KKR
KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announces the appointment of Ajay Kavan as a Senior Advisor in Europe, effective immediately. Based in London, Mr. Kavan will support KKR’s pan-European investment activities in technology and digitally-enabled businesses and will advise KKR’s portfolio companies. In particular, he will focus on the consumer internet sector in eCommerce and direct-to-consumer offers, as well as companies undergoing major digital transformation programmes.
Ajay most recently served as CEO of Matches Fashion, where he supported the business through the impact of the pandemic, strengthened the leadership team and improved customer experience, technology and operational performance. Prior to joining Matches he spent nine years in senior roles at Amazon including VP International Special Projects, VP Amazon Fresh International and VP UK Consumables. He was responsible for launching Amazon Fresh across Europe and Asia, developing strategic partnerships with retailers (including Morrisons in the UK), developing its international physical stores, led Amazon’s subscription businesses across the EU and scaled Amazon businesses across multiple categories. Ajay has over 20 years of online experience and prior to Amazon, he led the launch of the online channels and multi-channel capabilities for three different retail businesses. Previous roles included Marketing and Strategy and Multi-channel Director roles within Home Retail Group plc and Kingfisher plc. Ajay is also the Vice Chair of In Kind Direct, a UK charity that distributes consumer goods to charitable organisations globally.
KKR’s Senior Advisors bring leadership skills, knowledge-sharing and deep industry expertise. They help drive value creation by providing advice and best practice to KKR’s investment teams and the executives, entrepreneurs and management teams of its portfolio companies. Mr. Kavan’s appointment follows that of TMT Senior Advisors Diego Piacentini in 2019, and Adam Warby in 2020.
Tim Franks, Partner and Head of EMEA Consumer & Retail at KKR, Jean-Pierre Saad, Partner and Head of EMEA Technology at KKR, and Philipp Schaelli, Principal in EMEA Private Equity at KKR, said: “Ajay will be a fantastic resource for our executives and our portfolio company management teams, bringing decades of experience in digital transformation, e-commerce and direct-to-consumer product development. He joins at an exciting time for KKR’s technology investment platform in Europe, with digitalisation a critical part of every business’ strategy and operational agenda.”
Ajay Kavan said: “KKR builds strong relationships with founders and management teams and has a track record of supporting them to deliver exceptional value creation. KKR is deeply committed to continuing to build its technology platform and I’m really excited to work with the KKR team and with leaders in their portfolio companies.”
KKR has invested over $25bn in tech companies in the past ten years across over 140 investments. Since the start of 2020, KKR has made over 20 tech investments globally, investing over $5bn in equity. Major recent EMEA technology investments include Cegid, Exact, Devoteam and Zwift.
--ends--
About KKR
KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR’s insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of The Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210621005048/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
IQM Quantum Computers Appoints Jan Goetz as Sole CEO to Lead Next Phase of Global Growth26.1.2026 10:15:00 CET | Press release
Jan Goetz becomes sole CEO, while Søren Hein is appointed Chief Operating Officer and Deputy CEO. Former Co-CEO Mikko Välimäki transitions out of his commercial role and remains as an advisor until 31 March 2026. This new leadership structure is designed to strengthen IQM's global strategic direction, planning and execution. IQM Quantum Computers, a global leader in full-stack superconducting quantum computers, today announced a transition from its Co-CEO structure to a single Chief Executive Officer model. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260126737805/en/ From left to right: Jan Goetz (Co-founder & CEO) and Søren Hein (Chief Operating Officer and Deputy CEO) Co-founder and current Co-CEO Dr Jan Goetz becomes sole CEO effective since January 1st, following a resolution passed by the IQM board. In addition, Dr Søren Hein has been appointed Chief Operating Officer and Deputy CEO. As part of the transition, Mikko
Aesyra Demonstrates Significant Sleep Bruxism Reduction in Clinical Study26.1.2026 09:00:00 CET | Press release
Aesyra SA, a Swiss medtech company developing innovative digital therapeutics for dental and sleep-related disorders, today announced the successful completion of its clinical investigation evaluating the efficacy and safety of AesyBite™ Active, an intelligent oral appliance designed to treat and prevent sleep bruxism through biofeedback. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260126533019/en/ AesyBite Custom smart nightguard by Aesyra SA. The clinical investigation demonstrated that AesyBite™ Active achieved a statistically significant and clinically meaningful reduction in sleep bruxism activity, exceeding the predefined performance target. Strong and robust clinical outcomes In the study (Identifier: NCT06153810), involving 26 adult patients with confirmed sleep bruxism, activation of the AesyBite Active biofeedback system resulted in a 60.6% reduction in total sleep bruxism duration per hour compared to baseline
Franklin Templeton Aligns Alternative Credit Firms Under BSP Brand26.1.2026 08:58:00 CET | Press release
Benefit Street Partners and Alcentra align under a single, refreshed BSP brand.Move reflects client demand for a specialist, integrated and global credit platform.Franklin Templeton’s alternative credit platform on track to exceed $100bn in 2026.BSP outlines further growth plans including expansion in the Middle East and Asia.New research says 51% of institutional investors will increase credit allocation in 2026.81% of institutions say a specialist focus on credit is the top attribute for performance. Franklin Templeton’s US and European alternative credit businesses, Benefit Street Partners and Alcentra, have now aligned under an updated Benefit Street Partners (BSP) brand. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260123270080/en/ David Manlowe, CEO of Benefit Street Partners The move is the final step in BSP and Alcentra’s integration – two pioneering alternative credit firms that Franklin Templeton acquired in 2019
Samsung Epis Holdings Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Results26.1.2026 08:00:00 CET | Press release
In its first financial results announcement after the spin-off, Samsung Bioepis recorded FY2025 revenue of KRW 1.672 trillion, highest annual revenue in its 14-year historyExcluding milestone revenue, annual sales revenue grew 28% year-over-year (YoY), recording KRW 1.626 trillion, with 101% YoY growth in operating profit to KRW 330.8 billion Samsung Epis Holdings (KRX: 0126Z0), an investment company dedicated to innovations in biopharmaceuticals and biotechnology, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2025. “We are very pleased to report strong year-to-date sales growth in our first financial results following the spin-off. Our organic growth has been driven by solid performance across our biosimilars portfolio," said Kyung-Ah Kim, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Samsung Epis Holdings. “We are continuing to make meaningful progress in our regulatory and commercial milestones with our existing biosimilars portfolio, while strategically
Syngenta and Statkraft Sign Five-Year Virtual Power Purchase Agreement26.1.2026 08:00:00 CET | Press release
Virtual wind PPA with guarantees of origin to decarbonize Syngenta's plants in Europe Important element in carbon reduction journey for Syngenta AG Syngenta, one of the world’s biggest agricultural innovation companies, and Statkraft, a leading provider of innovative green energy solutions in Europe, have signed a virtual power purchase agreement (vPPA) covering Syngenta’s CP & Seeds operations for a period of five years. The volume amounts to 125 GWh per year and a total of 625 GWh of green electricity by the end of the contract in 2030. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260125701845/en/ Syngenta and Statkraft sign five-year virtual power purchase agreement With the vPPA, Statkraft is supporting Syngenta in advancing its sustainability strategy through the purchase of renewable energy. "This is Syngenta's first vPPA, marking a pivotal step in our decarbonization strategy," said Rachel Stenson Bugnon, Global Hea
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom