BlackRock Continues To Build Asian Presence

Chrissy Coleman

18 December 2012

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.