Alternative investment manager Apollo Global Management announced the leadership team for its new impact investing platform, Apollo Impact. The new platform will focus on four key areas, including: Economic Opportunity; Education; Health, Safety & Wellness; Industry 4.0; and Resource Sustainability.

The new appointments include Apollo veteran Marc Becker as Co-lead of Impact alongside newly hired Joanna Reiss. Lisa Hall, who joined the firm in June 2020, has been named Impact Chair. Additionally, Justin Stevens, a Senior Partner at Apollo, will serve as COO of the platform, focused on growth and development. According to the firm, the platform will have a dedicated team of Apollo veterans as well as new hires, guided by a collective interest in establishing Apollo as a leader in private equity impact investing.

Apollo Co-President Scott Kleinman said:

“At Apollo, we have long understood the financial and societal benefits of implementing ESG factors into our investment strategy and portfolio company reporting processes, and we’re pleased to now build a platform focused squarely on investing in assets designed to positively impact the world. In addition to building on our institutional knowledge, we welcome Lisa and Joanna as part of the leadership group who, alongside Marc, will develop, oversee and implement the platform. As our Impact Chair, Lisa brings a quarter-century of experience focused on social impact, innovation and investment in a career that’s spanned asset management, academia and policy work. Joanna will work closely with Marc, bringing her ESG and mid-market private-equity investing experience to build a leading Impact platform.”

Marc Becker has been with Apollo for over 24 years, and has previously overseen the firm’s private equity efforts in the business services, transportation & logistics, financial services, payments, real estate services, homebuilders, and building products industry verticals. Becker started his career as an Analyst in the investment banking division of Smith Barney. He currently sits on the investment committee for Apollo’s private equity division, chairs the investment committee for Apollo’s US and Asia real estate private equity division, and serves as Chair of the board of ADT Corporation. Becker also holds leadership positions at nonprofit organizations and Chairs the board of The TEAK Fellowship and Park Avenue Synagogue, and is a member of the University of Pennsylvania’s undergraduate financial aid leadership council.

Becker said:

“After nearly 25 years with Apollo, having helped the Firm emerge as a leader in the private equity sector, I am excited to help spearhead Apollo’s effort to do the same in the Impact industry. Our LPs care about the effects of their investments and we look forward to helping build this new platform that seeks to improve societal issues and maximize positive impact.”

Joanna Reiss joins Apollo from private equity firm Cornell Capital, where she was a founding partner since 2013, and launched and led the firm’s ESG program, which included policy development and implementation across investment diligence and ownership. At Cornell Capital, Reiss invested across the industrial, financial and consumer sectors and served as a member of the investment committee. Before joining Cornell Capital, she worked in the Investment Banking and Merchant Banking divisions of Goldman Sachs, and at Merchants’ Gate Capital. She has also served as a member of the boards of Monolith Materials and Corelle Brands.

Reiss said:

“Impact investing will be an important growth engine for the economy, and Apollo’s decades of experience in acquiring and managing businesses is an unparalleled platform from which to make impact-oriented investments, help these businesses to grow and ultimately drive measurable impact with strong financial returns. I am honored to join Marc, Lisa and the entire team at Apollo on this mission.”

Lisa Hall joined Apollo in June. In her new role, she will chair the Advisory Committee for impact investing and partner with the investment team on impact management, strategy and oversight of the platform. Prior to joining Apollo, Hall was a Fellow and Fair Finance Lead at Georgetown University’s Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation, where she led a research initiative focused on creating a more inclusive economy. Hall has also served as a Managing Director at Anthos Fund & Asset Management, where she launched and oversaw the firm’s impact investing portfolio and was President and CEO of Calvert Impact Capital. She covered economic and community development policy issues as a Senior Policy Advisor for the National Economic Council and has diverse civic leadership and non-profit board experience, including current positions on the boards of Community Development Trust and Habitat for Humanity International.

Hall said:

“I am thrilled to join Apollo given the opportunity to leverage the firm’s scale, private equity expertise, and expansive network in forming its new Impact platform. Apollo has the power, ingenuity and imagination to allocate to businesses that have the potential to make an incredible impact on our society, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to position our efforts for success.”

Justin Stevens joined Apollo in 2003, and is currently a Senior Partner in the Private Equity group. In his time at Apollo, Stevens has covered a variety of sectors, including diversified industrials, government services, specialty finance, and shipping, and has also focused on a number of intrapreneurial efforts at Apollo, including the formation of Apollo Residential Mortgage, Inc., the formation and growth of Apollo’s Technology Transformation Group, and assisting with the build out of Apollo’s social media efforts. Stevens currently serves as a director on the board of Tegra, and has previously served on the board of directors of Apollo Residential Mortgage Inc., Vectra, Taminco Corporation, Countrywide, and Veritable Maritime.