Last week, Ares CEO Michael Arougheti joined HSBC’s Head of Banking, Asia and Middle East, Corporate and Institutional Banking Jo Miyake and CEO of HSBC Private Bank Ida Liu at the HSBC Global Investment Summit in Hong Kong for discussions on private markets and their evolution in institutional and individual portfolios.
We are proud to celebrate Bryan Donohoe, Head of U.S. Debt in Ares Real Estate, for being named to Commercial Observer’s Power Finance 2026 list, recognizing the most influential players in the commercial real estate finance industry. Bryan was named for his role in driving the continued growth of Ares Real Estate’s lending platform in the U.S., which included the oversight of approximately $5.7 billion of loan commitments across 40 deals in 2025. Congratulations on this recognition, Bryan!
Thank you to the stakeholders who joined us at this year’s firmwide Annual General Meeting in Orlando, Florida. Ares’ scale, integrated platform and exceptional people continue to support our longstanding partnerships and drive performance across the business.
Over the last thirty years, Ares has grown into one of the world’s leading asset managers. Today, we create enduring value by leveraging our scale and global relationships to originate, underwrite and navigate challenges that allow us to perform better for our investors. Let’s advance together.
Last week, leaders from across Ares’ wealth platform attended the UBS President’s Council, an annual multi-day conference to discuss the latest trends, strategies and innovations in wealth management. At this year’s event, over 120 top UBS financial advisors were in attendance and Ares proudly sponsored CU Buffalo head coach Deion Sanders for a keynote conversation alongside Co-Head of U.S. Wealth Management Solutions Casey Galligan on the principles behind a successful team. Head of Private Wealth Partnerships Liz Jones, CFA also joined UBS’s Head of Business Development Daryl Dewbrey for a discussion on advancing private wealth platforms and deepening client impact.
We are thrilled to celebrate Ares’ 13th consecutive summer of volunteerism and our 2025 Summer of Service. This year, we mobilized employees across 32 global offices to make a meaningful difference in their local communities. Over the course of 65 volunteer events supporting food security, youth development, environmental restoration and employment, Ares’ involvement saved $106K in labor and development costs for our nonprofit partners, packed nearly 90K meals, mentored 500 kids and teens through skills-based trainings and more. We find that employees are inspired when making a difference where they live, work and play and we are proud of the philanthropic commitments the Ares community reinforces through this initiative.
Ares has been investing in sports for nearly two decades, supporting established leagues and fueling the growth of burgeoning new ones. We believe that success—in both sports and investing—is built on the power of relationships. Our new In Teamwork We Trust series underlines this belief and spotlights some of the powerful partnerships we’ve built with athletes, founders, dreamers and game-changers. #InTeamworkWeTrust
Mark Affolter, Co-Head of Sports, Media and Entertainment at Ares, and Casey Galligan, Co-Head of U.S. Ares Wealth Management Solutions, recently joined Gordon Whittaker, Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch, for a dynamic Fireside Chat at the Barron's Advisor Top 100 Conference. Together, they explored Ares’ early and strategic investments in Sports, the evolving landscape of Sports, Media and Entertainment and key areas of opportunity as the asset class continues to grow. Thank you to Barron’s Advisor for hosting such a thoughtful conversation and to Gordon for participating.
We’re honored to share that Ares has been named Private Credit Lender of the Year 2025 at the Mergermarket British Private Equity Awards! For over two decades, this event has celebrated the firms driving UK private equity forward through bold dealmaking, strong performance and a lasting and meaningful impact and we are proud to see Ares’ consistent, collaborative and scaled platform being recognized.
Jana Weiss Markowicz, Ares’ Chief Operating Officer for U.S. Direct Lending, and Jeff Taylor, CFA, Global Chief Operating Officer within Ares Wealth Management Solutions, led panel discussions at the Financial Times’ Future of Asset Management. Jana spoke on a panel about the future of private credit, exploring private credit’s performance and the sectors and geographies of interest in today’s market; Jeff spoke on a panel about convergence of asset and wealth management, discussing how private markets are accelerating the integration of the two, the role of retail capital and more.
