KKR taps BlackRock executive as chief operating officer

KKR has hired BlackRock veteran Ryan Stork as chief operating officer.

Stork most recently served as deputy chief operating officer for BlackRock. He joined KKR on January 3 and has been named a partner at the New York-based firm.

He replaces Scott Nuttall and Joseph Bae, who have taken over as co-chief executives. Nuttall and Bae both served as co-president and co-COO from 2017 to 2021, when they took over from co-founders and co-CEOs Henry Kravis and George Roberts.

Stork said in a statement he is “looking forward to partnering with colleagues globally to support the investment, technology and operating needs that will enable us to serve our clients even better.”

Stork spent more than 20 years at BlackRock, and served as chairman of the Asia-Pacific region and global head of Aladdin, the firm’s investment and risk-management technology platform, among other roles, including global head of the institutional client business in Continental Europe.

From June 2008 to June 2009, he was head of strategy and business development at Polygon Investment Partners, according to LinkedIn.