[1] The company was originally set up by Dominique Senequier in 1996 as the AXA Group's private equity division, but later gained independence in 2013, and rebranded itself as Ardian.

[3] Ardian manages assets worth US$150 billion in Europe, North America and Asia,[4] and has fifteen offices (Paris, London, Frankfurt, Milan, Madrid, Zurich, New York, San Francisco, Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo, Jersey, Luxembourg, Santiago, and Seoul).

[19][20] The same year it adopted the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) implemented by the UNPRI and published its CSR Charter.

Per the terms of the deal, Axa Group retained ownership of 23% of the firm, management and employees owned 46%, and the remaining 31% was held by French family offices and institutions.

[30] On 7 October 2015, it opened an office in San Francisco, USA,[31] In 2016, Ardian celebrated the company's 20th anniversary with a major expansion plan, targeting North America for their next phase of growth.

In 2023, Ardian's 1050 staff were responsible for $150bn of assets, confirming its place among an elite global group of private investment houses.

[35] In March 2024, it was announced Ardian had completed the acquisition of Digital 9 Infrastructure's entire stake in the UK-based data centre platform, Verne Global in a deal worth up to £450 million.

[36] On 15 December 2024, it was reported that Ardian and Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia have successfully acquired 22.6% and 15% respectively of stakes in Heathrow Airport for a combined US$4.12 billion from Ferrovial and some shareholders in FGP TopCo.

[37] The company operates on five business segments:[38] Ardian was founded and is managed by Dominique Senequier, who was one of the first seven women admitted to the French Ecole Polytechnique in France in 1972.