20 Years at Apollo

Today marks my 20th anniversary at Apollo. It’s hard to believe how fast two decades have flown by and how fortunate I feel to work alongside the exceptional group of people here. As I reflect on my career, I want to recognize Marc, Jim, and Scott for their vision and the standard of excellence that has made Apollo a leader and innovator in the alternative asset industry.  For all of our growth over the last 20 years, I have never been more excited about the future than I am now.

To celebrate my “Apolloversary” I took a trip down memory lane to reflect on the journey and share some lessons learned along the way.

1)  Invest in people: Build and nurture relationships with the people you work with – both professionally and personally. You will find that investing in relationships pays off exponentially, and your network will become your biggest asset, helping you grow, learn and succeed throughout your career. My involvement with Apollo Women Empower (AWE) and Apollo’s Citizenship volunteer events have yielded some of the most rewarding moments of my career. 

2) Continue to evolve: Challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone and embrace the unfamiliar. From Associate to Partner, my role has changed a lot over the years. Along the way, I lived in London and have traveled around the world working on new investment opportunities and meeting with our investors. When in doubt, lean into the complexity and see the opportunity in change.

3) Think for the long term: Focus your time and energy on projects that will make a lasting impact. Taking a long-term perspective will help you make better decisions and better navigate the ups and downs over your career. With each investment, we focused on helping the company and its management team achieve their potential. That was true with Nalco, the first investment I worked on at Apollo, to companies such as Constellium and Presidio, to LifePoint and TD Synnex more recently.

Among the most memorable would be working on Apollo’s IPO in 2011 – it was an honor and a privilege to be involved in such a historic event. 

4) Remember to have some fun along the way: I’ve always tried to bring some fun to the work we do. It creates more space for creativity and experimentation, brings us closer together as a team, and is crucial for sustained high performance. Throughout the years, some of my Apollo colleagues have become my closest friends. 

The past 20 years would not have been the same if not for my partner, David Sambur. I’m proud of our accomplishments. Thanks for your friendship and I’m excited by what the future holds. 

Best,

Matt