Apollo Global Management, an asset management firm based in New York City, announced that it has hired State Treasurer Shawn T. Wooden as a partner and chief public pension strategist for the company’s institutional client and product solutions group.
Wooden will begin in the newly created role following his retirement as the 83rd state treasurer in January 2023.
Wooden, 52, a former pension lawyer with Day Pitney and former Hartford city councilman, told the CT Mirror in April that he decided to step away from politics with one son in college and another fast behind.
Wooden will continue to live in the Greater Hartford area after leaving his state office and will be based at Apollo’s Greenwich location, a spokeswoman said.
In his new job, Wooden will be responsible for “deepening Apollo’s relationships with public pension plans, expanding its product offerings to further meet the needs of pension plans and providing thought leadership in this rapidly evolving market,” the company said.
“At Apollo, we have built out an entire ecosystem around empowering retirees, and public pension funds have long been and will continue to be among our most valued partners,” said Scott Kleinman, co-president of Apollo. “We believe Shawn’s deep private and public sector experience along with his extensive relationship network will allow Apollo to offer tailored, aligned investment solutions to these leading institutions.”
Wooden spent 21 years as an investment attorney before being elected state treasurer in 2019. As state treasurer, he served as the sole trustee of the $45 billion Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds, administered a $26 billion debt management program and managed more than $250 billion in annual cash transactions.
He has also worked for the mayor of Hartford, state commissioner of social services and at the AFL-CIO’s Office of Investment in Washington, D.C.
Wooden is currently president of the National Association of State Treasurers.
Apollo describes itself as a “high-growth, global alternative asset manager.” As of Sept. 30, the company had about $523 billion in assets under management.
