arab Emirates and particularly in Abu Dhabi. Our partnership with ADIA, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, has grown to become today a model for the industry as a whole.

    Ardian also has a longstanding relationship with institutions with diverse focuses such as the Emirates Investment Authority (EIA), which is focused on returns, as well as others such as Mubadala that are looking to participate actively in the transformation of their country through industrial transformation. By investing abroad in parallel to supporting the vision of the UAE’s leaders, these institutions reshape the economy and prepare it for a new era.

    Getting closer to our partners was a conviction carried by Ardian leadership.

    François-Aïssa Touazi, Senior Managing Director and Chairman Ardian Limited Abu Dhabi, Ardian

    Our office in the heart of Abu Dhabi financial district at Abu Dhabi Global Market on Al Maryah Island is the natural translation of decades of shared trust between Ardian and its local partners.

    Does this mean Ardian intends to invest in the Middle East as well as raising funds there?

    Does this mean Ardian intends to invest in the Middle East as well as raising funds there?

    FT: Definitely. COP28 will take place in Dubai this year and all eyes will be focused on the energy transition challenges in the Middle East. We want to play a major role in this enterprise and through Hy24 we already manage the largest clean hydrogen infrastructure fund in the world.

    We strongly believe this strengthens our position as a natural partner for institutions in the Middle East that want to invest in green hydrogen. We know that Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE want to be leaders in hydrogen, and we are already working on several projects. We are also very excited that a lot of Ardian’s European portfolio companies are very interested in investing in the MENA region.

    Governments in the Middle East want to transform their economies and there are many opportunities in sectors such as healthcare, technology, entertainment, tourism and logistics.

    Our base in Abu Dhabi will be a gateway between the US, Europe and the UAE and will include working space for our portfolio companies who want to expand in the region.

    François-Aïssa Touazi, Senior Managing Director and Chairman Ardian Limited Abu Dhabi, Ardian

    How many people will be working in the Abu Dhabi office initially?

    How many people will be working in the Abu Dhabi office initially?

    FT: We have reached a team of ten people.

    In order to develop stronger ties with more Middle Eastern clients and provide a higher level of service, this will comprise investment professionals from our Secondaries & Primaries team and members of our Investor Relations team.

    Additionally, we plan to have Abu Dhabi-based direct investment specialists, particularly from the clean hydrogen fund team.

    With up to 25 employees there over the next two years, Abu Dhabi is expected to soon grow to be one of the largest locations in our global network. For us, quickly expanding our ground presence is crucial.

    François-Aïssa Touazi, Senior Managing Director and Chairman Ardian Limited Abu Dhabi, Ardian

    How would you describe the expectations of your Middle Eastern clients?

    How would you describe the expectations of your Middle Eastern clients?

    FT: They are very sophisticated investors who seek performance, but they are also concerned with long-term partnerships and place a high emphasis on personal interaction.

    We are fortunate in that we have already established strong working relationships between our Ardian teams and the teams from the sovereign wealth funds, financial institutions and family offices.

    François-Aïssa Touazi, Senior Managing Director and Chairman Ardian Limited Abu Dhabi, Ardian

    Having a strong local presence will strengthen and deepen those partnerships, as well as help us expand the Ardian franchise with other institutional players, private banks, and family offices. These investors are expanding their allocation to alternative investments, and we believe Ardian offers the solutions and expertise to satisfy their requirements.

    Opening our office in Abu Dhabi is a cornerstone in the development of Ardian. This region has tremendous economic ambitions.

    François-Aïssa Touazi, Senior Managing Director and Chairman Ardian Limited Abu Dhabi, Ardian