Pioneering Retirement-Ready Alternatives

Stephen Ulian, Managing Director - Defined Contribution & Retirement, is responsible for developing and executing Apollo’s Defined Contribution and Retirement strategy in collaboration with partners across our platform. Steve brings 30 years of retirement services expertise to Apollo and Athene after having served in executive management roles at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Fidelity Investments, and Deutsche Bank Scudder Investments.

Prior to joining the firm in 2023, he served as a Managing Director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, responsible for delivering integrated financial benefits and investment solutions to companies and organizations of all sizes. Prior to Bank of America Merrill Lynch, he served as Executive Vice President for Fidelity Investment’s Workplace Investing Group where his management responsibilities included sales, client relationship management, product management, strategy, and the delivery of integrated services. Before joining Fidelity Investments, Steve was managing director and head of Deutsche Bank Scudder Investment’s Retirement Services.

Adam Ponder is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Alta Trust, where he leads the firm’s vision for making private funds, CITs, and trust solutions more accessible to financial advisors and retirement plan providers. A serial entrepreneur, Adam previously co-founded, scaled, and exited both RIA and TPA firms, bringing deep experience in the advisor-led space.

Under Adam’s leadership, Alta Trust has launched turn-key private fund offerings for investment advisors and delivered innovative CIT structures — helping bridge public and private opportunities in retirement investing. He is also author of Private Funds for Investment Advisers, reinforcing his mission to help firms capture this opportunity without reinventing their business models.

Adam holds a Bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University. He lives in Colorado with his wife Nicole and their four children, where they enjoy hiking and exploring the outdoors.