Our people, our value

Ariane van der Haegen is Head of HR & Communications Europe at Kartesia, based in Brussels. She oversees people strategy, internal and external communications, talent development and organisational effectiveness across multiple European jurisdictions.

She brings more than 20 years of experience in senior HR roles within international organisations, including Allianz, ING, Econocom and FleishmanHillard. Throughout her career, she has operated in complex, multi country environments and has supported business growth, integration processes and governance frameworks, particularly in financial services.

Ariane combines strategic HR leadership with strong operational execution. She has led the implementation of performance management systems, compensation structures, HR policies and leadership development initiatives. Her dual responsibility for HR and Communications allows her to support executive leadership while maintaining clear and consistent messaging across teams and stakeholders.

She holds degrees from Université libre de Bruxelles in Criminology and from Université catholique de Louvain in Law. She is fluent in English, French and Dutch.

Laurent Bouvier is a Founding Partner of Kartesia and serves on the firm’s BOARD, COMEX, and Investment Committee (IC). He oversees Kartesia’s Investor Relations, CLO’s and Value Enhancement strategies, playing also a major role in driving the different Business Development initiatives.

Before establishing Kartesia in 2013, Laurent co-founded the Altercap funds at LBO France, where he successfully raised and invested €500 million in corporate credit opportunities. His tenure at LBO France also saw him serving on the executive committee, contributing significantly to the firm’s investment strategies and operations.

Laurent’s career in finance began at Crédit Agricole CIB (formerly Crédit Agricole Indosuez), where he initially focused on project finance in the telecom sector. He later transitioned to leveraged finance, gaining valuable experience in structuring mezzanine and equity investments during his time at the ICG Paris office.

Laurent holds a BA in Management from the Institut National des Telecommunications (Paris) and an MSc in Management with a focus on Corporate Finance from the Université Paris IX Dauphine.

Matthieu Delamaire is a Founding Partner of Kartesia. He began his career in 1999 as an auditor at Deloitte before joining PwC’s Transaction Services department in 2001, where he was responsible for delivering financial due diligence reports for corporates and private equity funds.

Matthieu then joined Société Générale’s Leveraged Finance team, where he was involved in the structuring of various leveraged buyout transactions. In 2009, he co-founded the Altercap funds within LBO France, which have since raised and invested over €500 million in corporate credit opportunities.

In 2013, Matthieu co-founded Kartesia. He continues to contribute actively to the firm’s governance and long-term strategic development, supporting its growth as a leading European private credit platform.

Charles-Henri Clappier is a Partner and Head of KSO France & Business Development at Kartesia, where he leads the Kartesia Senior and Impact funds in France and drives strategic initiatives and acquisitions. He holds an M.Sc. in Management from the HEC School of Management. Charles-Henri has a proven track record in finance and business development.

Prior to Kartesia, he was Managing Director at the Bank of Ireland, overseeing key transactions such as Elitech and Alter Domus. He also founded and led a mobile service company and held positions at ING as Vice President and HSBC as Analyst. Actively involved in the finance community, Charles-Henri is a member of the Private Debt Commission at France Invest and Club HEC.

He has shared his expertise at the Debtwire Private Credit Forum’s Small-cap Opportunities Panel and leads Kartesia Philanthropy. He joined Kartesia attracted by its cohesive team and strategic vision, valuing the firm’s commitment to entrepreneurship, excellence, integrity, and teamwork.

As the Partner and Head of ESG, Coralie De Maesschalck leads the firm’s efforts in the field, overseeing the implementation of sustainability initiatives that have been a core commitment for Kartesia since its inception. Upon joining the company in 2015, Coralie leveraged her expertise in private equity with LPs, playing a crucial role in assisting European SMEs in integrating sustainability goals into their businesses.

Coralie has represented Kartesia as a lead speaker at UN PRI-organised roundtables, participating in the Francophone Programme as well serving as a member of the ESG committee at ELFA.
She has also authored several articles on the ESG debate and collaborated on reports for UN PRI regarding the private debt market.

Before joining Kartesia, Coralie accumulated over five years of experience in private equity at Inter IKEA Systems B.V. and an additional five years at KPMG Belgium in financial auditing.

Julien Rigon, Partner and Head of France at Kartesia, brings 12 years of leveraged finance and private equity expertise to his role, overseeing investment sourcing, execution, and monitoring in the French region.

Joining Kartesia at its inception in 2013, Julien has been integral in expanding Kartesia’s presence as the preferred partner for SME across Europe whilst also spearheading the launch of Kartesia’s CLO investment strategy. He has played a pivotal role in successful transactions, including the inaugural Tiama and subsequently Consolis, Ecore, Fine Sounds, and Operi.

Presently, he leads transactions with Babcock Wanson, Sewan, Groupe Cair, and Scutum. Prior to Kartesia, Julien worked with BNP Paribas in the U.S. as a credit analyst and later as a debt investment officer in France, following an initial internship at French private equity firm Astorg.

