Idi, an investment company specialising in SMEs and VSEs, has announced the appointment of Sébastien Chaigne, 47, as operating partner. Since 2024, he has worked as an independent operating partner for various funds and listed software companies.

The role of an operating partner is to create operational value in the portfolio companies of a private equity fund.

He is a graduate of Compiègne University of Technology, Mines ParisTech and INSEAD. He began his career in R&D at Renault, where he helped develop the Group's local engineering centres in Mercosur and Turkey. 

After completing his MBA, Sébastien Chaigne joined McKinsey & Company, where he worked with clients in the aerospace, defence and technology sectors on their operational performance challenges. He then spent five years at industrial software publisher ESI Group, where he managed the development teams (300 engineers on four continents) and led their transformation following a major acquisition. In 2018, back at McKinsey, he specialised in the intersection of advanced industries, software and private equity.

"His expertise in the industry and tech sectors will enable us to gain an even better understanding of the main challenges facing our investments, so that we can continue to support them on their path to growth."Julien Bentz, managing partner of Idi's investment team and chairman of IdiCo. IdiCo is Idi's third-party asset management subsidiary.