ARES vs VOD Comparison

Ares Management is one of the world's largest alternative-asset managers, with $622.5 billion in total assets under management, or AUM, including $384.9 billion in fee-earning AUM, at the end of 2025. The company has four main business segments: credit strategies ($406.9 billion in total AUM and $249.8 billion in fee-earning AUM), private equity, ($25.3 billion/$14.4 billion), real estate/real assets ($139.1 billion/$84.1 billion), and other alternatives ($51.2 billion/$36.6 billion). The firm primarily serves institutional investors (80% of AUM) and high-net-worth individuals (20%). Ares operates through more than 35 offices in over 15 countries around the globe.

Vodafone operates mobile and fixed-line networks and businesses across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Its largest market is Germany, where it is the second mobile operator after Deutsche Telekom and owns two cable networks after acquiring Kabel Deutschland in 2013 and Liberty Global Germany in 2019. In the UK, Vodafone merged with CK Hutchison in 2024, consolidating the mobile market. It also divested its Spanish and Italian divisions in that same year, given their low returns on invested capital.