Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co has appointed Steven R Okun as Director of Public Affairs in Asia Pacific, effective 13 February 2011. Okun will be responsible for overseeing the firm’s public affairs, corporate citizenship and external communications in Asia Pacific, as well as for helping to support the public affairs and communications efforts of KKR’s portfolio companies in the region.
Okun, who currently serves as Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, and until October 2010, was Vice President for Public Affairs for UPS in Asia Pacific, will report to Kenneth B Mehlman, Member and Global Head of Public Affairs, and will be based in the Asia Pacific region.
“Over the past few years, KKR has brought together a dedicated team of public affairs professionals to enhance communications with all of our stakeholders,” says Mehlman. “Steve’s appointment reflects our growing commitment to the Asia Pacific region, where we now have a growing number of portfolio companies in China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Australia, and India. We look forward to benefiting from Steve’s many years of experience in both the public and private sectors, as well as his depth of knowledge of Asia Pacific, as we continue to invest as responsible corporate citizens in a dynamic economy.”
As Vice President for Public Affairs for UPS in Asia Pacific, a position he was appointed to in 2003, Okun represented UPS before the governments of the region, focusing on matters concerning international aviation, trade, and competition. He also held a leadership role in UPS’ corporate social responsibility efforts in Asia. Previously, from 1999 to 2003, Okun worked in UPS’ Washington, DC office, where he coordinated the company’s successful efforts in obtaining its initial aviation authority to China.
Okun served in the Administration of President Bill Clinton as Deputy General Counsel at the Department of Transportation, being at the Department from 1994 to 1999. He was awarded the Secretary’s Award for Special Service Commendation for his work in this capacity. In addition, in recognition of Okun’s work on China matters, he was selected in 2002 to serve as one of the 24 inaugural delegates to the National Committee on US-China Relation’s Young Leaders’ Forum. In 2006, he was also selected as the inaugural Co-Chair of the 21st Century Leaders program of the Boao Forum for Asia.
Beginning in 2008, Okun was elected to three terms as Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, the Association of Southeast Asian Nation’s (ASEAN) largest American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) and Singapore’s largest foreign business chamber. Okun has been elected to a two-year term on the Council of the Singapore Business Federation (2010-2012), and has been named to the Industry Advisory Panel of the SP Jain Center of Management, which is recognised as one of the top ten business schools in South Asia. A native of Chicago, Illinois, Okun is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Virginia School of Law.
