Antin Infrastructure Partners

Antin was founded in Paris in 2007.[3][4] Initially sponsored by BNP Paribas, the firm bought out the bank's 40% stake in 2012. Led by former banker Alain Rauscher, Antin manages four funds for infrastructure investment in Europe and North America, each with a focus on telecommunications, transportation, energy and the environment, or social sectors.[5] In 2014, the firm owned a third of all trains running in the UK.[6] As of September 2021, Antin had 75 partners and over 65 professional staff.[7]

Antin sponsors a research chair in private equity and infrastructure at HEC Paris, which in 2019 was held by Denis Gromb, Professor, Finance Department.[8]

In September 2014 it was announced that the Israeli conglomerate Delek Group was selling UK freeway services company Roadchef to Antin for £153 million.[9]

Between 2014 and 2015, Antin acquired a 99% stake in Central Area Transmission System, a natural gas transportation and processing system, from BG Group.[10]

In July 2018, Antin announced that it was seeking to raise €5 billion for its fourth fund, having raised €3.6 billion for its third in 2016.[2][11] In April 2019, more than €2.5 billion had been committed.[12]

In September 2018, Antin was reported as having raised €8 billion, and to have invested in 22 companies.[13] In August 2019, Antin sold a minority stake in Eurofiber, a Dutch fiber-optic network, to PGGM,[14] after having bought the company for 875 million Euros in 2015.[15]

In late 2019, Antin acquired the U.S. district energy assets of Veolia to establish Vicinity Energy.[16]

In late 2020, Antin was reported as acquiring Babilou, a French nursery operator,[17] and Hippocrates Holding, an Italian pharmacy network.[18] In 2021, it acquired Pulsant, a provider of datacenter services.[19]

On September 24, 2021, its IPO was the largest to date on Euronext for 2021, with Antin shares set at €24 per share, then surging to close at €30, giving the firm a value of about 5.1 billion euros.[20] Prior to its IPO, the firm was valued at four billion Euros.[21]

In January 2023, a social infrastructure provider owned by Antin[22] - The Hesley Group - was the subject of an investigation by BBC News. BBC News reported that children in care were punched, locked out naked, and had vinegar poured on cuts.[23] The complaints were raised 3 years prior to the closure of the children's home. The BBC commissionned research that found more than a quarter of all children's home placements in England and Wales were run by private equity firms and criticised the alleged lack of accountability in the sector.