BlackRock unifies client business and iShares functions to meet client needs

The combining of the teams will see a number of new appointments and promotions to facilitate the move, including Chantal Giles as BlackRock’s head of iShares Wealth (iSW) Australasia who will head up the distribution of the company’s alpha-seeking strategies, index and iShares ETF offerings.

James Kingston – head of APAC portfolio analysis and Solutions (BPAS) – has been named as head of iShares Australasia and will lead the APAC BPAS team from 1 July, while Christian Obrist has been promoted to lead iShares distribution Asia ex-Japan and will be based in Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, Eleanor Menniti has been confirmed in the newly created role of head of client product strategy and consultant relations and will lead the distribution strategy behind the design and delivery of BlackRock’s full set of product capabilities and solutions.

“As we evolve our business to reflect changing market dynamics and client needs, we are pleased to be able to promote from within and expand the roles of our senior leaders to deliver bespoke solutions to our clients,” head of client business Australasia, Jason Collins, said.

“Our ability to work with clients across a range of investment types – index, active, multi-asset and alternatives – and deliver this via various structures, gives BlackRock a unique ability to partner with firms as they seek to curate and provide leading investment options to their end clients.”

Rimmo Jolly, head of iShares Asia Pacific, added: “It’s exciting to see clients across the region increasingly turning to BlackRock to be their partner of choice for iShares ETFs as portfolio building blocks and whole portfolio solutions.

“We are focused on evolving the delivery of our iShares platform to better meet client needs and look forward to engaging more deeply with clients in Australia.”    

Neil Griffiths

Neil is the Deputy Editor of the wealth titles, including ifa and InvestorDaily.

Neil is also the host of the ifa show podcast.