KKR opens new India office with plans to hire 150 people

Mumbai: KKR & Co. expanded in India with a new office to support its investment operations and service the firm’s clients.

The alternative asset manager plans to hire 150 staff by early next year for the new office in Gurugram, just south of New Delhi, KKR said in a statement on Wednesday. It’s seeking to recruit in the areas of finance, operations, human capital and technology, according to the statement.

KKR tapped Nisha Awasthi from BlackRock, where she spent almost two decades, to manage the office, the firm said. Awasthi was most recently the head of financial markets advisory at BlackRock India.

New York-based KKR joins peers like Apollo Global Management and Citadel Securities in expanding in India to support their global businesses. Last year, Apollo opened a new office in Mumbai to grow in India across all business lines.

KKR has been investing in India since 2006 and has billions deployed across various asset classes. Last month, it further invested in Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s rapidly expanding retail unit.