Former CIA Director David Petraeus Joins Private Equity Giant KKR
Petraeus, who resigned from the top post at the CIA over an extramarital affair last year, is now the chairman of the newly created KKR Global Institute.
Here's the release:
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. today announced the appointment of retired four-star General and former Director of the CIA David Petraeus as Chairman of the newly created KKR Global Institute.
Henry Kravis, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of KKR, stated: "I have long known and respected General Petraeus and, on behalf of everyone at KKR, I welcome him to the firm. As the world changes and we expand how and where we invest, we are always looking to sharpen the ‘KKR edge.' With the addition of General Petraeus, we are building on the work we have done to understand the investment implications of public policy, macro-economic, regulatory and technology trends globally. We are pleased to bring all of this expertise together under one umbrella, the KKR Global Institute, to deliver the best of KKR's insights for our investors."
Over the past several years, macro-economic and geopolitical considerations, including the heightened role of central banks following the financial crisis, new regulation and major changes in public policy, have led to KKR's increased engagement on these areas and on environmental, social and governance issues. At the same time, KKR is a global firm investing in new and emerging markets that have new risks and opportunities. The KKR Global Institute will be the nexus of KKR's focus on the investment implications of these issues. It will also further build on the firm's efforts to help KKR's portfolio companies expand globally, and it will periodically serve as an outlet for publishing the firm's thought leadership products, including views from portfolio managers and industry experts.
As Chairman of the KKR Global Institute, General Petraeus will work with a team at KKR and in tandem with Ken Mehlman, Global Head of Public Affairs, andHenry McVey, Global Head of Macro & Asset Allocation. In addition to his role as Chairman of the KKR Global Institute, General Petraeus will also support KKR's investment teams in the diligence process, especially when the Firm is considering investments in new geographies.
"KKR is one of the best investment firms in the world," General Petraeus observed. "I am very pleased to join such a great team. I have watched KKR evolve as it adapted to the post-financial crisis world and became a go-to partner for companies worldwide. I look forward to supporting the investment teams in their pursuit of the best opportunities for clients and also being a part of a new initiative to provide additional insights to KKR's clients and companies."
Ken Mehlman, a key partner in establishing the Institute, said: "For 37 years, KKR has produced strong returns for our investors by marrying deep industry knowledge with active ownership and a long-term focus. Over the last five years, KKR has established and systematized our focus on stakeholder engagement and macro-economic and geopolitical factors. These considerations are now built into our investment and portfolio management processes and with this new initiative and additional talent, we will take it to the next level."
In recent months, General Petraeus has focused his efforts on supporting returning veterans as they transition to the workforce. Among such endeavors, he currently serves on the advisory council of American Corporate Partners, an organization that connects veterans to business leaders. In addition, he will lead a seminar as a visiting professor at the City University of New York's Macaulay Honors College and he is a member of the University of Southern California faculty. As a Judge Wid ney Professor at the University of Southern California, he will lecture part time and also mentor members of the school's Reserve Officers Training Corps program and young veterans.
General Petraeus holds a PhD in international relations from Princeton University and has taught economics and international relations at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He also completed a fellowship at Georgetown University's Institute for the Study of Diplomacy.
About General David H. Petraeus
David Howell Petraeus is a retired American military officer and former government official. In June 2011, the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed him as director of the CIA, a role he held from September 2011 until November 2012. Prior to assuming the directorship of the CIA, he was a highly decorated four-star general, serving more than 37 years in the U.S. Army before retiring in August 2011.
A lauded combat leader and strategist, General Petraeus was instrumental in reshaping American military doctrine through his focus on the concepts of a comprehensive civil-military counterinsurgency campaign.
General Petraeus' final assignment in the military was as commander of the NATO International Security Assistance Force and U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Other four-star assignments included his service as the 10th commander of the U.S. Central Command, where he was responsible for military operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Central Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, the Levant and Egypt, and his service as commanding general of the Multi-National Force—Iraq for more than 19 months.
In the latter position, he commanded all coalition forces in Iraq throughout the surge in 2007 and 2008 when violence in that country was reduced by nearly 90 percent. During that tour in Iraq, he oversaw the implementation of the concepts in the Army/Marine Corps counterinsurgency manual that was drafted under his direction during his assignment as commander of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, between his second and third tours in Iraq.
Previously, General Petraeus was the first commander of the Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq and the NATO Training Mission—Iraq. Prior to those assignments, he was commanding general of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), leading the 101st into Iraq in 2003 during the fight to Baghdad and the first year in Iraq, when his division distinguished itself in the conduct of a comprehensive counterinsurgency campaign.
Following General Petraeus' extensive service in the Middle East, former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates praised him for the critical and historic role he played in dramatically reducing the violence in Iraq and haling the Taliban's momentum in Afghanistan, writing that he had "changed the course of two wars, an unprecedented accomplishment." Earlier in General Petraeus' career, he also served in Europe, Bosnia, Central America, Haiti, Kuwait and the United States.
General Petraeus earned a bachelor's degree from the United States Military Academy, from which he graduated in 1974 as a distinguished cadet, finishing in the top 5 percent of his class. He later received the General George C. Marshall Award as the top graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College class of 1983. He subsequently earned an MPA and a PhD in international relations from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. He served as assistant professor of international relations at the U.S. Military Academy and also completed a fellowship at Georgetown University's Institute for the Study of Diplomacy.