KKR shuffles senior roles in Asia

Both will remain heavily involved in KKR’s Asian operations – Hirano is retaining his position as head of Japan – but they are going to focus on strategic initiatives. Lu and Hirano will also continue to play a role in talent development, according to a source close to the situation who added that there is an element of long-term succession planning to the moves. Bloomberg first revealed the impending reorganisation.

Lu joined KKR in 2006 and assumed the overall Asia leadership role in 2018. Hirano was recruited from AlixPartners in 2013 and before that spent several years as chairman of Nikko Principal.

Gaurav Trehan, who KKR brought in from TPG Capital in 2020, will become the firm’s new head of private equity while retaining his India leadership role. Trehan replaces Hirano and Singapore-based Ashish Shastry, who is transitioning to an advisory role and is ultimately expected to leave the firm. Jaka Prasetya, a partner responsible for Southeast Asia private equity, is also becoming an advisor.

Shastry joined KKR in 2016 from Northstar Group, having previously led TPG's Southeast Asia operation. Prasetya arrived in 2014 from Leafgreen Capital Partners and was appointed Indonesia head with a remit that also took in credit and special situations in Southeast Asia.

Prashant Kumar, a managing director based in Mumbai, will relocate to Singapore and become KKR’s head of Southeast Asia private equity. Akshay Tanna, another TPG alumnus, has been recruited to oversee private equity in India.

KKR is currently deploying its fourth flagship pan-Asian fund, which closed on USD 15bn in April 2021. Recent private equity activity includes taking out Rakuten’s 20% interest in Japanese supermarket operator Seiyu to move to 85%, exiting Malaysia’s Weststar Aviation Services after a 10-year hold, and buying Japan’s Bushu Pharmaceuticals from BPEA EQT.

• Tweet  
• Facebook  
• LinkedIn  
• Google plus  
• Save this article  
• Send to  

• Topics
• South Asia
• Southeast Asia
• North Asia
• GPs
• People
• Asia
• Appointments
• India
• Japan
• Singapore
• KKR