Tony Ressler

Antony P. Ressler (born October 12, 1960) is an American businessman. He co-founded the private equity firms Apollo Global Management in 1990,^[1] and Ares Management in 1997.^[2] Ressler is also owner of the Atlanta Hawks basketball team, acquiring them in 2015. He is married to actress Jami Gertz. His net worth was estimated at $11.3 billion in 2024.^[3]

Tony Ressler
Born	(1960-10-12) October 12, 1960 (age 64) Washington D.C., U.S.
Education	Georgetown University (BSFS) Columbia University (MBA)
Occupation(s)	Investor, sports team owner
Known for	Co-founder of Apollo Management and Ares Management Owner of the Atlanta Hawks
Spouse	Jami Gertz ​ (m. 1989)​
Children	3
Relatives	Debra Black (sister) Leon Black (brother-in-law)

Biography

Ressler was born in Washington D.C. on October 12, 1960, to a Jewish family,^[4][5] one of five children of Dorothy and Ira Ressler.^[6] His father was an attorney and World War II veteran.^[6] Ressler earned a BSFS from Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service and an MBA from Columbia Business School.^[7] After graduating, he worked at Drexel Burnham Lambert, eventually reaching senior vice president in the high yield bond department with responsibility for the new issue/syndicate desk.^[7]

In 1990, on the heels of the collapse of Drexel Burnham Lambert, he co-founded the private equity firm Apollo Global Management with Leon Black, Drexel's managing director, head of the Mergers & Acquisitions Group, and co-head of the Corporate Finance Department; John Hannan, Drexel's former co-director of international finance; Craig Cogut, a lawyer who worked with Drexel's high-yield division in Los Angeles; Arthur Bilger, the former head of the Drexel's corporate finance department; and Marc Rowan, Josh Harris and Michael Gross, all of whom worked under Black in the mergers and acquisitions department.^{[8][9][10][11]} In 1997, he co-founded Ares Management with former Apollo Global Management co-worker John H. Kissick and Bennett Rosenthal, who joined the group from the global leveraged finance group at Merrill Lynch.^[12]

Ressler is a member of the executive committee of the board of directors of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; finance chair and member of the executive committee of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; a board member of Campbell Hall Episcopal School in Studio City, California; and one of the founding members of the board and finance chair of the Painted Turtle Camp, an organization that takes children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses on camping trips. Ressler is a supporter of military veterans through the work of The Greatest Generations Foundation.^[7]

Sports

In 2005, he belonged to an investment group led by Mark Attanasio that acquired Major League Baseball's Milwaukee Brewers.^[13]

In June 2015, he led a group that acquired the NBA's Atlanta Hawks basketball team for US$730 million.^[14] It was ultimately sold to him for $850 million.^[15][16] Minority investors included Grant Hill, Sara Blakely, Jesse Itzler, Steven Price, and Rick Schnall.^[17][18]

Personal life

On June 16, 1989, he married actress Jami Gertz.^[4][19][20] They live in Los Angeles,^[3] and have three sons. Gertz-Ressler High Academy, a member of Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, is named after the couple.^[21] They are members of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple.^[4]

Ressler's sister, Broadway producer Debra Ressler, is married to Apollo co-founder Leon Black.^[22] His brother, Richard Ressler, is a principal and founder of CIM Investment management.^[23]