Key Takeaways
- • Blackstone Infrastructure appoints Ami Momaya as first head of India operations, tasking her with establishing and leading the firm's inaugural India infrastructure strategy as part of a broader Asia-Pacific expansion.
- • Momaya departs KKR after four-plus years, where she served as managing director in the Asia Pacific infrastructure team; her last day at KKR was July 25, 2026, with continuation of Mumbai-based operations expected.
- • Blackstone Infrastructure Partners (BIP) has grown to $77 billion in assets (as of January 2026) and is aggressively deploying capital across geographies; the firm is planning to bring all global pools of capital to India.
- • Strategic positioning follows previous exit: Blackstone withdrew from a $5 billion Indian Infrastructure Fund launched in 2007 with Citigroup approximately two decades ago; the current initiative represents a disciplined re-entry into India's infrastructure market.
- • Competitive context: KKR has invested $3.5 billion in Indian infrastructure over five years and maintains a robust Asia-Pacific infrastructure team led by Partner Hardik Shah since 2018; Blackstone's India buildout is expected to mirror KKR's trajectory of establishing a full team within approximately six months.
Summary
Blackstone Infrastructure has appointed Ami Momaya as the inaugural head of India operations, signaling a significant commitment to Asia-Pacific infrastructure investment. Momaya, a managing director at KKR & Co., departed the firm effective July 25, 2026, to establish and lead Blackstone's India infrastructure strategy as part of the firm's broader regional expansion. She will remain based in Mumbai.
Momaya's recruitment represents a strategic hire for Blackstone, which is repositioning itself in India's infrastructure market after a previous exit. The firm had attempted an India play approximately two decades earlier through a $5 billion Indian Infrastructure Fund established in 2007 with Citigroup and India Infrastructure Finance Company, focused on roads, ports, and power projects, which it subsequently withdrew from. The current initiative reflects a more deliberate re-entry strategy backed by material capital commitments.
Blackstone Infrastructure Partners has achieved substantial scale, growing to $77 billion in assets under management by January 2026, with $4 billion in new commitments secured in the fourth quarter of 2025 alone—representing 40% year-over-year growth. The firm intends to deploy all global pools of capital into the Indian market, according to senior managing director Mukesh Mehta. This expansion occurs within an increasingly competitive landscape where KKR has established a dominant position, having invested $3.5 billion in Indian infrastructure over the past five years through an Asia-Pacific team led by Partner Hardik Shah.
Based on comparable precedent, Blackstone is expected to assemble a full India infrastructure team within approximately six months, mirroring KKR's buildout process. KKR assembled roughly a dozen hires by end of 2019 after initiating its Asia-Pacific infrastructure strategy in 2018. While Blackstone initially declined to confirm the hiring, stating it had not made formal decisions for its India infrastructure strategy, multiple sources confirmed Momaya's transition and her mandate to establish the platform from inception.
Momaya's recruitment represents a strategic hire for Blackstone, which is repositioning itself in India's infrastructure market after a previous exit. The firm had attempted an India play approximately two decades earlier through a $5 billion Indian Infrastructure Fund established in 2007 with Citigroup and India Infrastructure Finance Company, focused on roads, ports, and power projects, which it subsequently withdrew from. The current initiative reflects a more deliberate re-entry strategy backed by material capital commitments.
Blackstone Infrastructure Partners has achieved substantial scale, growing to $77 billion in assets under management by January 2026, with $4 billion in new commitments secured in the fourth quarter of 2025 alone—representing 40% year-over-year growth. The firm intends to deploy all global pools of capital into the Indian market, according to senior managing director Mukesh Mehta. This expansion occurs within an increasingly competitive landscape where KKR has established a dominant position, having invested $3.5 billion in Indian infrastructure over the past five years through an Asia-Pacific team led by Partner Hardik Shah.
Based on comparable precedent, Blackstone is expected to assemble a full India infrastructure team within approximately six months, mirroring KKR's buildout process. KKR assembled roughly a dozen hires by end of 2019 after initiating its Asia-Pacific infrastructure strategy in 2018. While Blackstone initially declined to confirm the hiring, stating it had not made formal decisions for its India infrastructure strategy, multiple sources confirmed Momaya's transition and her mandate to establish the platform from inception.
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