Investment giant KKR  is expanding its operations in India with the opening of a new office in Gurugram, its second in the country.

The office will recruit 150 new employees by early 2024, including for finance, operations, human capital and technology by the end of the year.

Nisha Awasthi who has joined KKR as a managing director will manage the new office. Awasthi joins KKR after nearly two decades at BlackRock, where she was most recently Head of Financial Markets Advisory at BlackRock India.

“We are thrilled to deepen our presence in, and commitment to, India and build a team of collaborative professionals who will be committed to KKR’s culture of excellence,” said Gaurav Trehan, KKR’s India head.

KKR opened its first India office in Mumbai in 2009. The firm currently has offices in 24 cities across four continents, including nine in Asia Pacific, Beijing, Gurugram, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, and Tokyo.

KKR has been strengthening its presence in India and Southeast Asia. It raised $15 billion for its fourth Asia-Pacific-focused private equity fund in 2021, one of the region’s largest for the asset class.

It had also raised $2.52 billion, as of May 2023, for its third technology growth fund, KKR Next Generation Technology Growth Fund III, and another $13.5 million for a sidecar fund, KKR Next Generation Technology Growth Fund III Private Investors, according to US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings.