KKR announced plans to open a new office in Milan, reinforcing its long-term commitment to Italy and expanding its local presence in one of Europe’s largest economies. The office will support the firm’s investment activities across private equity, real assets, credit, and insurance, while strengthening client relationships and advancing the growth of KKR’s private wealth business in the country.
Italy has been a significant market for KKR for more than two decades. Since 2005, the firm has deployed more than €10 billion across private equity, real assets, and credit investments. Its Italian portfolio includes FiberCop, Europe’s first wholesale-only open-access fiber network, Enilive, a company supporting Italy’s energy transition, and CMC, a sustainable packaging company leveraging robotics to drive innovation. KKR said these investments reflect its strategy of partnering with businesses operating in sectors critical to long-term economic growth and transformation.
The Milan office will be led by Marco Fontana, a Partner in KKR’s Infrastructure team, who will relocate from London. Nicolò Della Casa, a Director in KKR’s Private Equity team, will also move to Milan and oversee the firm’s private equity activities in Italy. Together with members of KKR’s Client Solutions team, they will support the expansion of the firm’s local investment platform and client partnerships.
KKR Co-CEOs Joe Bae and Scott Nuttall said Italy has been an important market for the firm for many years and highlighted growing opportunities for private capital to support the country’s economic development. They noted that opening an office in Milan reflects KKR’s commitment to working more closely with local partners and investing in sectors that are central to Italy’s long-term growth.
Mattia Caprioli and Tara Davies, Co-Heads of KKR EMEA, said the firm is seeing increased emphasis on competitiveness, investment, and economic modernization across Italy. They added that establishing a Milan office aligns with KKR’s broader EMEA strategy of localizing operations by placing more professionals directly within key markets, allowing the firm to deepen local engagement while leveraging its global platform.
Fontana said Italy offers compelling opportunities in areas such as digital infrastructure, energy transition, and broader economic transformation. He added that building a dedicated team on the ground with deep local expertise will enable KKR to strengthen relationships with companies, clients, and stakeholders while developing long-term partnerships across the country.
Della Casa emphasized the strength of Italy’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, particularly its large base of founder-led and family-owned businesses across multiple industries. He said a local presence in Milan will allow KKR to engage more directly with these companies and support their growth and international expansion efforts.
KEY QUOTES:
“Italy has been an important market for KKR for many years. The country’s focus on strengthening its economic foundations, supporting key industries and creating the conditions for long-term investment is increasingly evident, and we see a growing opportunity for private capital to play a constructive role. Opening an office in Milan reflects our commitment to being closer to our partners and to supporting investment across sectors that are central to Italy’s long-term growth.”
Joe Bae and Scott Nuttall, Co-CEOs, KKR
“We are seeing a clear and consistent focus on competitiveness, investment and economic modernisation in Italy, which is creating a positive environment for long-term capital. Establishing an office in Milan is a natural step in our EMEA strategy, where we are increasingly localising our business by bringing more of our people into key markets. We believe this is a real differentiator and will allow us to deepen our engagement in Italy while connecting it to the full breadth of KKR’s global platform.”
Mattia Caprioli and Tara Davies, Co-Heads, KKR EMEA
“We are proud to be establishing a dedicated presence in Milan. Italy presents significant opportunity across areas such as digital infrastructure, energy transition and broader economic transformation. At the same time, we are building a team on the ground with deep local expertise and strong relationships across the market. Being present locally will allow us to work more closely with companies, clients and stakeholders, and to continue developing long-term partnerships in Italy.”
Marco Fontana, Partner, Infrastructure and Head of the Milan Office, KKR
“Italy’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, with its depth of founder- and family-owned businesses across a broad range of industries, presents a distinctly attractive environment for KKR’s Private Equity strategy. Establishing a presence in Milan will allow us to engage more directly with these businesses, supporting them in accelerating their growth and realising their international ambitions.”
Nicolò Della Casa, Director and Head of Private Equity in Italy, KKR
