Janine Paustian, Analyst: Integrating Ardian’s core values into the investment process

In her two years as an Analyst at Ardian Frankfurt, Janine Paustian has undertaken a wide range of projects and tasks – responsibilities which this German national has fully embraced. After a childhood spent near Cologne, Janine studied Business Administration at the University of Cologne before completing a Master in Finance & Investments at the Rotterdam School of Management in the Netherlands. “I discovered early on an interest in finance,” she says. “So during my studies, I did several internships in private equity and investment banking.”

One of these internships was at Ardian, in 2019, within the Frankfurt Expansion & Buyout teams.

“I worked in many different areas, supported by great people who taught me a lot. I also got to know the team, the company itself, its culture... All of this helped me confirm that private equity was the path I wanted to take after finishing my studies.” Janine experienced the whole breadth of corporate finance. “For me, it is the perfect combination. On the one hand, the analytical aspect: interpreting figures, drawing the right conclusions from the metrics; and on the other hand, the strategic and commercial aspects -- analyzing markets and companies, identifying interesting business models, working to see a whole project emerge and grow... This double dimension is what I love about private equity.”

It was therefore a natural step for Janine to join Ardian a few months later, in November 2020, as a full-time Analyst within the Expansion team in Frankfurt, which currently has 9 members, focusing on mid-sized companies – mostly in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and The Netherlands.

Building sustainable, resilient companies

Janine works at the very heart of Ardian’s activity – the investment process. “It is about monitoring deal flow and identifying interesting opportunities, learning about different industries, preparing documents for our investment committee, doing financial modeling, working on different due diligence streams …” Then, once the deal is closed, “the real work begins -- monitoring the portfolio companies, working with their management teams on all aspects of the value creation strategy and support them in achieving their strategic goals.

A diverse and rewarding position that goes well beyond number-crunching, explains Janine.

“You need to understand the business models in depth from a technical point of view as well, not to mention many other important aspects such as sustainability or digitization… In this career, you acquire a very broad skillset and take responsibilities from the start. I learn something new every day,” Janine added.

New pathways for women in the private equity sector

Her position is also a chance to deliver on Ardian’s core values. “Our purpose at Ardian is to invest all of ourselves in building companies that last”, says Janine. “That resonated with me first at the investment level, of course – but I also saw, very early on, that it involved Ardian investing in their own employees as well. When I look at my colleagues, many started their career with an internship at Ardian and are still there many years later. To me, that really speaks to the level of support and trust the company gives its employees from day one.”

The Ardian Women’s Club, is another example of the company’s commitment to talent development. Founded in 2018 and currently counting 15 core members, the Club helps women at Ardian to develop their careers within the group. Through networking and mentoring, it also aims to make private equity more attractive to women – a process in which Janine is an active participant.

Private equity is quickly evolving into a more diverse and inclusive sector, with Ardian striving to be at the forefront of this change and taking practical steps that Janine witnesses daily. “The situation is definitely shifting. In addition to the Ardian Women’s Club, Ardian is working with initiatives such as Level 20 which supports long-term change in private equity. In our Frankfurt office, there are now five women working in investment teams. At the European level, around 25% of the Expansion team are women, and these figures are growing constantly. I think Ardian has recognized early on that diverse teams are very important and now the whole industry is picking up on it.”

This change comes from within the industry and beyond, as more and more women become interested in private equity. “Reach out to people in the industry,” urges Janine. “Go to career events at your university, be curious, ask many questions. Be motivated and work hard.”

Download Ardian’s 2022 Integrated Report