Rowan was appointed by U.S. President Donald Trump to two governing bodies to oversee the reconstruction process in the Gaza Strip aimed at putting an end to the Gaza War.
Early life and education
Rowan was born in 1962.[1] He was raised on Long Island, New York.[2] He moved with his family to Hollywood, Florida, where he attended high school, traveling between New York.[2] His father worked in auto-leasing.[2] His mother Barbara was a teacher and a trained concert pianist.[3] He has one sister, Andrea.[4] His grandfather, Emanuel Stein, was an economics professor at New York University.[2] Many of his wider family worked as public interest lawyers.[5] Rowan is Jewish.[6]
Rowan studied at the University of Pennsylvania. When his father died and the family could not afford to pay tuition, the university allowed Rowan to complete his studies and pay whenever he was able.[2] Rowan graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School.[7] He graduated as the class valedictorian.[5] In October 2018, he donated $50 million to the Wharton School, to fund leading academics and with a focus on the Penn Wharton Budget Model.[8][9]
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.[12][13][14]
Rowan was a backer of Charlie Javice, and one of the investors into her company Frank.[15] Javice was later sued by JPMorgan, to whom she had sold her business, and was ultimately convicted of fraud and conspiracy. Rowan was a witness for the defense during Javice's trial, and urged the judge to be lenient with her.[16][17] JPMorgan also brought a lawsuit against Rowan as an investor, which was resolved in April 2026.[18]
After the release of the Epstein files, Apollo, which had been "dogged by its ties to Epstein for years",[19] denied that Rowan had any personal or business relationship with financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.[20] However, the files showed that Rowan and Epstein had exchanged emails discussing corporate inversion in 2016, and that in the same year, Rowan appeared to have sent Epstein internal Apollo email correspondence.[19] In March 2025, Apollo shareholder filed a class-action lawsuit against the company as well as Black and Rowan, accusing them of having concealed business dealings with Epstein.[21][22]
As of 2026, Bloomberg estimated Rowan's net worth at $9.77 billion.[23]
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.[27][28] In December 2023, Rowan led a group of University of Pennsylvania donors in calling for the removal of university president Liz Magill and board of trustees chair Scott Bok, citing concerns about the university's response to antisemitism following the Hamas-led attack from Gaza on Israel in October 2023.[29][30][25][2] After the resignation, Rowan penned a letter suggesting various campus reforms. Some professors at the university criticized the suggested reforms, arguing they would negatively affect intellectual freedom on campus.[31]
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 Barron's, as Rowan owns 6% of outstanding Apollo stock and could be required to divest if nominated and confirmed.[33][34]
The release of the Epstein files revealed that Rowan remained in contact with Epstein between 2013 and 2016. According to The Daily Pennsylvanian, "the released documents reveal that Rowan, Harris, and Black met with Epstein on several occasions related to their work at Apollo."[37][38]
In January 2026, Rowan was appointed by president Trump to be part of the ″Gaza Peace Board″ entitled to oversee the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip during the peace process aimed at putting an end to the Gaza war.[39] In parallel with the work of the ″Gaza Peace Board″, the “Gaza Executive Board” (GEB) was set up, its appointed members included Nickolay Mladenov, Steve Witkoff, Tony Blair, Jared Kushner and Rowan. Rowan was also appointed to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza. The stated goals of both were to stabilize and rebuild the Palestinian territory in Gaza, where almost 70,000 Palestinians have been killed and an estimated 83% of structures destroyed since the October 2023.[40][41]
Personal life
Rowan is married to fashion designer Carolyn Pleva who he met on a blind date.[5][42][43][9] They live in New York City and have four children.[29][5][7] As of 2026, Forbes reported that the two were separated.[44] Rowan is also a restaurateur who owns multiple eateries in The Hamptons.[12][45][46]
↑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."
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