Rowan was born in 1962 to a Jewish family.[3] He was raised on Long Island, New York.[4] He moved with his family to Hollywood, Florida where he attended high school, traveling between New York.[4] His father worked in auto-leasing.[4] His mother Barbara was a teacher and a trained concert pianist.[5] He has one sister, Andrea.[6] His grandfather, Emanuel Stein, was an economics professor at New York University.[4] Many of his wider family worked as public interest lawyers.[7]
Rowan studied at the University of Pennsylvania. When his father passed away and the family could not afford to pay tuition, the university allowed Rowan to complete his studies and pay whenever he was able.[4] Rowan graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.[8] He was first in his university class, graduating as valedictorian.[7]
In July 2020 Rowan took a "semi-sabbatical" from Apollo, but remained involved in strategy and on boards, until taking over as CEO in March 2021.[11][12][13] He intended to focus in areas including strategy and culture.[14]
As a result of the 2023 Palestine Writes conference held at University of Pennsylvania, Rowan attempted to organize a boycott of donors and signed a letter urging a response to alleged antisemitism at the festival.[25][26] Rowan advocated for the resignation of Liz Magill, due to reactions from the 2023 United States Congress hearing on antisemitism.[27][28] After the resignation, Rowan penned a letter suggesting various campus reforms. Some professors at the university called the suggested reforms "a hostile Republican takeover," that would negatively affect intellectual freedom on campus.[29]
In November 2024, following the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Rowan was interviewed for the U.S. Treasury Secretary nomination by President Trump.[32] Shares of Apollo fell on the announcement, according to Barrons, as Rowan owns 6% of outstanding Apollo stock and could be required to divest if nominated and confirmed.[33][34]
Personal life
Rowan is married to fashion designer Carolyn Pleva who he met on a blind date.[7][35][36][21] They live in New York City and have four children.[22][7][8] Rowan is a restaurateur who owns multiple eateries in The Hamptons.[37][38][39]
References
^U.S. Public Records Index, Vols. 1 & 2 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2010.
^Jewish Enrichment Center: Marc Rowan Guest Speaker May 19, 2009 - minute 57:40| "I go to the non-Israel part of the Middle East around six times a year..it is evident to all that I am Jewish...and my Palestinian friends all know that I am Jewish and a supporter of Israel"
^Jewish Enrichment Center: Marc Rowan Guest Speaker May 19, 2009 - minute 55:30 | "I worked directly for Dennis Levine, who went to jail...and then went to work for Marty Siegel who also went to jail...I then moved out to California to work for Mike Milken who also went to jail.. There are so many ethical dilemmas you are presented with over your career...the choices you make just determine who you are over time...I read these stories...the Morgan Stanley analysts who did this...did they not understand they are destroying their lives."
