KKR expands advisory team with former prime minister

The US financial investor gains Roland Koch as Senior Advisor for regulatory issues. The former Hessian head of government strengthens the high-caliber advisory team in the DACH region.

Prominent new addition to the consulting portfolio

The American private equity giant has hired the former Hessian Minister President Roland Koch for its DACH organization. The 67-year-old lawyer will act as Senior Advisor and support both investment teams and portfolio companies with compliance and governance issues. Christian Ollig, who heads the German-speaking region, acknowledges Koch's extensive expertise in the public and private sectors. This combination makes him particularly valuable for regulation-intensive industries.

Versatile career between politics and business

Koch's career spans both political and entrepreneurial stages. After studying law with a focus on business and competition law, he established himself in the CDU and sat in the Hessian state parliament from 1987. He led the state government as Minister President for eleven years. After his political retirement in 2010, Koch moved into the private sector and became Chairman of the Executive Board at Bilfinger and later Chairman of the Supervisory Board at UBS Europe.

Current mandates and academic activities

Today, Koch is involved in various supervisory bodies, including Vodafone Germany. He also heads several foundations, such as the Ludwig Erhard Foundation and the Dussmann Stiftung & Co. KGaA. At the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, he teaches as Professor of Management in Regulated Environments and heads the Frankfurt Competence Center for German and Global Regulation.

Strategic strengthening of the group of advisors

Koch joins KKR's illustrious circle of senior advisors, which already includes Theodor Weimer (ex-Deutsche Börse), Philip Oetker, Thermondo founder Philipp Pausder and ex-Eon CEO Johannes Teyssen. This expertise supports KKR's ambitious DACH strategy: since 1999, the Group has invested around EUR 20 billion of equity in over 40 regional companies.