Blackstone taps adviser Carnegie to head Australia

HONG KONG, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Blackstone Group LP has appointed one of its senior advisers to head its Australia business, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday, in a sign the firm plans to ramp up its investing efforts inside the country.

Carnegie, an Australian private equity veteran and a former partner at domestic firm Archer Capital, will be a senior managing director at Blackstone and will assume a direct deal-making role, according to Charlotte Bilney, an external spokeswoman for the firm. He had been a Blackstone senior adviser in Australia since 2012.

Carnegie will report to Michael Chae, Blackstone's Hong Kong-based head of Asia Pacific private equity.

The Australian Financial Review earlier reported Carnegie's new role.

($1 = 1.1159 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Stephen Aldred; Editing by Michael Flaherty and Matt Driskill)

((stephen.aldred@thomsonreuters.com)(+852 2912 6609)(Reuters Messaging: stephen.aldred.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))

Keywords: BLACKSTONE AUSTRALIA/