Marc Rowan
Marc Rowan is the Co-Founder and CEO of Apollo Global Management, one of the largest and most influential private equity and alternative asset management firms in the United States. A seasoned private equity executive and widely regarded Wall Street leader, Rowan has been instrumental in shaping Apollo’s reputation as a powerhouse in credit, private equity, real assets, and retirement services. In addition to his leadership in finance, Rowan is an active voice in public policy. He is a founding supporter of the Penn Wharton Budget Model, a highly regarded nonpartisan research initiative that delivers rigorous economic and fiscal analysis to inform public policy debates. His philanthropic commitments extend across education, entrepreneurship, and civic initiatives, and he serves on the boards of several technology-focused venture companies.
Marc Rowan Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Academic History
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M.B.A., Finance
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B.S., Finance
CURRENT AFFILIATIONS
Board of Directors, Apollo Global Management
Board of Directors, Athene Holding
Board of Directors, Athora Holding
Board of Advisors, Wharton School
Chair of the Board, UJA Federation of New York
Co-Founder, Rowan Family Foundation
Since becoming CEO in 2021, Marc Rowan has guided Apollo Global Management through a transformative period of growth, expanding the firm into new asset classes, global markets, and long-term capital solutions.
Under his leadership, Apollo has evolved from its historic identity as a prominent distressed-debt investor into one of the industry’s most powerful scaled credit, private equity, and retirement services platforms, rivaling major Wall Street lenders.
He has championed a shift toward permanent capital and yield-generating strategies, strengthening the firm’s competitive position and accelerating its global expansion.
Rowan’s economic insight and public policy engagement have positioned him as a respected voice in national fiscal policy discussions, contributing to ongoing speculation about his potential role in government, including consideration for U.S. Treasury Secretary.
Rowan has been widely recognized as a leading figure in global finance, earning honors such as inclusion in Fortune’s 100 Most Powerful People in Business and induction into the Private Equity Hall of Fame.
EARLY CAREER
Marc Rowan met Apollo co-founders Leon Black and Joshua Harris while working in the Mergers & Acquisitions division at Drexel Burnham Lambert, then a dominant force in high-yield and structured finance.
At Drexel, Rowan specialized in high-yield financing, deal origination, and merger structure negotiation, gaining firsthand experience in the innovative credit strategies that would define Apollo’s DNA.
After Drexel’s collapse in 1990, triggered by volatility in the junk bond market and the firm’s liquidity crisis, the trio launched Apollo Global Management, laying the foundation for one of the most influential alternative investment platforms in the world.