Alexandra Gardiner

Alexandra Gardiner is a senior finance executive now listed as Vice President Finance at Perpetual Capital Partners, an Arlington, Virginia-based private investment firm that acquires and invests in established U.S. private businesses. Perpetual describes itself as a permanent-capital owner that makes both control and minority investments and works with operating teams on strategy, capital allocation, growth, and operations.

Earlier, Gardiner served as Chief Financial Officer at C5 Capital. C5 announced her appointment on December 5, 2022, saying she had more than 30 years of experience in private equity and hedge funds and would be responsible for fund operations, finance, and tax matters. C5 described itself as a specialist venture capital firm investing in cybersecurity, space, and energy security.

Before C5, Gardiner was CFO at Capitol Seniors Housing and Director of Finance at Cresa Global, where C5’s announcement says she participated in the 2017 roll-up of 19 Cresa units into Cresa Global Inc. Public work-history aggregators also list earlier roles at Monument Capital Group, EMAlternatives, Perseus, RockCreek, Credit Suisse First Boston, and PwC.

Her EMAlternatives role is verified in SEC/IAPD-linked data and private-fund databases: Dana Alexandra Gardiner was listed as Chief Compliance Officer / Chief Financial Officer of EMAlternatives LLC, an exempt-reporting adviser whose SEC IAPD record is now inactive / withdrawn. Private Fund Data reports EMAlternatives as managing EMAlternatives Investments LP, a private-equity fund-of-funds vehicle with approximately $86.1 million in assets and a $1 million minimum investment.

• Perpetual’s stated approach is long-term private ownership: it says its permanent capital base lets it focus on “fundamental value creation without the constraints of a defined holding period.”
• The firm seeks control and minority investments in established private U.S. businesses, not seed-stage startups.
• For new platforms, Perpetual targets middle-market companies and established operating businesses; for majority-control deals it looks for $5 million to $50 million of cash flow and can invest up to $250 million of equity.
• For minority investments, Perpetual looks for an established business model, a specific use of proceeds, the ability for the firm to add value beyond capital, and a clear path to control or exit.
• Perpetual’s target sectors are broad but operating-company oriented: business services, consumer / retail, health care services, industrial, data and information services, media and communications, real estate, software / technology-enabled services, and specialty financial services.
• Current add-on priorities are fitness and gyms, managed IT service providers, and managed print service providers.
• The firm says it prioritizes “defensible market positions,” recurring or repeat revenue, differentiated products and services, limited concept risk, stable margins, and a defined path to expansion or improvement.