Kohlberg, Kravis and Roberts is the granddaddy of the PE Industry. It is the oldest, and one of the largest private equity firms in the world. KKR has an interest in 30 companies that operate in 42 European countries, and of the 43 corporate acquisitions that KKR has made since 2000, whether alone or with co-investors, 31 acquired entities had and continue to have European operations.
KKR is also known for high profile deals such as the hostile takeover of RJR Nabisco for US $31 billion in 1989, inspiring the bestseller, Barbarians at the Gate. They continue to make headlines with famous takeover victories at other well-known companies such as the Nielsen Company, Alliance Boots, Texaco, and Toys “R” Us.
KKR is the 4th largest employer in the world. It’s portfolio companies employ 560,000 people combined. KKR has offices in New York City, Menlo Park, California, London, Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong.
Henry Kravis, founders and CEO is the 57th richest person in America and founder of the private equity firm Kohlberg, Kravis Roberts (KKR), made US $450 million in 2006. That’s $1.2 million a day at US $51,000 an hour. Based on Henry Kravis’s 2006 income of US $450 million as reported in Forbes Magazine. Calculated at a tax savings of 21.45% (35% income tax + 1.45% Medicare Tax 15% carried interest paid), Henry Kravis saved approximately US $96 million in taxes in the year 2006.
While Kravis doubled his wealth from US $2.6 billion to US $5.5 billion in just one year, thousands of workers at his portfolio companies have seen their wages fall and many have lost their jobs.
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