Global X ETFs has appointed Chris Wolak as head of portfolio management, set to succeed Cliff Man, who will depart from the business after more than a decade with Global X and its predecessor business, ETF Securities.
Wolak, who will assume his new capacity in October, will oversee the company’s ETF product line-up across equities, fixed income, commodities, and digital assets, which represents over $7.6 billion in assets under management.
As head of portfolio management, Wolak will also lead a team of investment professionals, oversee the management of all Global X ETFs’ trading infrastructure, foster service provider relationships, and drive product development.
He brings more than 18 years of portfolio management experience to the role, joining from UBS Global Asset Management, where he led the index portfolio management team in Australia for over 12 years.
According to Global X, this saw Wolak spearhead the establishment of UBS’ APAC regional indexing capability, including building a portfolio management team, which resulted in over U$28 billion of client portfolio growth.
Young Kim, Mirae Asset’s Global Investments chief global officer, welcomed Wolak to the firm.
“Chris’ deep understanding of funds management and exceptional track record reflects Global X Australia’s commitment to our team, clients, and partners,” Kim said.
“We are excited to welcome him to our team and confident his ability will help drive forward our mission to provide better investment solutions for Australians.”
Commenting on his appointment, Wolak added: “I’m thrilled to be joining the team during a pivotal moment of innovation in the Australian ETF market. Global X has seen tremendous success over the past few years, and I look forward to leveraging my experience to help lead the next phase of the firm’s product suite and evolution.”
Earlier this month Global X Australia also announced that its chief executive, Evan Metcalf, intends to step down from the role following a decade with the firm.
At the time, it clarified that Metcalf will remain at Global X until the end of October while the business transitions his responsibility, confirming that it had commenced steps to appoint his replacement.
“We have reached many significant milestones during my time at Global X and I’m incredibly proud of everything we’ve accomplished,” Metcalf said at the time.
“I have the utmost confidence in the future of the firm, and I want to thank our team for their hard work and commitment to delivering innovative and client-led solutions for investors.”
Under his leadership, Global X has launched 19 new funds and increased assets under management by some $3 billion.
