Investing
for the long term

Wendel is one of Europe’s leading listed investment firms, operating at the intersection of industry and finance.

We have recognized expertise

Wendel selects leading companies, both listed and unlisted, in making long-term investments. It partners with management teams to help to define ambitious strategies. Wendel is distinguished by several strengths: a stable family shareholder base, permanent capital and a robust balance sheet, and a portfolio of companies that provides the Group with a very broad view across geographies and sectors. Since 1977, Wendel’s international investment teams have invested in a significant number of successful companies, including Capgemini, bioMérieux, Reynolds, Stallergenes, Wheelabrator, Valeo, Afflelou, Editis, Legrand, Deutsch and Allied Universal.

Committed to partnering with entrepreneurial teams

Wendel’s investment and sustainable development strategy is based on working closely with the managers of the companies in which it invests. This partnership is central to the process by which value is created. Wendel provides constant and active support, shares risks and contributes its experience and financial, technical and communications expertise. The Group is able to reinvest and support companies when the economic and financial conditions or specific business development opportunities demand it.
Wendel is represented in the Boards of Directors and key committees of its investments, in proportion to its stake. This allows to take part in the most important strategic decisions made by each company without ever taking the place of its management.

Our purpose

Engaging with entrepreneurial teams to build sustainable leading companies

Our values

Wendel’s approach is based on responsibility and is rooted firmly in the core values of Engagement, Excellence, and Entrepreneurial Mindset. These values drive Wendel’s behavior both as a company and an investor to deliver its mission.

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Engagement

Engagement means staying accountable to Wendel’s people, companies, and other stakeholders. Wendel’s most distinctive feature as an investor is its unparalleled engagement. Wendel’s steadfast commitment makes it a unique investor: Wendel builds for the future. Every decision is made with long-term interests in mind. Strategies Wendel employs include providing managerial input, supporting acquisitions and capital investments, focusing on innovation and developing people.

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Excellence

Wendel’s founding family has played an active role in the firm for more than three hundred years. The firm’s staying power can be attributed to its culture of excellence, achieved by building trust, rewarding those who remain reliable and setting high standards and upholding commitments. Wendel strives for excellence in terms of its financial and operational discipline, as well as in analysis related to investment activities. As a listed company, Wendel seeks to be a role model for the unlisted companies in its portfolio.

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Entrepreneurial mindset

Entrepreneurship differentiates Wendel as an investor. The Group’s Entrepreneurial Mindset combines courage, reasoned boldness and responsibility. It springs from a desire to create something useful for its people, for its companies and for its communities.

The long-term shareholder’s charter

To be a successful long-term investor, a shareholder must always be attentive to innovation, sustainable development and promising diversification activities. In order to express this commitment, Wendel has created a charter that includes five overarching principles:

Active involvement in designing and implementing company strategies through our participation on the boards of directors and key committees of the companies in which we have invested;
Firm, long-term commitments to our partner companies by supporting their development, fostering their exposure to strong growth regions, and allocating time and resources to innovation;
Constructive, transparent and stimulating dialogue with management while constantly testing habits and reconsidering business models in the context of global best practices;
Everyday loyalty build through trust-based relationships that recognize the respective roles of shareholders and managers;
A guarantee of shareholder stability and the common cause of a long-term partner who doesn’t hesitate to make a financial commitment during tough times, when justified.

SUCCESS STORY

40 years

40 years of sustainable growth

For 40 years, Wendel has been supporting companies over the long term. Occasionally, it may hold a company for a shorter period of time. In any case, every decision is made in the long-term interest of the company. Wendel favors acquisitions and industrial investments and pays constant attention to innovation.