Private equity giant Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. (KKR) has appointed Akhil Puri as director for KKR Capstone and he will lead the firm’s engagements with KKR's portfolio companies in India. Puri joins KKR Capstone from TPG Capital.
KKR Capstone is a separate team within KKR that work exclusively with the PE firm’s portfolio companies to drive operational improvements. It seeks to deliver management expertise in functional areas such as pricing, organisational design, sales force effectiveness, and operational efficiency.
In Asia, this is a 16-member operational team of experienced industry executives and functional specialists.
KKR Capstone's engagements in India include Dalmia Cement and supporting Go Daddy's business expansion into India.
Scott Bookmyer, head of KKR Capstone Asia said Puri’s track record of helping companies maximise performance throughout Asia will bring a powerful new capability to the value-add KKR Capstone brings to its India portfolio companies.
Puri was a member of TPG Capital's operating team since 2008, where he supported operational efforts across multiple portfolio companies in Indonesia, China, Singapore, Japan and India. His most recent assignment was as vice-president, director and COO of BUMA and director at Delta Dunia.
Prior to joining TPG Capital, Puri held various leadership positions at General Motors in Detroit, USA and Shanghai, China. His last assignment was as managing director - exports and executive director in global purchasing and supply function, a role in which he managed a global organisation with a budget of more than $13.5 billion.
Previously, he served at Hindustan Unilever in various leadership roles in manufacturing and project management. He has a degree in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and a master's degree in international management from Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management.
KKR India has 17 professionals based in Mumbai, focusing both on private equity and non-banking financial services. With over $1 billion invested in India, KKR's portfolio comprises both majority and minority stakes in companies including Aricent, Avantha Power, Cafe Coffee Day, Dalmia Cement, Magma Fincorp and TVS Logistics.
(Edited by Prem Udayabhanu)