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Sagard Holdings
Sagard was founded in 2002 by the Desmarais family, leveraging capital from Power Corporation of Canada, one of the country's largest holding companies.
Sagard Holdings
Sagard was founded in 2002 by the Desmarais family, leveraging capital from Power Corporation of Canada, one of the country's largest holding companies. The firm originally operated as a single-family office before expanding into a multi-family office and asset manager that now serves over 150 wealthy families and institutional investors. The platform invests across private equity (buyouts and growth), private credit (direct lending), venture capital, real estate, and infrastructure. Sagard's private equity team targets control and co-control investments in North American and European middle-market companies. Key portfolio holdings have included KIK Custom Products, a specialty chemicals manufacturer; and the Groupe Lacasse office furniture company. The credit arm, Sagard Credit Partners, provides senior secured loans to mid-sized firms. Venture capital, managed through Sagard NewGen, focuses on early-stage technology companies in Canada. The firm has offices in Montreal, New York, Menlo Park, Hong Kong, and London, covering North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Sagard employs over 200 professionals and manages more than $28B in total assets (per Sagard press releases, 2023). In 2021, the firm established Sagard Healthcare, a dedicated healthcare investment team. The firm also operates a wealth management division, Sagard Wealth, which provides investment advisory and family office services to external clients. In 2022, Sagard closed its largest private equity fund at $3.5B, marking a milestone for the platform. Sagard's structural differentiator is its hybrid model — it functions as both a family office for the Desmarais family and a scaled asset manager that pools capital from external LPs. This structure gives it permanent capital from the founding family while allowing it to pursue institutional-size transactions. The firm's governance includes a board chaired by Pierre Boivin, separating investment management from family oversight.
General information
Firm type
Multi Family Office
Year founded
2002
AUM
$20B–$30B (per Sagard press releases, 2023)
Location
Region
North America
Country
Canada
City
Montreal
Corporate office
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Additional offices
New York · Menlo Park · Hong Kong
Principals
Pierre Boivin
Chairman of the Board
Paul Desmarais III
CEO and Managing Partner
Adam Vigna
President and Managing Partner
Maxime Menard
Managing Partner, Private Equity
Frederick Genest
Managing Partner, Private Debt
Olivier Sirois
Managing Partner, Venture Capital
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
How is Sagard structured — is it a family office or an asset manager?
Sagard operates a hybrid model. It began as the single-family office for the Desmarais family (controlling shareholders of Power Corporation of Canada) but has expanded into a multi-family office and asset management platform that accepts capital from external families and institutions. This gives it both permanent family capital and the scale to lead large transactions.
What investment strategies does Sagard pursue?
Sagard invests across five primary strategies: private equity (buyouts and growth equity), private credit (direct lending to middle-market companies), venture capital (via Sagard NewGen), real estate, and infrastructure. Each strategy has its own dedicated team and often operates from separate offices.
Who makes investment decisions at Sagard?
Investment decisions are led by the managing partners of each strategy. Paul Desmarais III serves as CEO and Managing Partner with overall oversight. Adam Vigna is President and Managing Partner. Strategy-specific managing partners include Maxime Menard (private equity), Frederick Genest (private debt), and Olivier Sirois (venture capital).
Does Sagard invest globally or only in specific regions?
The firm invests across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Its private equity team focuses on the US and Canada, with European deals done through the London office. The venture capital arm is primarily focused on Canadian startups. The Hong Kong office gives the firm an Asia-Pacific presence.
What is the relationship between Sagard and Power Corporation of Canada?
Sagard was founded by the Desmarais family, the controlling shareholders of Power Corporation of Canada. While Sagard operates independently as an asset manager, the family's permanent capital stake provides long-term stability. Power Corporation itself is a diversified holding company with interests in financial services, insurance, and media.
What is Sagard's known posture on co-investments?
Sagard actively offers co-investment opportunities to its family office and institutional clients, particularly in private equity and credit deals. The firm often leads or co-leads transactions and syndicates portions to external LPs. This is a key value proposition for its multi-family office clients.
What is the size of Sagard's assets under management?
Sagard reports over $28 billion in total assets under management across its global platform as of 2023 (per Sagard press releases). This includes the assets of the Desmarais family and external client assets across all strategies. The firm does not publicly break out how much is family capital versus third-party capital.
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