KKR strengthens legal function

KKR has appointed David Sorkin as chief legal officer and Kathryn King Sudol as general counsel, both based in New York.

Sorkin joined KKR in 2007, and has since been partner and general counsel. Prior to joining, he was a partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, where he was one of KKR’s principal outside counsels.

Sudol joins from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, where she was most recently global co-head of mergers and acquisitions.

Going forward in their new roles, Sorkin and Sudol will have global oversight of legal and compliance functions broadly, supporting all aspects of KKR’s business, a spokesperson for the firm confirmed to The Drawdown.

At the end of Q1 2023, Sudol will be promoted again to chief legal officer, while Sorkin will become an advisory partner at the firm.

Commenting on Sorkin’s appointment, co-CEOs Joe Bae and Scott Nuttall said, “A colleague, friend, and trusted and strategic advisor, David has been instrumental in building KKR into the institution it is today. Among his many accomplishments over his fifteen 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 long-time partnership with him in his next chapter at KKR.”

Commenting on Sudol’s role, Bae and Nuttall added, “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 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.”

These latest appointments follow a number of appointments to KKR’s senior team. In September 2021, the firm named Kerryann Benjamin as chief diversity officer and head of talent. This was followed by the appointments of Bae and Nuttall to co-CEOs in October 2021. Three months later, KKR appointed Ryan Stork as partner and COO, followed by Pamela Alexander as managing director & head of corporate citizenship in April 2022.