The Business On... Henry Kravis, Founder, KKR

(BLOOMBERG)

The barbarian?

Have you been wandering down the business books aisle in the library again? Mr Kravis did indeed first come to public attention when Kohlberg Kravis Roberts took over RJR Nabisco in 1988 – the affair was dramatised in the book Barbarians at the Gate.

Is he still so aggressive?

Well, KKR is the daddy of the private equity business, an industry that has had its fair share of critics. It's fair to say that the leveraged buy-out model it pioneered – where you buy a company with debt that yousubsequently load on its balance sheet – isn't universally admired.

But does he have a softer side?

He's a philanthropist of some note, with a string of donations culminating yesterday in a $100m (£63m) gift to Columbia Business School, from where he got his MBA 40 years ago.

So will this gift change perceptions of him?

Maybe, though it is unlikely to appease critics who have often sought to portray Mr Kravis and other private equity figures as poster boys of capitalism. Nor does his fundraising for the Republican Party help his cause with liberals.

What will it do with all the money?

Well, the Henry Kravises of tomorrow are apparently in need of abetter campus. The cash will help pay for two new buildings at Columbia, one of which will be named after the school's benefactor. "If we don't get our education system right, we're going to be going backwards," the great man says.

Like KKR, you mean?

That's not fair. It's true that the credit crisis's dramatic impact on the debt markets made LBOs a little tougher, forcing KKR to diversify in recent times. And yes, that IPO in July was a little low-key. But KKR remains a powerhouse of private equity.

So what next?

More deals. Now 68, Mr Kravis shows no sign of wanting to retire. With co-founder George Roberts, he keeps a close grip on KKR.