KKR CFO Receives Performance-Based Long-Term Stock Compensation Worth Billions

U.S. alternative asset manager KKR & Co. Inc. (KKR) on April 29 granted Chief Financial Officer Robert H. Lewin 650,000 restricted stock units convertible into KKR common shares under its 2019 Equity Incentive Plan. Based on the current share price, the award is valued at about $67 million (approximately KRW 900 billion).

These units will vest and convert into shares only if KKR’s stock trades between $200 and $250 per share and Lewin meets a long-service requirement by May 1, 2031. Even after vesting, a five-year sale restriction applies—if the conditions aren’t satisfied by May 1, 2033, the award will be forfeited in full.

On the same day, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel Kathleen King Sudol received 300,000 restricted stock units, vesting only if the share price reaches $150 to $225 and she remains with the firm through May 1, 2031. At today’s share price, her award is worth roughly $31 million (around KRW 400 billion) and is structured as long-term, performance-linked compensation.

Separately, KKR has raised over $10 billion to launch Helix Digital Infrastructure, a new platform for building and operating AI data centers and power and telecom networks. The firm also announced a strategic equity investment to accelerate growth of MLS NEXT Pro, the reserve league of Major League Soccer in the U.S.

Founded in 1976 and headquartered in New York, KKR is a global investment firm focused on alternative assets—private equity, infrastructure, real estate and credit. As of the end of 2025, it managed about $744 billion (roughly KRW 1,000 trillion) in assets. Under co-CEOs Joseph Y. Bae and Scott C. Nuttall, the firm earned its reputation with landmark deals such as the leveraged buyout of RJR Nabisco and has recently broadened its investment scope into infrastructure, energy transition and AI infrastructure.