James Belardi is the founder of Athene. He previously served as CEO of Athene from 2009 to 2025, growing the company from a startup.
James Belardi is the co-founder, executive chairman, and CIO of Athene, a leading retirement services company with nearly $400 billion in total assets and annual earnings exceeding $3 billion. He previously served as CEO of Athene from 2009 to 2025, growing the company from a startup. Prior to founding Athene, he was President of SunAmerica Life Insurance Company and EVP & CIO of AIG Retirement Services, where he managed a $250 billion invested-asset portfolio.
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