Private equity firm hires senior operating executive

Ming Lu has joined Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) as managing director in the companyÆs new Hong Kong office. He will act as KKRÆs senior operating executive in Asia and will work with the firmÆs global portfolio of companies on the operational dimension of its businesses.

In his last job, Lu was a partner and managing director in the Hong Kong office of CCMP (formerly JP Morgan Partners Asia). During his time there, he was involved in investments in Mando Corporation, Haitai Confectionery, Rhythm Corporation, Yellow Pages Singapore, Sanda Kan Industrial, Metalform Asia, and Air International Thermal. He also served on the board of directors of many of these companies.

Ming Lu, commenting in Hong Kong on his new appointment, drew attention to the ôhands-on operational approachö he and KKR would be taking to the portfolio.

Prior to CCMP, Ming Lu worked at Lucas Varity, an automotive component supplier and in roles before that at Kraft Foods International and Citic. He had previously studied economics at ChinaÆs Wuhan University of Hydro-Electrical Engineering.

In September 2005 KKR announced plans to establish an office in both Hong Kong and Tokyo. These offices fall under the regional leadership of Hong Kong-based Joseph Bae.

Since being founded in 1976, KKR has placed $162 billion of financing in more than 130 transactions on behalf of itself as general partner in its funds and its investors, which include state and corporate pension funds, banks, insurance companies and university endowments. KKRÆs fame was enshrined with two of the largest buyout transactions ever, in 1989 that of RJR Nabisco, a $31.4 billion deal immortalized in the book ôBarbarians at the Gateö, and Beatrice, an $8.7 billion deal in 1986.