As Partner and Head of Value Enhancement at Kartesia, Tomás Neuhaus is instrumental in driving the firm’s proactive restructuring and improvement initiatives across its portfolio. Tomás has extensive experience in balance sheet restructuring, operational turnarounds, and corporate governance. Since joining Kartesia 10 years ago, Tomás has expertly guided over a dozen companies through complex situations, greatly bolstering the firm’s reputation in this field.

Tomás has been pivotal in numerous high-profile transactions, including the Desmet Ballestra, which was sold in 2022 to Alfa Laval; ADL Biopharma, which was sold in 2023 to Wacker Chemie; and Aten Oil, which was sold in 2024 to ENI. His international experience spans multiple European markets, such as Spain, the UK, France, Germany, Poland, Italy, Belgium, Portugal, and Latvia, enabling him to expertly manage complex cross-border deals.

Before joining Kartesia, Tomás gained valuable experience at DC Advisory, and in earlier roles at Deutsche Postbank, Deutsche Bank, and Deloitte Corporate Finance. In addition to his transactional work, he is a member of the Investment Committee for KCO, and an ad-hoc member of KSO for restructuring situations, as a member of Comex.

Beyond his role in value enhancement, Tomás serves on the board of directors for several companies, including Atelier Hospitality, Groglass, Veta+, and Ecowipes. Tomás holds a degree in Business Administration and Economics and a master’s in finance.

Guillermo Ferré Ibáñez is Partner and Head of Spain & Italy at Kartesia. He leads the firm’s investment activities across both geographies, overseeing origination, execution and portfolio management, while also playing an active role at corporate matters and in investor coverage.

Guillermo brings extensive experience in capital solutions and mid market investing, with a strong track record supporting companies, entrepreneurs and financial sponsors. In his role, he works closely with management teams and shareholders to deliver long term, value driven capital solutions tailored to each company’s needs.

Prior to joining Kartesia, Guillermo worked at the investment banking division of JP Morgan in London and Barclays coverage in Spain, where he gained broad expertise across multiple asset classes, transaction types and markets.

He holds a Bachelor and Master’s degree in Business Administration and Finance from ESADE Business School.

Nicholas Holman, Partner and Head of UK & Ireland at Kartesia, is responsible for leading the firm’s UK strategy, covering deal origination, execution, and portfolio management. Since joining, Nick has strengthened Kartesia’s platform and reputation in the UK market, building a local deal team of eight professionals and contributing to nearly 30 transactions. His role also includes promoting Kartesia’s KIF fund, resulting in three executed UK deals.

Nick has a wealth of experience from his previous senior positions, such as Director of Structured Finance at Santander Corporate Bank, Associate Director in Leveraged Finance at Lloyds Bank, and Senior Analyst in Capital Markets at the Bank of Scotland. At Kartesia, he has overseen successful exits with companies like CTS, Envisage, and RCI, and has been involved in significant transactions including Optegra, Clearway, and Eden Futures.

Nick is an active speaker in industry events, addressing private debt opportunities, direct lending, and economic trends. Recent engagements include panels at the S&P Private Markets Summit and the Health Investor Conference, along with presentations at the Pension Fund Investor Forum and LGPS Investment Forum.
Nick was drawn to Kartesia by its reputation as a dynamic private debt firm, offering the chance to further develop its presence in the UK lower mid-market, in line with his own experience building a leveraged finance business at Santander.

As Head of Investor Relations at Kartesia, Duncan Browne is responsible for all investor-related activity at the firm, including both fundraising and client servicing. Duncan’s career has spanned asset management and consultancy roles, as well as in-house corporate development, strategy and IR/fundraising positions across both capital markets and private markets.

Prior to joining Kartesia, Duncan spent eight years as Head of Investor Relations at Arrow Global, a leading European alternative asset manager focused on private credit and real estate. During his time at Arrow Global, he played a key role in the business’s evolution from a balance sheet-driven investor to an integrated fund manager with over €10 billion of AUM. Prior to Arrow Global, Duncan held Head of Investor Relations roles at both Saga PLC and Vodafone PLC, where he was responsible for all corporate and capital markets activity.

Duncan started his career at the corporate and IR advisory firm H Advisors Maitland and holds a history degree from the University of St Andrews.

Benjamin Schall is Head of DACH at Kartesia, based in Munich. He leads the firm’s investment activities across Germany, Austria and Switzerland. He is also involved in investor coverage for Kartesia’s institutional and private wealth investors in the region.

Benjamin brings more than 18 years of experience in structured finance and private debt across multiple asset classes. Prior to joining Kartesia, he was a Partner at Apera Asset Management, where he was responsible for private debt investments in the DACH region.

Earlier in his career, Benjamin spent 13 years at UniCredit. From 2016 onwards, he built and led the lower mid-market activities for financial sponsors in the DACH region within the bank’s leveraged finance team. He also worked in debt capital markets, advising sponsors and corporates across EMEA and arranging structured financing solutions, and was also involved in distribution to institutional and private investors.

Benjamin holds a Master of Science in Economics from Hochschule für Wirtschaft & Umwelt Nürtingen-Geislingen.

