New York buyout house Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. has tapped Suzanne Donohoe from Goldman, Sachs & Co.'s asset management group in London to help with the firm's global fundraising efforts. While investor appetite for traditional buyout vehicles has fallen off considerably, sponsors are turning their attention to debt and infrastructure investments -- a shift well-suited to Donohoe's background.

During her 17 years at Goldman, Donohoe built relationships with institutional investors looking to put their money to work in fixed-income, mezzanine, infrastructure and other areas, a source says. Most recently, she led the bank's international asset management division, which offers third-party distribution services for hedge funds, mutual funds and secondary private equity funds. Donohoe oversaw the asset management unit's North American client businesses for a couple years, as well.

At KKR, Donohoe will take on the role of managing director and global head of its client and partner group. She'll report directly to Scott Nuttall, a partner at the firm who oversees KKR's global capital and asset management unit.

The firm is talking to investors about expanding its fixed-income platform and raising first-time mezzanine and infrastructure funds. The mezzanine fund is targeting more than $1 billion, while the infrastructure pool is aiming for as much as $4 billion. The firm has also recently created a vehicle to invest in senior secured term loans and high-yield debt, according to a source, who says the money will be raised from month to month.

While ranking among the biggest buyout houses, KKR has fewer limited partners than its rivals. Its investors, however, contribute larger sums of capital to the firm, the source says. With Donohoe on board, it will work on expanding its pool of LPs, while strengthening bonds with clients. "There are a lot of people [KKR] hasn't spoken with," says the source, adding that Donohoe knows many institutional managers. Among KKR's long-standing limited partners are Washington State Investment Board and Oregon Investment Council.

Donohoe is set to take on her New York-based post this summer, the source says.

Her responsibilities at Goldman will go to Steve McGuinness, global head of distribution.