David Abrams

David Abrams is a seasoned executive with 30 years of distressed debt investing, investment banking, restructuring and sales and trading experience. In addition to his career in the financial services industry, David is an owner, operator and investor in several professional sports franchises and sports technology companies.

Mr. Abrams is currently the Chief Investment Officer for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE), which owns the Philadelphia 76ers, the New Jersey Devils and the Prudential Center arena in Newark, NJ. David manages HBSE’s investment platform consisting of three investment verticals: sports technology, growth equity and real estate. Prior to joining HBSE, Mr. Abrams was a Partner focusing on global corporate credit and distressed debt at Cerberus Capital.  From 2007 through 2014, he was the Founder and Managing Partner of the Apollo European Principal Finance Funds (EPF) franchise at Apollo Global Management (NYSE: APO), where he was responsible for raising and investing the $6 billion of assets under management with a primary focus on acquiring distressed debt, real estate and non-performing loans. Under David’s leadership, the Apollo EPF franchise invested more than $8 billion in individual assets and loan portfolios of corporate, real estate, and unsecured loans with collateral in more than 15 countries. From 1995 through 2007, Mr. Abrams was a Managing Director in the Leveraged Finance Group of Credit Suisse, based in London and New York. From 2004 through 2007, he founded and was the Head of the Credit Suisse Specialty Finance Investment business which invested in non-performing loan portfolios and distressed assets. From 1995 through 2004, Mr. Abrams was a founding member and Co-Head of the Global Distressed Sales and Trading Group at Credit Suisse (and its predecessor Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette, Inc.).  David began his career in 1989 in the Investment Banking Division of Bear, Stearns & Co. and subsequently as a Vice President at The Argosy Group, a boutique corporate restructuring and merchant banking firm (acquired by Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce). While at Argosy, David actively participated as an advisor in some of the largest corporate and real estate restructurings and bankruptcies during the Savings and Loan crisis and High-Yield market collapse of the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. David has significant public company Board experience and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Norwegian Cruise Lines (the 3rd largest operator of cruise ships in the world), the Advisory Board of the Mount Sinai Hospital Surgical Department, and Chair of New Meta Entertainment, an e-sports organization which owns Team Dignitas and has a diversified media, content and investment platform.