KKR, one of the world's leading investment firms with approx $200 billion in assets under management, today announced the appointment, effective immediately, of Diego Piacentini as Senior Advisor. In carrying out his duties, Piacentini will support KKR's investment activities globally, with particular focus on the Technology, Media and Telecom (TMT) sector, given his experience of over 30 years in the sector. Piacentini's appointment follows a career in the public and private sector.
Piacentini began his career at Apple EMEA, where he held various roles for over ten years before joining Amazon in Seattle. Piacentini held the position of Senior Vice President of International Consumer Business for sixteen years with responsibility for all of the company's international retail operations. Reporting directly to founder Jeff Bezos, he oversaw the launch and growth of Amazon's e-commerce businesses in global markets including Europe, Japan, China and India.
Recently Piacentini was Extraordinary Commissioner for the Implementation of the Digital Agenda of the Italian Governmentreporting directly to the Prime Minister. This role allowed him to found and grow the Digital Transformation Team, launching a series of initiatives to support the digitization of Italian public services. Piacentini is currently a member of the Executive Committee and Board Member of the Bocconi University in Italy, from which he graduated in Economics and Commerce. He also mentors Endeavor Global, a global entrepreneurial mentoring program, and sits on the Board of Endeavor Italy, which he helped launch in 2016.
Joe Bae and Scott Nuttall, KKR Co-President and Co-Chief Operating Officers, commented: “Diego has an outstanding leadership track record in private and government management. We are excited to benefit from his experience, particularly in the technology sector, in which we are heavily involved and continue to expand operations in the United States, Europe and Asia. Diego's experience, including his role in developing one of the largest international technology platforms globally, will be invaluable to our investment teams and our portfolio companies.”
Diego Piacentini said: “KKR has built an incredible reputationboth for his relationships with founders and his ability to lead the expansion of companies globally. I look forward to working with KKR – particularly in the technology sector – with its partners and portfolio companies, supporting the company in its growth path in this and many other sectors”.
KKR has a long history of supporting TMT companies, having invested more than $1983 billion in private equity deals since 26 and growth equity in the TMT sector. In 2019 alone, KKR announced multiple investments in the TMT sector, including MYOB in Australia, OneStream and KnowBe4 in the US, Exact Software in the Netherlands, and heidelpay Group and Axel Springer in Germany.
