Apollo hires BlackRock veterans for wealth, insurance units

Apollo hires BlackRock veterans for wealth, insurance units
The firm is targeting $1 trillion in assets by 2026.
DEC 13, 2023
By  Bloomberg

Apollo Global Management Inc. hired BlackRock Inc. veterans in wealth and insurance as the alternative asset manager expands its team in key growth areas.

Kate Swimley was hired this month to cover the ultra-wealthy for Apollo’s family office business after almost a decade at BlackRock. Andrew Stack, former head of BlackRock’s life and annuity practice in its financial institutions group, joined Apollo in September as a managing director focused on investments for insurance companies.

Apollo and BlackRock representatives declined to comment.

Wealth management and insurance are key growth areas for Apollo as it seeks to amass $1 trillion of assets under management by 2026. The firm, like other alternative asset managers, is looking beyond its traditional base of institutional investors such as endowments amid an industrywide fundraising rut.

As they look to tap individual wealth, Apollo and others are vying for executives with connections to the world’s biggest fortunes. Alternative asset managers are also bolstering ties to insurers to access steady sources of capital.

Meanwhile, traditional asset managers such as BlackRock are expanding their alternatives offerings to compete with Apollo and its peers, which have seen massive growth in recent years as private markets remain hot. BlackRock aims to double its private markets revenue over the next five years to about $2 billion from $1 billion last year.

Apollo began building its family office team after hiring Brian Feurtado last year from BlackRock to lead the team. The firm had assembled a roughly 10-person unit by the middle of this year with plans to expand. Rick Moreno, another BlackRock alumnus, joined in August to lead Apollo’s West Coast family office coverage. 

The firm has also shifted existing employees into the family office team. Longtime partner Tom Norton was tapped to head Apollo’s family office division for Europe, while Chris Jahrmarkt is helping with relationship-management efforts after previously covering direct lending. 

Latest News

SEC charges Chicago-based investment adviser with overbilling clients more than $2.5M in fees
SEC charges Chicago-based investment adviser with overbilling clients more than $2.5M in fees

Eliseo Prisno, a former Merrill advisor, allegedly collected unapproved fees from Filipino clients by secretly accessing their accounts at two separate brokerages.

Apella Wealth comes to Washington with Independence Wealth Advisors
Apella Wealth comes to Washington with Independence Wealth Advisors

The Harford, Connecticut-based RIA is expanding into a new market in the mid-Atlantic region while crossing another billion-dollar milestone.

Citi's Sieg sees rich clients pivoting from US to UK
Citi's Sieg sees rich clients pivoting from US to UK

The Wall Street giant's global wealth head says affluent clients are shifting away from America amid growing fallout from President Donald Trump's hardline politics.

US employment report reactions: Overall better than expected, but concerns with underlying data
US employment report reactions: Overall better than expected, but concerns with underlying data

Chief economists, advisors, and chief investment officers share their reactions to the June US employment report.

Creative Planning's Peter Mallouk slams 'offensive' congressional stock trading
Creative Planning's Peter Mallouk slams 'offensive' congressional stock trading

"This shouldn’t be hard to ban, but neither party will do it. So offensive to the people they serve," RIA titan Peter Mallouk said in a post that referenced Nancy Pelosi's reported stock gains.

SPONSORED How advisors can build for high-net-worth complexity

Orion's Tom Wilson on delivering coordinated, high-touch service in a world where returns alone no longer set you apart.

SPONSORED RILAs bring stability, growth during volatile markets

Barely a decade old, registered index-linked annuities have quickly surged in popularity, thanks to their unique blend of protection and growth potential—an appealing option for investors looking to chart a steadier course through today's choppy market waters, says Myles Lambert, Brighthouse Financial.