There are plenty of PE types in town for an industry powwow and general partner AGMs this week, but the one Street Talk’s watching is Apollo Global Management.
Apollo co-president Jim Zelter, who runs its day-to-day operations, was out here thinking about whether the firm should increase its Australian presence by hiring a bigger team and sending more capital Down Under for deployment.
Apollo has covered Australia for years, mostly out of Asia, but has picked up a few deal makers for its Sydney office in the past year or two.
It would be big news if it stepped up efforts for Australian deals, adding another big buyout and investment shop to a crowded market.
For all its might offshore, it has long been underweight in Australia, dipping into the odd deal but without ever really trying to dominate the local deals scene.
