BlackRock, the US investment management giant, has filled its
newly created role of director and head of retail distribution in Hong Kong as
part of a drive to expand its Asia business.

Julia Lee joins BlackRock as it
develops an integrated Asian retail team to lead investors and distributors
through the changing investment landscape, the firm said in a statement
yesterday.

Reporting to Heather Pelant,
head of retail and private bank distribution for Hong Kong,
Singapore and Southeast
Asia, Lee will be responsible for growing BlackRock’s Hong Kong retail distribution business, encompassing both
mutual funds and ETFs, it said.

Lee joins from ING Investment
Management where she worked as head of wholesale and business development in Hong Kong.

The appointment follows the
integration of the iShares and BlackRock Asia retail sales teams, providing
support to the continuing growth of both the iShares and BlackRock retail
platforms.

“Investors are looking for
broader diversification and demanding more flexibility in the products they
use. Our approach is a holistic retail distribution model which provides access
to index and active strategies to help investors create asset allocations
solutions that meet their individual needs. Julia’s 15 years’ industry
experience and track record gives me confidence we can improve the financial
future of retail investors in Hong Kong,”
Pelant said.

At the end of September this
year, BlackRock’s assets under management were valued at $3.673 trillion.