By KKR Mar 02, 2021

On March 1, 2021, Private Equity International (“PEI”), Private Debt Investor (“PDI”), and Infrastructure Investor announced their annual industry award recognitions, highlighting “the bright spots among uncertainty” for the global alternative investment industry in 2020. We are honored to be selected by our peers as the winner of 24 awards, with all of KKR’s regional teams represented, and to celebrate KKR’s Co-Head of Americas Private Equity, Pete Stavros, who was selected by PEI’s editorial team as Game Changer of the Year for 2020.

We are pleased to share details of these awards recognitions below.

PEI 2020 Game Changer of the Year: Pete Stavros

PEI recognized Pete for “honing an investment approach that could reframe the whole conversation.” Since 2011, Pete has led efforts to establish a broad-based employee ownership model across KKR’s US Industrials PE business. KKR portfolio companies have granted equity to more than 20,000 employees across eight portfolio companies and Pete’s efforts have inspired leading companies beyond KKR to consider the benefits of broader employee ownership.

Private Equity International Awards:

Global
  • Global Consumer Private Equity Firm of the Year
    • KKR’s leadership in the consumer sector was evidenced by numerous global deals, including the $2.2 billion carve-out of Arnott’s and certain Campbell’s International operations and its investment in Coty Inc. and carve-out of The Wella Company.
  • Global Energy Private Equity Firm of the Year
EMEA
  • Deal of the Year in EMEA (MasMovil)
    • KKR invested in telecommunications operator MasMovil alongside Cinven and Providence. It was “the biggest public-to-private deal in the region since covid-19 spread globally,” as noted by PEI.
APAC
  • Large-Cap Firm of the Year in Asia
  • Firm of the Year in Australasia
  • Firm of the Year in Korea
    • KKR invested heavily in Korean waste treatment through a $740 acquisition of ESG Co and ESG Cheongwon Co, the largest deal in Korea in 2020, and an investment in TSK Corporation.
  • Firm of the Year in South-East Asia
    • KKR received this honor for the fifth consecutive year after participating “in a slew of the region’s most high-profile deals,” including a $650 million investment in Vinhomes.
  • Deal of the Year in Asia (JB Chemicals)
    • KKR invested in this leading Indian pharmaceutical company via KKR Asian Fund III. It was “one of India’s largest ever buyouts in the sector.”
  • Fundraise of the Year in Asia

Private Debt Investor Awards:

Americas
  • Fundraiser of the Year – Americas
    • KKR raised $4 billion for dislocation opportunities, including $2.8 billion for KKR Dislocation Opportunities Fund and over $1.1 billion from separately managed accounts. The entire capital raise took place over an eight week period.
APAC
  • Lender of the Year – APAC
    • KKR has invested or committed more than $1 billion to new private credit deals across APAC. Brian Dillard, KKR’s head of Asia Credit, told Private Debt Investor, “We see a big opportunity in Asia private lending, and are structuring credit deals with uniquely attractive risk-adjusted returns, many times with companies we have known locally for a long time.”

Infrastructure Investor Awards:

Global
  • Global Fund Manager of the Year
    • KKR’s Infrastructure business committed and invested $5.2 billion across 15 transactions in 2020, including in Pinnacle Towers, to support the development of vital telecom infrastructure in the Philippines.
  • Global Renewables Investor of the Year

    • KKR signed agreements with NextEra Energy Resources and NextEra Energy Partners and launched Virescent Infrastructure.

      Infrastructure Investor noted that KKR clinched this “tight category” thanks to a standout £4.2 billion investment in Viridor, a recycling, renewable energy and waste management company.

      Viridor swept the Infrastructure Investor Awards, taking home the top honor in the following categories in addition to the above:

      • Global Deal of the Year (Viridor)
      • Global Energy Deal of the Year (Viridor)
      • Deal of the Year in Europe (Viridor)
      • Energy Deal of the Year in Europe (Viridor)
APAC
  • Fund Manager of the Year in Asia-Pacific
  • Digital Infrastructure Investor of the Year in Asia-Pacific
    • Infrastructure Investor noted, “KKR has claimed Digital Infrastructure Deal of the Year for its investment in Pinnacle Towers.” KKR invested in Pinnacle Tower in November 2020 to help strengthen and expand the Philippines’ telecom infrastructure.
  • Energy Investor of the Year in Asia-Pacific
    • KKR completed several energy deals in the region, including an investment in First Gen Corporation, one of the Philippines’ largest independent power producers and winner of Infrastructure Investor’s Energy Deal of the Year.
  • Energy Deal of the Year in Asia-Pacific (First Gen)
    • KKR invested in First Gen Corporation, a leading independent power producer, in June 2020. The deal marked an exciting milestone for KKR’s Asia Pacific infrastructure business.
  • Deal of the Year in Asia-Pacific (TSK Corporation)
    • We closed on our investment in TSK Corporation, the largest landfill operator and the second largest water O&M provider in South Korea, in December 2020. The deal followed our acquisition of Eco Solutions Group, positioning KKR to create the leading waste management platform in South Korea.
  • Digital Infrastructure Deal of the Year in Asia-Pacific (Pinnacle Towers)
    • KKR announced a deal with Pinnacle Towers Pte. Ltd, an investor, builder and operator of telecommunications infrastructure. With the investment, made from our Asia infrastructure fund, Pinnacle aims to strengthen and expand telecom infrastructure in the Philippines to meet the country’s increasing demand.