{{Short description|Co-CEO of KKR}} {{Infobox person | name = Joseph Bae | image = | caption = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | title = Co-CEO, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts | spouse = {{marriage|Janice Y. K. Lee|1996}} | education = Harvard University (AB) | birth_place = South Korea | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1973}} }} '''Joseph Yong Bum Bae''' (born 1973) is an American billionaire businessman who is the co-chief executive officer of KKR & Co. Inc, along with Scott Nuttall.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Gottfried |first=Miriam |date=2023-04-15 |title=Don't Call Them 'Barbarians at the Gate' |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/dont-call-them-barbarians-at-the-gate-b12ad495 |access-date=2023-10-14 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2021-10-11 |title=KKR's Joseph Bae, Scott Nuttall succeed founders as co-CEOs |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/11/kkrs-joseph-bae-scott-nuttall-succeed-founders-as-co-ceos.html |access-date=2023-10-14 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref> They took over as co-chief executives in fall 2021 from KKR's founders, Henry Kravis and George Roberts.
== Early life and education == Bae was born in 1973 in South Korea,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kim |first=Ri-Ah |title=Joe Bae to co-lead KKR as 2nd Korean-descendent CEO of a PE giant |url=https://www.kedglobal.com/private-equity/newsView/ked202110130001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230717024903/https://www.kedglobal.com/private-equity/newsView/ked202110130001 |archive-date=2023-07-17 |access-date=2025-08-16 |work=The Korea Economic Daily |language=en-US}}</ref> before his family moved to the United States in the 1970s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Team |first=NationSwell |date=2022-02-02 |title=A fireside chat with Joseph Bae, co-founder of 'The Asian American Foundation' and co-CEO of KKR |url=https://nationswell.com/a-fireside-chat-with-joseph-bae-co-founder-of-the-asian-american-foundation/ |access-date=2025-07-22 |website=NationSwell |language=en-US}}</ref> Bae attended Phillips Academy before attending Harvard College, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics in 1994.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alumni |url=https://www.andover.edu/our-community/alumni |access-date=2025-07-22 |website=Andover {{!}} An independent and inclusive coed boarding high school |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Joseph Bae |url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/joseph-bae/ |access-date=2025-07-22 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Team |first=NationSwell |date=2022-02-02 |title=A fireside chat with Joseph Bae, co-founder of 'The Asian American Foundation' and co-CEO of KKR |url=https://nationswell.com/a-fireside-chat-with-joseph-bae-co-founder-of-the-asian-american-foundation/ |access-date=2025-07-22 |website=NationSwell |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Career == Bae joined KKR in 1996 after a short stint at Goldman Sachs.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> He is credited with a critical role in KKR's expansion in Asia.<ref name=":0" /> He is the first Korean-American to hold a top corporate position in his industry.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-03-29 |title=글로벌 미국 최고의 투자펀드 운용사 KKR 아시아 최고 경영자 배용범Joseph Y. Bae |url=https://www.koreascoop.com/economy/5488 |website=Korea Scoop}}</ref> In 2021, he was one of the founders of The Asian American Foundation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-04 |title=New foundation with $125 million in funding aims to support Asian American and Pacific Islander community |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2021/05/04/new-foundation-with-125-million-in-funding-aims-to-support-asian-american-and-pacific-islander-community/ |access-date=2023-10-14 |website=New York Daily News |language=en-US}}</ref>
As of 2025, ''Forbes'' estimated his net worth at US$2.4 billion.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/joseph-bae/ | title=Forbes Profile: Joseph Bae | date=12 April 2025}}</ref>
== Personal life == In 1996, Bae married Janice Y. K. Lee, a fellow Harvard graduate. The couple are major donors to Harvard University, and Bae serves on the Harvard Corporation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=gazettebeckycoleman |date=2024-02-04 |title=Two new Corporation members |url=https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2024/02/two-new-corporation-members/ |access-date=2025-07-22 |website=Harvard Gazette |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Harvard Corporation’s Newest Member Donates $20 Million for Arts & Humanities, Financial Aid {{!}} News {{!}} The Harvard Crimson |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/5/31/bae-donation-harvard-fas-20-million/ |access-date=2025-07-22 |website=www.thecrimson.com}}</ref> Bae, along with his wife Janice, was among a group of Harvard alumni who donated $45 million for Harvard's Asian American studies program in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alumni Gift $45 Million to Expand Asian American Studies {{!}} News {{!}} The Harvard Crimson |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2021/9/29/alumni-donation-expands-asian-studies/ |access-date=2023-10-14 |website=www.thecrimson.com}}</ref> The couple have four children, and live in New York.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Joseph Bae |url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/joseph-bae/ |access-date=2025-07-22 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}} {{Kohlberg Kravis Roberts}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bae, Joseph}} Category:21st-century American businesspeople Category:Living people Category:American chief executives of financial services companies Category:Harvard College alumni Category:Date of birth missing (living people) Category:Goldman Sachs people Category:KKR & Co. people Category:American billionaires Category:South Korean billionaires Category:Phillips Academy alumni Category:1973 births
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