Apollo hires Credit Suisse ex-secondaries co-head – exclusive

Credit Suisse’s former head of secondaries advisory for the Americas is joining Apollo Global Management, Secondaries Investor has learned.

Chris Areson, a 15-year veteran of the investment bank who was most recently a director in its private fund group, will join the New York-headquartered asset manager in the coming weeks, according to a farewell email seen by Secondaries Investor.

“I have truly enjoyed my time at CS and would like to thank all my current and former colleagues for their tutelage, mentorship and friendship,” Areson wrote. “I am extremely excited for what the future holds.”

Areson is joining Apollo as a managing director focusing on fundraising and will not be involved in secondaries, according to a source familiar with the matter. It is understood he is joining the firm’s private equity products team and that Apollo does not currently have plans to launch a secondaries business.

PE Hub reported in December that Areson was leaving the investment bank.

Areson became Americas head of secondaries at Credit Suisse in November 2017 after the departure of former global head Mark McDonald. Its New York team includes Sameer Shamsi, who joined as a director from Evercore in 2017, as Secondaries Investor reported.

London-based Jonathan Abecassis is the unit’s EMEA and Asia head.

Apollo ranked fourth in sister publication Private Equity International‘s PEI 300 last year, having raised $45.4 billion over the five years to April 2018.

Credit Suisse and Apollo declined to comment.