US Army (Ret.), Former CIA Director, Partner, KKR, Chairman, KKR Global Institute
General David Petraeus, US Army (Ret.) is one of the foremost battlefield commanders, strategists, and geopolitical experts of our time. He served over 37 years in the US military, culminating his career with six consecutive commands as a general officer, five of which were in combat, including command of the Surge in Iraq, US Central Command, and Coalition Forces in Afghanistan. He subsequently served as Director of the CIA, following Senate confirmation by a vote of 94 to 0, during a period of significant achievements in the global war on terror.
General Petraeus is now a Partner with the global investment firm KKR, which he joined in 2013, Chairman of the KKR Global Institute, and Chairman of KKR Middle East. He also serves on corporate boards, is the Kissinger Fellow at Yale University’s Jackson School of Global Affairs, is a personal venture capitalist, and is the co-author, with Andrew Roberts, of the New York Times’ bestselling book, Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Gaza.
General Petraeus graduated with distinction from the US Military Academy and later earned a Ph.D. from Princeton University in economics and international relations. He has held academic appointments at 5 universities in addition to his current position at Yale.
His awards include four Defense Distinguished Service Medals, the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award, the Bronze Star Medal for Valor, the Master Combat Action Badge, the Ranger tab, the mountaineering badge, and master parachutist and air assault wings. He has also been decorated by 14 foreign countries and is believed to be the only person in uniform to throw out the first pitch of a World Series game and do the coin toss for a Super Bowl.
