KKR exec’s remarks renew questions about succession plan

Private-equity investors are once again playing their favorite parlor game of who will ꦉsucceed KKR’s sep🧸tuagenarian co-founders.

KKR’s Al🍌ex Navab — considered one of the leading contenders to succeed Henry Kravis and George Roberts — kicked off a new rওound recently when he seemed to take his name out of the running.

The 49-year-old head of the firm’s buyout business in the Americas hinted that he was helping with the search, rather than vꦗying for the top job.

“You have to ask Krav🍸is,” said Navab, who laughed at first when asked about t🌄he firm’s succession plans Friday at a Columbia Business School conference.

He went on to suggest he has a☂ hand in vetting whomever is picked to lead the buyout behemoth, which raised $8.7 billion for a new flagship f😼und last year.

“We really look for the full package,” he added. “Significant competence in their significant deals, and they🃏 need to be leaders. And the other thing t🦂hat is critical — can this person be truly creative and push the envelope to do new things?”

While Kravis, 71, and Roberts, 70, are still active dealmakers, the succession🐓 issue has dogged the firm, which has tried to reassure investors that it has a deep enoꦍugh bench.

“This story is an absu🍬rd and completely farcical inter𒐪pretation of Alex’s comments,” a KKR spokesman said in an e-mail.

It’s possible♚ Navab could help with the search for a successor with an eye toward ultimately nominating himself for the job. Still, sources were skeptical.

“Alex is fine for deals♍, but he is not the guy,” said on❀e source.

The most promising candidate to emerge in recent years is Scott Nut𝔍tall, 42, who heads the firm’s global capital and 😼asset management group. Nuttall, who joined KKR in 1996, is taking KKR in a new direction that complements its traditional buyout business.

“He is the guy,” said one source. “He runs cap🌃ital markets and is on all the earnings calls.”