Legends Live @Citi: Josh Harris
HIGHLIGHTS
- Citi hosted Josh Harris, 26North Founder and Co-Founder of Apollo Global Management and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, as part of the firm's ongoing global speaker series, Legends Live @Citi, connecting audiences with leaders from different industries
- He shared his strategic vision, contrasting the intense, data-driven world of finance with the community-centric, high-visibility stewardship required for successful sports ownership
- Future initiatives include major stadium developments, the continued growth of his alternatives asset manager 26North and expanding investments into the evolving landscape of women's professional sports
Citi hosted Josh Harris, 26North Founder and Co-Founder of Apollo Global Management and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, for another session of our global speaker series Legends Live @Citi.
Josh Harris’s influence goes far beyond finance—he’s a game-changer in sports as well, leading iconic franchises like the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils, and Crystal Palace Football Club.
During our Legends Live @Citi session, Josh shared powerful insights from his career, highlighting the importance of resilience, strategic investment, and community engagement. He spoke about his bold vision for Washington, D.C.—a transformative $4 billion private investment to build not just a stadium, but an entire surrounding community. This project is projected to generate billions in tax revenue, create thousands of jobs, and deliver comprehensive amenities including affordable housing, retail, hotels, and office spaces.
Josh also explored the evolution of leadership and the unifying power of sports in today’s world—reminding us that success isn’t just about winning games or deals, but about creating lasting impact.
Josh Harris, Investor, Leader in Business and Sports, Philanthropist
Josh Harris is an investor and business leader with over thirty years of experience. Over the course of his career, Josh has launched and scaled multiple platforms across alternatives, sports and philanthropy.
Josh is the Founder of 26North, a next-generation, multi-asset class alternatives platform that aims to generate compelling risk-adjusted returns, investing flexibly across asset classes and capital structures through a partnership-first approach, with an initial focus on private equity, credit and insurance solutions.
Prior to founding 26North, Josh co-founded Apollo Global Management (“Apollo”) and spent over thirty years building the firm into a leading global alternative investment manager and one of the largest alternative credit managers. Josh is responsible for some of the firm’s most successful private equity investments, including the LyondellBasel transaction, one of the most successful investments in private equity history, and the creation and growth of Athene.
Josh is also the Founder and Managing General Partner of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE), a leading sports and entertainment platform that includes marquee franchises the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Devils, among other premier assets. In connection with the HBSE portfolio, Josh is the Managing Partner of the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Devils. Josh is also the Managing Partner of the Washington Commanders.
Across his platform – including through his foundation, Harris Philanthropies, Josh is committed to using a blend of philanthropic giving and impact investment to improve outcomes for underserved groups in communities where he has a deep connection. Specifically, Josh is focused on supporting vulnerable youth through sports and educational programming, championing equity and sustainable wealth creation in diverse communities and enhancing health, wellness and educational outcomes. Josh and Marjorie Harris were recently named to the inaugural TIME100 Philanthropy 2025 list, a list of the 100 most influential people shaping the future of giving at a pivotal moment.
Josh holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was named a Baker Loeb Scholar, and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business with a B.S. in Economics. He currently serves on the Boards of Harvard Business School, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, the NFL, the NBA, and the NHL.
Leon Kalvaria, Global Chair of Banking, Citi
Leon Kalvaria is a member of the Client Organization Management Committee, and Citi’s Private Equity Investment Oversight Committee. Previously, Leon was Chairman of Citi’s Institutional Clients Group. Before that, he was Global Head of Consumer and Healthcare Investment Banking.
Leon joined Schroders in 1996 as Global Head of Consumer Banking, and Citigroup in 2000 following the merger of the two companies.
Prior to Schroders, Leon served as Vice Chairman and a Director of Triarc Companies, an investment company, and as Managing Director in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group at Credit Suisse First Boston. Leon was also a pioneer in the interest rate swap market at First Boston and a founding member of ISDA.
Leon has advised numerous Chief Executive Officers and Boards of Directors in some of the largest and most complex global mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations and public offerings.
Leon received his BA from Princeton University (Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs) and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and Heineken Family Council.
