In brief
George Roberts is an American businessman and private equity pioneer known for co-founding Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR), one of the world's leading global investment firms. Along with Henry Kravis and Jerome Kohlberg, he helped popularize the leveraged buyout model in the 1970s and 1980s, transforming corporate finance and building KKR into a major force in private equity with investments across industries and geographies.
Roberts serves as Co-Executive Chairman of KKR, overseeing the firm's strategic direction and remaining active in key investment decisions. His career has spanned decades of high-profile transactions, including the landmark 1989 leveraged buyout of RJR Nabisco, which became one of the most famous deals in business history and inspired the book Barbarians at the Gate. He has also been involved in KKR's expansion into credit, real estate, and other alternative asset classes.
