Michael Gross has been the company's Chief Executive Officer and President since 2007, Co-Chief Executive Officer since 2019, and has over 30 years of experience in the private equity, distressed debt, and mezzanine lending businesses.

Between 2004 and 2006, Mr. Gross was President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Apollo Investment Corporation, a publicly traded business development company that he founded. In addition, Mr. Gross is a founder and former senior partner of Apollo Management, L.P., a leading private equity firm. During his tenure at Apollo Management, L.P., from 1990 to 2006, Mr. Gross was a member of the investment committee that was responsible for more than $13 billion invested in over 150 companies in the United States and Western Europe.

Mr. Gross had primary responsibility for Apollo Management, L.P.'s debt-oriented activities and was the managing partner of Apollo Distressed Investment Fund, L.P., which he formed in 2003 to invest principally in debt and other securities of leveraged companies. From 1987 to 1990, Mr. Gross worked in mergers and acquisitions at Drexel Burnham Lambert.

Mr. Gross earned a B.B.A. in Accounting from the University of Michigan and an M.M. from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.