Established in 1976, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. is a leading global alternative asset manager. Led by its founders, Henry Kravis and George Roberts, who are pioneers of the leveraged buyout industry, KKR specializes in large, complex buyouts. It is a global firm with industry-leading private equity experience, in-depth industry knowledge, sophisticated processes for growing and improving businesses, and a strong culture committed to teamwork and sharing information across offices in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Australia.

KKR has a history of landmark achievements in private equity, including the first leveraged buyout in excess of $1 billion, the first friendly tender offer in the buyout of a public company, and the largest buyouts in the U.S., the Netherlands, Denmark, India, Australia, Turkey, Singapore, and France.

The firm has continued its history of innovation by establishing new strategies that leverage the power of its brand and the intellectual capital in its private equity business. It sponsors and manages funds and accounts that make investments in fixed income and other strategies. It also engages in capital markets transactions and other activities that capitalize on the experience and knowledge that it has accumulated throughout our history.

Investment Philosophy

While KKR has completed buyout transactions that are among the most complex in history, its approach for private equity investments is fundamentally simple. The firm acquires industry-leading companies and works with management to grow them into thriving, sustainable enterprises — thereby creating shareholder value. It partners with highly motivated management teams to design and implement strategic and operational changes with the objective of taking these businesses to the next level of growth and beyond. And it aligns its interests with other stakeholders by putting its own capital at risk.

In general, the companies in which KKR invests with private equity capital are at a transition point in their development, and the firm acts as ‘agents of change’ for those businesses. KKR investments can take many forms. It has taken publicly listed companies private, acquired divisional assets through corporate divestiture transactions, partnered with family-owned businesses and strategic buyers, and purchased and grown companies through industry-consolidation strategies.

Management Strategy

Once KKR makes an investment, it works with company management teams over the long term to revitalize the business - making it more productive, more competitive, and more profitable. It does this by streamlining operations, investing in future growth, and growing the top and bottom lines for the benefit of all stakeholders, including employees, customers, suppliers, and the communities in which its businesses operate.

KKR works closely with the management teams of its portfolio companies and stays deeply involved in the operations of its businesses, providing them with substantial resources over an average investment period of five years or more. The firm approaches its business and its investments as industrialists — and seeks to invest in high quality companies that have strong business franchises, attractive growth prospects, leading market positions, and the ability to generate superior returns.

Investment History

KKR typically makes private equity investments in large businesses with strong franchises, attractive growth prospects, leading market positions, and the ability to generate high returns on investments. Often, the companies in which the firm invests are in transition, or need to be reorganized or refocused. Since 1976, KKR has invested in companies including Alliance Boots, Avago Technologies, Biomet, Dollar General, First Data Corporation, HCA, the Nielsen Company, U.S. Foodservice and Yageo Corporation.
http://www.kkr.com/