Camille Wisniewski has led Kartesia’s Legal and Compliance function since 2018. She is a conducting officer and also serves on the Firm’s boards and Comex. Camille oversees the firm’s legal, regulatory and compliance framework across multiple jurisdictions. She works closely with investment, operations and senior management teams to support the firm’s activities while ensuring robust governance and regulatory alignment.

Before joining Kartesia, Camille worked in several leading law firms and fund administration services providers in Luxembourg. Her expertise spans alternative investment vehicles, governance frameworks as well as compliance and regulatory strategy.

Camille Wisniewski holds a master’s degree in law and is a qualified lawyer in Luxembourg .

Michael Htun is Head of CLOs and Structured Credit at Kartesia, where he leads the firm’s structured credit strategy and oversees all activity across the CLO platform. He brings extensive buy-side and sell-side experience, having held senior positions across trading, portfolio management, structuring, and credit analysis.

Before joining Kartesia, Michael served as Head of European CLO Trading at BNP Paribas, where he managed a four-person trading desk responsible for market making across the CLO capital structure. Under his leadership, the desk delivered its strongest annual performance on record in 2023. Before that, he was a Portfolio Manager at Cairn Capital, overseeing all CLO tranche investments across special opportunities and UCITS strategies and successfully steering the portfolios through the volatility of the COVID-19 period to generate robust returns.
Michael’s earlier roles include Vice President positions at NatWest Markets (CLO structuring) and RBC Capital Markets (ABS & CLO trading), as well as positions at Fitch Ratings and Halcyon Capital Management, where he gained foundational expertise in CLO structuring and credit analysis.

He is an active contributor to industry dialogue. Michael regularly speaks at leading conferences, including the Opal European CLO Summit, DB Leveraged Finance Conference, S&P European Structured Finance Conference, and the FIS Buy Side Innovation Summit. He also publishes a monthly CLO market update shared widely across the industry.
Michael holds a BSc in Economics, Finance & Management (2:1 honours) and an MSc in Mathematical Trading & Finance (Distinction).

Driven by a passion for innovation and strategic thinking, Michael joined Kartesia for its strong market reputation, award-winning performance, and its culture that empowers entrepreneurial initiative. He is proud to contribute to the firm’s continued growth and to help shape Kartesia’s expanding presence in the structured credit space.

Marc Housieaux is Business Transformation Director and a Member of the Executive Committee at Kartesia, based in Brussels. He partners with the firm’s leadership to structure executive decision-making and lead cross-functional transformation initiatives across the platform. He defines strategic priorities, prepares key investment and operational decisions, and leads data, systems and AI transformation to enhance productivity, governance and decision quality across the firm.

Marc brings more than 15 years of experience in finance, strategy and operational structuring across asset management and growth-stage retail businesses. Prior to his current role, he served as Finance & Administration Director at Kartesia, overseeing Finance, HR, IT and Office Management, and contributing to the firm’s organizational scaling and incentive structuring.

Earlier in his career, Marc held senior finance and operations responsibilities in growth-stage retail businesses, where he structured finance and operational functions from the ground up, implemented KPI-driven performance frameworks, and supported rapid expansion and scaling.

Marc holds a Master in Management from HEC Paris and a CEMS Master in International Management from ESADE.

Andrea Ridler is Client and Product Solutions Director at Kartesia, based in Munich. She is responsible for client and product solutions across Europe with a focus on the DACH region. In her role, she works closely with institutional clients and partners to shape capital raising, product positioning, and ongoing investor engagement across Kartesia’s strategies.

Andrea brings more than 17 years of experience in private credit, investment banking, and structured finance. Before joining Kartesia, she helped establish a private credit asset management business at Deutsche Bank, which later transitioned into DWS.

Earlier in her career, Andrea spent over a decade in markets & investment banking, holding roles in credit trading, institutional credit sales, distressed origination, and corporate finance coverage. Her experience spans market-facing and client-focused functions, with a strong focus on institutional investors coverage.

Andrea holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from University of Applied Sciences at Zwickau and she is a Certified European Financial Analyst (CEFA) Charterholder.

Ruben Moen established the Amsterdam office and leads the Dutch efforts including sourcing, execution and portfolio monitoring.

He brings over 13 years of experience in leveraged finance and private credit, with a strong track record across both sponsored and sponsor-less investments. Prior to joining Kartesia, he was a Vice President at ING, where he acted as deal lead on syndicated leveraged loan and high yield bond transactions.

He holds a BSc in Business Administration from the University of Groningen and an MSc in Business Administration (specialization in Chinese economy and business) from RSM, Erasmus University. During his studies and early career, he gained valuable international experience living and working in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Hangzhou, London, Brussels, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam.

Kamil Kapasi who serves as an Investment Director, has over 10 years of experience in leveraged finance. Kamil is responsible for investment structuring, negotiation, execution and monitoring with focus on the Kartesia Impact Strategy, particularly, in the UK. He is also involved in investor coverage for Kartesia’s institutional investors to the Senior and Impact Funds.

Prior to joining Kartesia in February Sep’21, he worked in the Structured Finance divisions at Santander Bank and Natwest Bank where he was responsible for end-to-end transaction management including, origination, execution, and portfolio management of transactions.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Loughborough University.