Marc Rowan


Marc J. Rowan is an American billionaire businessman and co-founder of the private equity firm Apollo Global Management.

Early life and education

Rowan was born to a Jewish family in 1962. His mother Barbara was a teacher and a trained concert pianist. He has one sister, Andrea. Rowan graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Career

Rowan joined the Mergers & Acquisitions Group of Drexel Burnham Lambert where he worked in New York City and Los Angeles. In 1990, Rowan co-founded the private equity firm Apollo Global Management with former Drexel Burnham colleagues Leon Black and Joshua Harris. The firm went public in March 2011.

Philanthropy

He is a founding member and serves on the executive committee of the Youth Renewal Fund and is a member of the board of directors for the National Jewish Outreach Program, the New York Police Foundation and serves on the Board of Overseers of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. In October 2018, he donated $50 million to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, the largest single gift in Wharton’s history. The funds would be used to recruit three Rowan Distinguished Professors, appoint Rowan Fellows and support the Penn Wharton Budget Model.

Personal life

Rowan is married to Carolyn G. Pleva and lives in New York City.