BlackRock said it has appointed Mark Oliver as the head of its iShares exchange-traded funds (ETF) business in Australia, effective immediately.
Oliver was most recently BlackRock’s head of strategic partnerships and has over 22 years of financial services industry experience.
He joined BlackRock in 2008 and led the firm’s distribution efforts across the intermediary and institutional channels, and also oversaw the consultant and research house relationships.
Oliver will be based in Sydney and be responsible for setting iShares Australia’s business strategy and overseeing all distribution efforts.
He will report to both iShares Asia Pacific head Nick Good and BlackRock Australia chief executive Damien Frawley.
“Over the last three years, iShares has become the leading ETF provider in the local market through its continued focus on client service, high quality products and investor education,” Frawley said.
“We are fully committed to extending our leadership position in Australia and are confident that Mark will provide strong continuity for our current activities and effective leadership for the future.”
Oliver will lead the iShares Australia business as it enters its next growth phase with the launch of four new Australian equities ETFs, including the iShares S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries, iShares S&P/ASX 20, iShares S&P/ASX High Dividend and iShares MSCI Australia 200.
iShares Australia was formerly co-headed by Tim Bradbury and Adam Seccombe.
Bradbury left in late 2009 and became Barclays Capital’s head of investor solutions earlier this year.
Seccombe remains with the business as head of capital markets. iShares Australia director Tom Keenan and iShares Australia head of institutional sales Oliver Berry will remain in their positions, Frawley confirmed.
