Ajay Kavan Joins KKR as a Senior Advisor in Europe
21.6.2021 10:00:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
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.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210621005048/en/
Contact information
Media Contact: International
Alastair Elwen / Sophia Johnston
Finsbury Glover Hering
Telephone: +44 20 7251 3801
Email: kkr@fgh.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
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
Pokémon Trading Card Game has premiered at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building!25.3.2026 12:00:00 EET | Press release
In its efforts to promote nighttime tourism, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is developing new attractions that illuminate the capital after dark. As part of this initiative, projection mapping is being presented year-round on the iconic Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No. 1, transforming its façade into a canvas of light and sound. We are pleased to announce the launch of a new projection mapping show inspired by the globally beloved Pokémon Trading Card Game, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. “Pokémon Trading Card Game: TOKYO LUMINOUS NIGHT” has been launched on Friday, March 20 (national holiday). On opening day, a special event was held featuring Nashiko Momotsuki, Gorgeous, Tosa Brothers, and Pikachu as special guests. Together with the 5,000 visitors gathered at the venue, they led the countdown to the first screening. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260323137635/en/ ©2026 Pokémon
Clarity AI Partners with RiskThinking.ai to Deliver Market-Leading Physical Risk and Asset-Level Intelligence25.3.2026 11:00:00 EET | Press release
Clarity AI, the leading global technology platform for extra-financial intelligence, today announced a strategic partnership with RiskThinking.ai, the trusted provider of asset-level physical climate risk modelling. This collaboration integrates RiskThinking.ai’s granular asset-level data and advanced physical risk modeling into Clarity AI’s award-winning platform, insights, and native AI capabilities, providing financial institutions and corporations with unprecedented "bottom-up" transparency into climate vulnerability, hazards, and nature and biodiversity impact. With visibility into over 3 million individual assets across a universe of 15,000 ultimate parent companies, firms can now move seamlessly from broad disclosures to precise, actionable insights while meeting the rising demand for transparency and technical auditability. RiskThinking.ai’s capabilities are powered by its Climate Digital Twin™ platform, which runs full hydrologic model simulations across every climate scenario
Agileo Automation Launches Agil'EDA to Accelerate SEMI EDA Adoption for Semiconductor Equipment OEMs25.3.2026 08:00:00 EET | Press release
Agileo Automation, a leading global provider of control and connectivity solutions for semiconductor manufacturing, today unveils Agil'EDA, a new software implementing Equipment Data Acquisition (EDA/Interface A). This solution enables semiconductor equipment manufacturers to meet the evolving high-performance connectivity requirements of tier-one fabs and advanced packaging facilities. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260323881880/en/ Agileo Automation unveils Agil'EDA, a new software solution implementing Equipment Data Acquisition (EDA), a set of SEMI standards also known as Interface A, to enable semiconductor equipment manufacturers to meet the evolving high-performance connectivity requirements of tier-one fabs and advanced packaging facilities. As semiconductor manufacturing moves towards higher levels of automation and data-driven optimization, fab owners increasingly require EDA alongside traditional S
RSA Announces Expanded Partnership with Microsoft, Enhances Leadership in Passwordless Identity Security24.3.2026 18:00:00 EET | Press release
RSA today announced expanded support for the new Microsoft 365 E7: The Frontier Suite solution at RSAC Conference 2026. This new support joins additional passwordless capabilities that provide organizations with enhanced security, seamless experience, and resilient operations as they embrace the future of AI-driven productivity. By integrating RSA® ID Plus for Microsoft with Microsoft 365 E7, enterprises can ensure trusted authentication for both human users and AI agents, while safeguarding sensitive data and privileged operations across hybrid, cloud, and on-premises environments. This deployment follows RSA joining the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA), launching RSA Advisor for Admin Threats in Microsoft Security Copilot, and deploying RSA ID Plus Admin Logs Connector, further strengthening the ongoing collaboration between RSA and Microsoft. “The rise of AI agents in the enterprise means organizations need to rethink how they secure every identity—human and machine
Lexon × Jeff Koons Unveil the Chromatic Collection: a Colorful New Chapter for the Acclaimed Balloon Dog Lamp and Balloon Dog Speaker24.3.2026 16:10:00 EET | Press release
Following the success of its 2025 inaugural edition, the Lexon × Jeff Koons collaboration enters a bold new era with the launch of the Chromatic Collection—a colorful evolution of its Balloon Dog Lamp and Balloon Dog Speaker. Pre-orders will be available starting March 24, 2026, exclusively on lexon-design.com as part of a time-limited edition. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260324498068/en/ Lexon x Jeff Koons — new Chromatic Collection Retaining the signature translucent body that reveals the technology within, the Chromatic Collection introduces eight models: Balloon Dog Lamps in Gold, Blue, Red, and Platinum, and Balloon Dog Speakers in Gold, Blue, Red, and White, reinforcing the collectible nature of the series, offering new audiences an entry point while giving existing collectors the opportunity to enrich their collection. This new approach brings greater variety and a more personal dimension to the col
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