Black Executive Appointed Vice Chairman of Carlyle Global Credit, Among Other High-Profile Roles

Aren LeeKong has been appointed vice chairman of Carlyle Global Credit, CEO of the Carlyle Business Development Companies, and head of Carlyle’s Direct Lending business.

The appointments, effective January 1, 2023, were made recently by The Carlyle Group, one of the world’s largest private equity and alternative asset management firms, with $376 billion of assets under management as of late June this year, according to its website.

Carlyle Business Development Companies and Direct Lending manage about $10 billion in assets. LeeKong has served on the board at Carlyle Business Development Companies since June 2021. The new appointments will make him one of the two most-senior Black Americans at Carlyle. His new roles will include overseeing Direct Lending’s efforts to support corporations and help entrepreneurs grow and flourish.

LeeKong has held several C-Suite roles in corporate America. Based on his bio, he is now CEO of 7 Acquisition Corp. and sits on the board of the blank check company. He was executive chairman of Organix Recycling, which calls itself the nation’s largest pre-consumer food waste hauling company.

He’s managed specialty finance companies focused on providing flexible financing solutions to middle market companies. He is also a member of the external investment advisory committee of the New York State Common Retirement Fund. The public pension fund has an estimated $247.7 billion in assets as of late December 2020. The committee provides general investment advice on the fund’s portfolio.

LeeKong was formerly a managing director of Highbridge Principal Strategies and was a director at KKR Co. Inc., where he was a founding member of its capital markets team.

He also serves his community by giving back. LeeKong is on the Advisory Board of The Family Center, which offers social and legal services to New Yorkers struggling with a family crisis or loss. He also serves on the board of directors of SEO, the same organization that helped him launch his career in finance.