Jan Philipp Schmitz, Executive Vice-President at Ardian – Scaling Global Growth in Private Markets

How does one of the world’s leading private investment houses balance agility, scale, and purpose? In this episode, we sit down with Jan Philipp Schmitz, Executive Vice President and Member of the Executive Committee at Ardian, to explore how the firm has grown from a management buyout of AXA Private Equity into a $192 billion global investment leader. Jan Philipp takes us inside Ardian’s multi-asset model, spanning private equity, infrastructure, and private credit - and explains why secondaries and infrastructure are some of the firm’s fastest-growing pillars. He reveals how Ardian combines entrepreneurial speed with institutional discipline, fostering a culture of shared ownership where employees and investors are deeply aligned. We also discuss the strategic value of staying private, and what it takes to scale globally while keeping decision-making decentralized and fast. Guest Jan-Philipp Schmitz, Executive Vice President and Member of the Executive Committee, Ardian Hosts Prof. Dr. Serden Ozcan, WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management Gori von Hirschhausen, PwC Germany Editorial Team Annika Lux-Röhrig Simon Görlach