Office address: 30 Hudson Yards New York, NY 10001
Website: www.kkr.com
Year established: 1976
Company type: investment firm
Employees: 4,450+
Expertise: private equity, asset management, energy real assets, infrastructure, real estate, credit, strategic partnerships, portfolio management, capital markets, insurance, impact investing, insurance solutions
Parent company: N/A
Key people: Joseph Bae (co-CEO), Scott Nuttall (co-CEO), Henry Kravis (co-executive chair), George Roberts (co-executive chair), Kathryn Sudol (CLO), Robert Lewin (CFO), Ryan Stork (COO), Dane Holmes (CAO)
Financing status: N/A
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) is a New York-based global investment firm with over 4,450 employees, managing more than $600 billion in assets as of Q2 2024. The company invests across private markets, offering tailored alternative investment solutions for institutions, individuals, and communities worldwide. Operating in 17 countries, the firm aims to strengthen companies and support the future of those relying on its diverse asset management strategies.
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts was founded in 1976 by cousins Henry Kravis and George Roberts, along with their mentor Jerome Kohlberg, with just $120,000. The firm started as a US-focused private equity company and later expanded into Europe in 1996, establishing its consulting arm Capstone to help companies grow. In 2005, it entered Asia, opening offices in Hong Kong and Tokyo, and launched its Capital Markets business a year later.
The company went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2010 and diversified into real estate while promoting the hiring of US military veterans. It transitioned from a limited partnership to a corporation in 2018 and launched a $50 million global relief initiative to support nonprofits and small businesses. In 2024, KKR’s real estate investment trust supported its NAV, committing substantial resources to ensure its stability.
KKR offers a range of investment solutions across multiple asset classes, focusing on private markets. Below are the key areas of their investment offerings:
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts provides a comprehensive range of alternative asset management and capital market solutions for institutional investors, global wealth, family offices, and companies. Their investment approach focuses on creating value for people, businesses, and communities while addressing critical global challenges.
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts aims to deliver shared success through purposeful and engaging work that benefits both clients and communities. The firm is committed to attracting, developing, and retaining top talent while fostering a strong sense of community. They provide a collaborative, innovative environment with award-winning benefits that support employees in both their professional and personal lives:
The company’s DEI approach embraces diverse perspectives, believing that varied backgrounds, skills, and experiences strengthen teams and investment decisions. Kohlberg Kravis Roberts is committed to building an inclusive culture that reflects its investors, stakeholders, and communities. Their DEI initiatives and achievements include:
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts is committed to addressing today’s challenges through philanthropy, employee engagement, and community programs that drive meaningful outcomes. The firm’s Corporate Citizenship program focuses on building a better world through long-term sustainable initiatives. Success is measured by the positive impact KKR’s funded programs have on communities:
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts’ sustainability approach is centered on creating and protecting long-term value for clients by integrating ESG factors into their business and investment processes. With over $45 billion in sustainability-focused investments since 2010, it aims to reduce risk and enhance performance across its portfolio companies.
Joseph Bae became co-CEO of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts in 2021, playing a key role in expanding the firm's operations in Asia. Before joining KKR, he worked at Goldman Sachs and is the first Korean-American to hold a major corporate leadership role in the industry. Bae graduated from Harvard College and is a co-founder of The Asian American Foundation.
Scott Nuttall also became co-CEO in 2021, during which he helped triple the company’s shares after succeeding the co-founders. He previously worked at Blackstone and played a major role in taking the organization public. Nuttall holds a bachelor's degree from The Wharton School and serves on KKR's Global Inclusion and Diversity Council.
The team of key people at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts includes several figures responsible for leading the firm’s strategic direction and operations:
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts has been raising nearly $500 million monthly from individual investors through its K-Series funds, providing access to alternative investment strategies. The firm estimates that even a small shift in portfolio allocations could result in trillions of investor dollars shifting toward alts. By focusing on product innovation and expanding distribution, KKR is positioning itself to attract more retail investors and further grow its presence in the alternative investment market.
KKR recently convened with investment experts for the GWIC launch, which includes top executives from Morgan Stanley, UBS, and Hightower Advisors. The Global Wealth Investment Council aims to spark discussions on macroeconomic trends and asset allocation in private markets. By gathering industry experts, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts seeks to develop actionable insights to address key challenges like inflation and the need for diversification.
Three institutional infrastructure money managers are the latest to have stopped fundraising efforts amid a drastic reversal in fortune.
Shares of KKR Financial Holdings LLC rose today after Janney Montgomery Scott Securities analysts upgraded the real estate investment trust to "Market Outperform" from "Market Perform," saying the company's management has improved liquidity and it may restore its dividend soon.
Private-equity firms are turning to infrastructure investing now that the credit crisis and deepening recession have put their traditional leveraged-buyout businesses into suspended animation.
With AIG shedding a number of its businesses to pay back government loans, its money management unit — which runs more than $111 billion in global assets for external retail and institutional clients — appears to be the next business to be put on the block by the distressed insurance giant.
The country is facing at least two more years of tough economic times, with no significant rebound for three-to-five years, said George Fisher, a senior adviser at New York private-equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. LP, a 32-year-old private-equity firm, is delaying plans to become a public company, due largely to the credit crisis, which has cut the value of its investments.
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts posted a total investment loss of $1.1 billion for the six months ended June 30, down from a net gain of $3.4 billion in the first half of 2007, according to a prospectus filed with the SEC.
Baltimore-based Legg Mason is weighing a privatization move that could include one or two private-equity investors, with Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. being one of the interested parties, the New York Post reported.
After a weekend of turmoil, shares of American International Group Inc. lost more than half their value in the first hour of trading.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. have backed out of their $8 billion buyout of audio equipment maker Harman International Industries Inc. of Washington.
NEW YORK — A group of seven investment banks may get stuck with the tab for this year’s biggest leveraged buyout.
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts is forging on with its IPO despite treacherous conditions in the credit markets.
Looking toward an initial public offering, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts is seeking a securities broker-dealer license, TheDeal.com said.
OTTAWA — While a bidding war goes on for BCE Inc., InvestmentNews learned last Tuesday that the Montreal-based telecom giant is under investigation by Market Regulation Services Inc. for a misleading, possibly fraudulent, press release.
NEW YORK — The impending private-equity buyout of Texas’ largest electricity producer may give rise to more deals in which environmental lobbyists are invited to sit at the negotiation table.
