Force behind KKR’s LP relations group Suzanne Donohoe to leave firm

Suzanne Donohoe, who led the creation and growth of KKR’s client and partner group, has decided to leave the firm, according to an internal memo seen by Buyouts.

Donohoe will leave in March after a transition period for a new opportunity, the memo said, not specifying exactly what that is. She will remain a senior adviser to the firm. The departure was described as amicable, according to a person with knowledge of the firm.

Donohoe is interested in leadership and entrepreneurial opportunities in alternative investing, tech-enabled distribution and the digital asset space, the memo said.

“We are grateful to Suzanne for her leadership and many contributions to KKR and our growth over the past 13 years, including building a highly effective and client-centric team and more recently helping shape KKR’s views on secondaries and digital assets,” KKR co-CEOs Joe Bae and Scott Nuttall said in a statement to Buyouts.

Donohoe “has always been known for her ability to build deep ‘like and trust’ both inside and outside of the firm and she has enhanced our relationships with hundreds of our clients over time,” the memo said.

Donohoe, who joined the firm in 2009, moved out of the client and partner group in late 2020 and into a new role as head of strategic growth. She co-chairs the firm’s Inclusion & Diversity Council, of which she was a founding partner in 2014, as well as serves on the Investment Heads Committee, according to KKR’s website.

Donohoe was succeeded by Eric Mogelof as head of the client and partner group, which is responsible for working with KKR’s limited partners. In a 2020 statement, KKR said Donohoe and her team raised more than $225 billion from a global client base.

Since she joined the firm, KKR added 22 new investment verticals and about 1,000 new clients, the KKR memo said.

Donohoe also hired Saleena Goel, head of Customized Portfolio Solutions and helped her build the $15 billion business supporting long-term strategic partnerships.

In her newer role, Donohoe has helped the firm explore its entrance into secondaries, digital assets and several other areas of growth for the firm, the memo said. She oversaw KKR’s investment in hedge fund PAAMCO Prisma, served on the board of insurance platform Global Atlantic and co-led the KSPI/Strategic Partnerships business, working with Henry McVey and Tony Hass, the memo said.

Prior to KKR, Donohoe worked at Goldman Sachs, where she was partner and head of Goldman Sachs Asset Management International. She also led Goldman Sachs’ Asset Management client businesses in North America, according to her biography on KKR’s website.