KKR & Co has hired Kathryn King Sudol as its next general counsel. She will succeed David Sorkin, who has been KKR’s general counsel since 2007 and will become its chief legal officer (CLO).
Both appointments are effective as of September 6. At the end of the first quarter of 2023, Sudol will take on the CLO role and Sorkin will become an advisory partner of KKR.
Sudol is joining the investment firm from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, where she is global co-head of M&A. She has spent 24 years at Simpson Thacher, during which time she has held leadership roles such as being a longtime member of the firm’s executive committee and head of the firm’s M&A practice in Asia.
Her practice focuses on advising companies and private-equity clients on complex transactions including leveraged buyouts, going-private transactions, minority and strategic investments, joint ventures and contested acquisitions. KKR has been one of her clients.
Sorkin joined KKR in 2007. Before that, he was a partner with Simpson Thacher where he was one of company’s main outside legal advisers.
‘PREEMINENT LAWYER’
Joe Bae and Scott Nuttall, co-CEOs of KKR, say in a statement: ‘Katie has worked very closely with KKR and members of our senior team both in the US and internationally for many, many years. She is a preeminent lawyer and a dynamic leader who is a perfect fit with KKR’s culture. We are delighted that she has decided to join KKR, and we are excited to work with her as a strategic partner for years to come in achieving our growth objectives.
‘A colleague, friend and trusted and strategic adviser, David has been instrumental in building KKR into the institution it is today. Among his many accomplishments over his 15 years as general counsel, David steered us forward as we became a public company, helped drive our growth into new businesses and regions and built the strong legal and compliance teams, as well as internal audit and enterprise risk teams, that support every aspect of our business around the world. We look forward to continuing our longtime partnership with him in his next chapter at KKR.’
Ben Maiden
Ben Maiden is the editor-at-large of Governance Intelligence, an IR Media publication, having joined the company in December 2016. He is based in New York. Ben was previously managing editor of Compliance Reporter, covering regulatory and compliance...
