Although one of the wealthiest individuals in the U.S., Marc Rowan does his best to keep a low profile. Rowan is Chief Executive Officer of Apollo Global Management, one of the largest alternative asset managers with assets under management in excess of $455 billion and a market capitalization of $11 billion. Rowan co-founded Apollo in 1990 and helped guide it to an IPO in 2011. Prior to starting Apollo, Rowan worked in the mergers and acquisitions group of investment bank Drexel Burnham Lambert. An active philanthropist, Rowan is a founding member and Chair of Youth Renewal Fund and Vice Chair of Darca, Israel’s top educational network operating 40 schools with over 22,000 students throughout Israel’s most diverse and underserved communities. He also serves on the board of OpenDor Media, a digital media company centered on engaging Jewish and Israel content. He is an Executive Committee member of the Civil Society Fellowship, a partnership of ADL and the Aspen Institute. In 2013, Rowan gave a $1 million donation to the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, which maintains and provides education about the Western Wall in Jerusalem. As of September 2021, Forbes estimated his net worth to be $4.7 billion.
Before Rowan was making billions of dollars as a private equity investor, he was a student at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. At Wharton, Rowan managed to balance his academics with life outside the classroom. He said, "My time here was absolutely amazing. I had the best of all worlds. I had a graduate education and an undergraduate social life. Which is exactly how you want to experience the University of Pennsylvania in its fullest.” In 1984, he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance. Rowan then decided to stay for another year, completing his Master of Business Administration degree in finance in 1985.
Since 1985, Rowan has been contributing to Wharton’s success in a variety of ways. Through philanthropy, Rowan has supported both undergraduate and MBA aspects of Wharton. He has contributed to financial aid, faculty, the Dean’s fund, capital projects, Wharton Customer Analytics, The Wharton Fund, the football program, and more. Rowan is also the chair of Wharton’s Board of Overseers as well as being a Penn trustee. In 2018, Rowan made headlines when Wharton announced that the billionaire was giving his alma mater $50 million, the largest single gift ever given to the School—which is known for having generous alumni. Rowan's groundbreaking gift will enhance Wharton’s ability to use exceptional research and teaching to address the most complex global challenges and opportunities.