Apollo Names Diego De Giorgi as Incoming Head of EMEA
Rhea-AI Summary
Apollo (NYSE: APO) named Diego De Giorgi as Partner and incoming Head of EMEA, effective Feb. 10, 2026. De Giorgi succeeds Rob Seminara, who will remain to support a transition before taking new global responsibilities later in 2026.
De Giorgi joins from Standard Chartered, has 30+ years of London banking experience, and will oversee Apollo's EMEA expansion across credit, equity, hybrid origination, wealth and retirement solutions. Apollo has approximately $155 billion AUM in EMEA and nearly 600 professionals in the region.
Positive
- Appoints an industry veteran with 30+ years of London experience
- Maintains leadership continuity with Rob Seminara supporting the transition
- Regional scale: $155 billion AUM and nearly 600 EMEA professionals
Negative
- Planned leadership change creates a transition period before Seminara’s new global role in 2026
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
APO gained 0.69% while key asset management peers moved more strongly, with BAM up 3.47%, BN up 2.97%, ARES up 3.3%, and KKR up 3.93%. AMP was slightly down 0.16%. With no peers in the momentum scanner and stronger moves in rivals, today’s modest uptick in APO looks more company-specific than a broad sector surge.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 04 | Conference appearance | Neutral | +4.7% | Announcement of Jim Zelter fireside chat at BofA financial conference. |
| Feb 02 | Conference appearance | Neutral | -1.0% | CFO Martin Kelly scheduled to speak at UBS Financial Services Conference. |
| Jan 29 | Financing transaction | Positive | +1.2% | Provided about €900M senior secured refinancing for pan‑European logistics portfolio. |
| Jan 26 | Financing support | Positive | -3.5% | Apollo-affiliated funds backing USA TODAY Co. acquisition financing via amended facility. |
| Jan 14 | Leadership change | Positive | +0.6% | Appointment of Michael Lahoud as CEO at Stream Data Centers after Apollo acquisition. |
Recent APO news events, including conferences, financing transactions and leadership changes at portfolio companies, have mostly seen price moves that align with the news tone, with only one notable divergence.
Over the last month, APO’s news flow has centered on capital deployment, capital markets activity, and visibility at major financial conferences. On Jan 29, it announced a senior secured refinancing of about €900 million for a pan‑European logistics portfolio, followed by multiple conference appearances in early February. Earlier, APO-backed Stream Data Centers reshaped its leadership team on Jan 14. Today’s appointment of a new Head of EMEA fits this pattern of emphasizing growth, deployment and organizational leadership in key regions.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement highlighted a senior leadership transition in a key region where Apollo manages about $155 billion of AUM with nearly 600 professionals. Bringing in an executive with over 30 years of London banking experience underscores the importance of EMEA to the firm’s strategy. Investors may track subsequent disclosures on regional fundraising, deployment levels, and organizational changes to gauge how this appointment translates into future business momentum.
Key Terms
aum financial
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
LONDON and NEW YORK, Feb. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Apollo (NYSE: APO) today announced that industry veteran Diego De Giorgi will join the firm as a Partner and Head of EMEA. De Giorgi will succeed longtime Apollo Partner Rob Seminara in the role, who will remain in the region to support a successful transition before assuming new, global responsibilities for Apollo later this year.
De Giorgi has spent more than 30 years in London serving in key leadership positions for large global banks. As Apollo’s Head of EMEA, De Giorgi will oversee a fast-growing region for the firm as it expands credit, equity and hybrid origination, as well as in wealth and retirement solutions. De Giorgi will work closely with Apollo’s senior investment leaders in Europe in addition to its global and regional management teams.
“Having invested in EMEA for more than 25 years, we have built an incredible foundation for continued growth in the region, where we think Apollo’s long-dated capital and capabilities are more relevant than ever before,” said Apollo President Jim Zelter. “We have known Diego for many years and believe he will be a terrific steward of business in this next phase, bringing significant industry experience and a European perspective. He starts in a position of strength, succeeding Rob who has overseen strong AUM growth, the formation of new businesses and a continued expansion in local markets during his tenure in Europe.”
“I have long viewed Apollo as one of the most innovative firms in financial services, and this is an especially meaningful time for me to be a part of its growth journey as European companies, economies and investors demand the types of long-term solutions Apollo brings to bear,” said De Giorgi. “I am excited to leverage the breadth of my experience in working with clients, regulators, banking partners and the broader financial services sector to lead Apollo’s EMEA business in this next phase alongside an impressive group of colleagues.”
Apollo Partner Rob Seminara said, “It has been a privilege to lead Apollo’s business here in Europe in a period defined by significant transformation as we’ve grown our team, capabilities and AUM to establish a leading position in the region. Diego is exceptionally well placed to take the reins, and I look forward to partnering with him on this transition as Apollo enters another exciting chapter.”
De Giorgi joins Apollo from Standard Chartered PLC, where he served as its Group Chief Financial Officer since January 2024. Previously, De Giorgi spent more than six years with Bank of America Merrill Lynch, including as Global Head of Investment Banking and as Co-Head of Corporate and Investment Banking, EMEA. Before that, he spent more than 18 years with Goldman Sachs, where he was a Partner and held a series of leadership roles of escalating responsibility within its investment bank. De Giorgi is a graduate in Economics and Business Administration from Università Bocconi and earned a CEMS Master’s degree in International Management from the London School of Economics (LSE). He serves on the Board of Trustees of the MIB Trieste School of Management.
Apollo has approximately
Apollo established its EMEA headquarters in London more than two decades ago and has a growing office footprint across the region, where the firm is also expanding its institutional capital formation, global wealth, and retirement solutions businesses.
About Apollo
Apollo is a high-growth, global alternative asset manager. In our asset management business, we seek to provide our clients excess return at every point along the risk-reward spectrum from investment grade credit to private equity. For more than three decades, our investing expertise across our fully integrated platform has served the financial return needs of our clients and provided businesses with innovative capital solutions for growth. Through Athene, our retirement services business, we specialize in helping clients achieve financial security by providing a suite of retirement savings products and acting as a solutions provider to institutions. Our patient, creative, and knowledgeable approach to investing aligns our clients, businesses we invest in, our employees, and the communities we impact, to expand opportunity and achieve positive outcomes. As of December 31, 2025, Apollo had approximately
Contacts
Noah Gunn
Global Head of Investor Relations
+1 (212) 822-0540
IR@apollo.com
Joanna Rose
Global Head of Corporate Communications
+1 (212) 822-0491
Communications@apollo.com / EuropeanMedia@apollo.com