Peter A. Appel
Peter A. Appel is an entrepreneur and investor with a particular focus on the insurance and reinsurance industries. He is the founder and former Chairman and CEO of Aeolus Capital Management Ltd., a Bermuda-based investment fund which manages over $5 billion of capital on behalf of investors seeking to invest in the global property catastrophe reinsurance market. Since its inception, Aeolus Capital has been one of the world's best performing hedge funds according to Barron's. In 2017, Mr. Appel sold a controlling interest in Aeolus Capital to Elliott Management Corporation, an international hedge fund with over $30 billion of assets under management.
Mr. Appel was also the founder and former Chairman and CEO of Aeolus Re Ltd., a global property catastrophe reinsurance company, which became one of the most profitable mid to large size start-up reinsurance companies in the history of the reinsurance industry. Together, Aeolus Capital and Aeolus Re have deployed over $30 billion of capital in the worldwide reinsurance market.
Mr. Appel was previously a co-founder and former CEO and President of Arch Capital Group Ltd., one of the world’s foremost insurance and reinsurance companies. During his tenure as CEO, Arch Capital was transformed into a major participant in the global insurance and reinsurance marketplace, with the company’s market capitalization increasing from approximately $135 million to nearly $3 billion. Also under his leadership, Arch Capital's insurance and reinsurance businesses each became the fastest growing mid to large size company in the history of their respective industries. Today, Arch Capital has a market capitalization in excess of $12 billion.
Mr. Appel has also been a founding investor in a number of successful start-up insurance companies, and was the lead investor in the acquisition and recapitalization of Tri-City Brokerage LLC, where he oversaw the company's transformation into one of the nation’s leading independent wholesale insurance brokerage firms. Equity investors in the company realized a return in excess of one hundred times their investment when the company was sold one year after its acquisition. In addition, Mr. Appel is a lead investor in a number of early stage technology companies, has served as an angel investor in various ventures, and has an ownership interest in the Houston Astros.
Prior to his career as an entrepreneur, investor and business executive, Mr. Appel, a graduate of Harvard Law School, practiced corporate law with the New York City law firm of Willkie Farr & Gallagher, where he became one of the youngest partners in the firm’s history. Mr. Appel graduated summa cum laude with High Honors from Colgate University, receiving a dual degree in Economics and Political Science.