Raquel Vargas Palmer is a Managing Partner of KPS Capital Partners, LP, Chairperson of its Investment Committee and member of its Management Committee. KPS, through its affiliated management entities, is the manager of the KPS Special Situations Funds, a family of private equity funds with approximately $19.1 billion of assets under management (as of December 31, 2025), focused on making controlling equity investments in manufacturing and industrial companies across a diverse array of industries, including basic materials, branded consumer, healthcare and luxury products, automotive parts, capital equipment and general manufacturing.
Ms. Palmer and the Partners of KPS have successfully developed and executed a proprietary investment strategy of creating new companies to acquire assets or businesses from large corporations, businesses owned by families or entrepreneurs, and businesses presented for sale in connection with financial restructurings. KPS then transforms these businesses into independent, world-class, industry-leading enterprises by structurally improving their strategic position, competitiveness and profitability.
The KPS Funds’ portfolio companies currently generate aggregate annual revenues of approximately $22.2 billion, operate 200 manufacturing facilities in 21 countries, and have approximately 55,000 employees, directly and through joint ventures worldwide (as of December 31, 2025).
Ms. Palmer serves on the Board of Directors of the following KPS portfolio companies: Alta Performance Materials (Chairman), Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope (Chairman), Ketjen (Chairman), Sport Group (Chairman), AM General, Autokiniton Global Group, Briggs & Stratton, C&D Technologies, Innomotics, Life Fitness, Lufkin Industries, Metra, Primient, Speira and The Wells Companies. In addition, Ms. Palmer previously served on the Board of Directors of 34 former KPS portfolio companies.
Ms. Palmer serves as Chairperson of the Board of Directors for The Opportunity Network. She is the recipient of numerous honors from industry-leading publications, some on multiple occasions. Ms. Palmer has been named an Influential Woman in Institutional Investing by Pensions & Investments, named one of the “Notable Women in Banking and Finance” by Crain's New York Business, one of "Private Equity Women to Watch" by Private Equity Analyst, the “Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A” by Mergers & Acquisitions and one of “10 Women Smashing PE’s Glass Ceiling” by Buyouts Magazine, among others.
Prior to joining its predecessor in 1994 and creating KPS in 1997, Ms. Palmer was an investment banker in the Paper and Forest products group with Kidder, Peabody & Co. Ms. Palmer received a degree in Political Science from Stanford University.