New York-based private equity and investment giant KKR is leasing 132,529 square feet of office space in downtown Boston, in what amounts to among the city’s largest leases of the year.
KKR, which has $686 billion in assets under management, will move to 2 International Place in the second half of 2026. The move downtown follows KKR’s two-step acquisition of insurance company Global Atlantic Financial Group that was finalized in 2023 for $7.1 billion.
The firm has outgrown the former Global Atlantic digs at the Boston Landing complex in Brighton and needed to expand, said Burke Malek, the head of KKR’s local operations.
“This strategic move downtown positions us to invest in local talent and expand our operating platform to support our US and global operations,” Malek said in a statement.
Advertisement
KKR declined to specify its footprint at 20 Guest St., which is part of Boston Landing, the mixed-use campus on the Allston/Brighton border built by footwear giant New Balance, but Global Atlantic was reported to have leased 46,290 square feet there in 2017.
With the acquisition of Global Atlantic, KKR employs more than 300 people in Boston and has 21 open positions.
The lease is among Boston’s largest of the year, and a win for to International Place, a 1.8 million-square-foot office complex developed and still owned by by The Chiofaro Co. The company in 2023 launched a $100 million reinvestment in the two-tower complex, including upgraded lobby space in both buildings and a 25,000-square-foot amenities center dubbed the Aries Club.
Advertisement
“KKR’s decision to plant a substantial flag at International Place is a major milestone for both the building and Boston’s business community,” said Chiofaro Co. vice president Don Chiofaro Jr., in a statement. “As one of the most prominent investment firms in the world, KKR’s arrival further validates our vision for International Place as the preeminent address for global business leaders.”
Catherine Carlock can be reached at catherine.carlock@globe.com. Follow her @bycathcarlock.
