BlackRock has announced Hiroyuki Shimizu will join the firm as head of institutional for Asia-Pacific in the second quarter of 2022.
Mr Shimizu will join from Morgan Stanley Investment Management, where he most recently served as global co-head of private credit and equity distribution, head of Japan and Korea, and as president and representative director of Japan.
In his new role, Mr Shimizu will be tasked with bringing a full range of solutions to the portfolios of BlackRock’s institutional clients and will oversee product and client distribution across all of the firm’s institutional investors in partnership with its country leadership, investment and business teams.
“We have seen robust asset growth across many of the fast-growing markets in this diverse region, plus rising demand from institutions for increasingly sophisticated whole portfolio solutions that will help them address their risks and opportunities,” said BlackRock chair and head of Asia-Pacific Rachel Lord.
“Hiroyuki brings with him a wealth of institutional client management experience, along with a thorough understanding of local markets and strong track record in the alternatives space. This will greatly benefit our clients, while helping us realise our own growth ambitions in APAC.”
Mr Shimizu will also assume the role of president of BlackRock Japan subject to local board approval, where he will support CEO, representative director, and head of Japan Hiroyuki Arita in serving the firm’s Japan client business.
Prior to Morgan Stanley, Mr Shimizu spent 15 years at Goldman Sachs and served as CEO of KKR Capital Markets Japan.
“Institutional clients across Asia-Pacific have increasingly sophisticated investment goals – including whole portfolio solutions and alternatives through to sustainable investing,” said Mr Shimizu.
“I am very excited to be joining BlackRock and look forward to partnering with the team, with an immense focus on understanding client needs and delivering the firm’s broad spectrum of investment capabilities through tailored solutions.”
