KKR Appoints Makram Azar to Establish Presence in Middle East and North Africa

KKR Appoints Makram Azar to Establish Presence in Middle East and North Africa Back to Press Releases

KKR Appoints Makram Azar to Establish Presence in Middle East and North Africa

September 18, 2008

September 18, 2008 – Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (“KKR”) today announces that Makram Azar will be joining as Managing Director and Head of Middle East and North Africa (“MENA”). Makram will develop the distribution of KKR products in the MENA region and source opportunities for private equity and infrastructure transactions in selected situations. He will also explore global co-investment opportunities with MENA institutions.

Mr. Azar will set up an office for KKR in the region and will begin to recruit professionals to support this new initiative.

Henry R. Kravis and George R. Roberts, Co-Founders of KKR, said: “Makram’s extensive experience in the Middle East and North Africa, coupled with his deep knowledge of investors in the region, will allow us to enhance KKR’s presence there. This is a key region for KKR and will further extend our global reach and resources.”

Makram Azar said: “MENA is a rapidly developing market and I look forward to building KKR’s franchise in the region with a team of world-class professionals to identify investment opportunities.”

About Makram Azar
Makram Azar spent 18 years at Lehman Brothers, latterly as Managing Director, Global Head of Sovereign Wealth Funds and Chairman of Media Investment Banking for Europe & the Middle-East, based in Dubai. Previously he led the Media, Consumer & Retail Investment Banking businesses of Lehman Brothers in Europe & the Middle-East. Makram holds a Master’s Degree in Management and Finance from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC) in Paris and a B.A. in Applied Economics from the University Paris-IX Dauphine.

About KKR
Established in 1976, KKR is a leading global alternative asset manager. The core of the Firm’s franchise is sponsoring and managing funds that make private equity investments in North America, Europe, and Asia. Throughout its history, KKR has brought a long-term investment approach to portfolio companies, focusing on working in partnership with management teams and investing for future competitiveness and growth. Additional funds that KKR sponsors include KKR Private Equity Investors, L.P. (NYSE Euronext Amsterdam: KPE), a permanent capital fund that invests in KKR-identified investments; and two credit strategy funds, KKR Financial (NYSE: KFN) and the KKR Strategic Capital Funds, which make investments in debt transactions. KKR has offices in New York, Menlo Park, San Francisco, Houston, London, Paris, Hong Kong, Beijing, Tokyo and Sydney. More information about KKR is available at: www.kkr.com.

Contact:

James Leviton/Guy Lamming
Finsbury Group
0044 207 251 3801

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Miles Radcliffe-Trenner

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Wei Jun Ong
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This presentation contains certain forward-looking statements pertaining to KKR & Co. Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries (collectively “KKR”), including certain investment funds, vehicles and accounts that are managed by KKR (each, a “fund”). Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans and strategies, anticipated events or trends and similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. The forward-looking statements are based on KKR’s beliefs, assumptions and expectations of its future performance, taking into account all information currently available to it. These beliefs, assumptions and expectations can change as a result of many possible events or factors, not all of which are known to KKR or are within its control. If a change occurs, KKR’s business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations, including but not limited to, assets under management, fee paying assets under management, after-tax distributable earnings, capital invested, syndicated capital, uncalled commitments, cash and short-term investments, fee related earnings, fee and yield segment EBITDA, core interest expense and book value, may vary materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to vary from the forward-looking statements: whether KKR realizes all or any of the anticipated benefits from converting to a corporation and the timing of realizing such benefits; whether there are increased or unforeseen costs associated with the conversion, including any adverse change in tax law; the volatility of the capital markets; the general volatility of the capital markets; failure to realize the benefits of or changes in KKR’s business strategies including the ability to realize the anticipated synergies from acquisitions or strategic partnerships or other transactions; availability, terms and deployment of capital; availability of qualified personnel and expense of recruiting and retaining such personnel; changes in the asset management industry, interest rates or the general economy; underperformance of KKR's investments and decreased ability to raise funds; and the degree and nature of KKR’s competition. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. KKR does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date on which such statements were made except as required by law. In addition, KKR’s business strategy is focused on the long-term and financial results are subject to significant volatility.

Additional information about factors affecting KKR, including a description of risks that may be important to a decision to purchase or sell any common or preferred stock of KKR & Co. Inc., can be found in KKR & Co. Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and its other filings with the SEC, which are available at www.sec.gov.