James Belardi is Co-Founder and Chairman of Athene and has served as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer since May, 2009. Jim is responsible for overall strategic direction and the day-to-day management of Athene’s investment portfolio. He serves on the Firm's Leadership Team and on the Firm's Board of Directors. Jim is also Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ISG and a member of ISG’s Executive Committee. Prior to founding Athene and ISG, Jim was President of SunAmerica Life Insurance Company and was also Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of AIG Retirement Services, Inc., where he had responsibility for an invested-asset portfolio of $250 billion. Jim has a BA in Economics from Stanford University and a MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles, He currently serves on the board of directors of ISG, Paulist Productions, where he chairs the investment committee, and Southern California Aquatics. Jim swam in the 1976 and 1980 Olympic Swimming Trials and is a nine-time Masters Swimming World Record Holder.