“Over the last 18 years, Ares has strategically expanded its European footprint and solutions across its Credit, Real Estate, Infrastructure, Private Equity and Secondaries strategies to better tailor solutions to the evolving needs of managers, companies and communities,” said Blair Jacobson, Co-President of Ares. “We are very excited to announce this latest step forward in our regional positioning, reflecting the natural evolution of our platform in line with the growing private markets opportunity set in Italy to the benefit of both institutional and individual investors.” 

“We have long taken pride in our differentiated talent, strong local networks and scaled resources, and the Milan office builds on this legacy,” said Matt Theodorakis, Partner and Co-Head of European Direct Lending at Ares. “With Italy’s expanding opportunity for middle-market buyouts, long-term financings and growth capital, we believe our leading European Direct Lending business is well positioned for long-term value creation.” 

“Over the last several years, we have seen Italian stakeholders gain greater awareness and acceptance of private capital as an attractive alternative to traditional financing sources,” said Mr. Cooney. “As local business owners and asset managers continue to the navigate through dynamic European markets, we are pleased to formally establish Ares’ presence in Italy and provide greater access to our flexible and creative capital solutions.”