Kelly Power

Key points

• Landmark expansion will give Australians access to integrated, whole of‑life retirement income and wealth management solutions – the most comprehensive offering of its kind in the market.
• Expanded partnership with Challenger with broader integration into CFS’s super and non-super ecosystem, including guaranteed and investment-linked pensions, as well as a complete range of annuities directly available on the FirstChoice and CFS Edge platforms.
• New alliance with Generation Life, powered by BlackRock’s global investment capabilities, to deliver investment-linked annuities, alongside tax-effective investment bonds.
• Introduction of innovative retirement income solutions (IRIS) capabilities on the FirstChoice and CFS Edge platforms, supported by new modelling and digital tools to help advisers deliver more tailored advice with greater efficiency.

Colonial First State (CFS) has announces the largest-ever expansion of its retirement offerings through a multi-partner alliance that will reshape how retirement solutions are delivered in Australia.

Developed with Challenger, Generation Life, and BlackRock, the partnerships move beyond product-led approaches to a whole-of-life retirement model that enables Australians to transition from accumulation to retirement with greater confidence, flexibility and income security.

Kelly Power, Chief Executive Officer of Colonial First State Superannuation, said, “CFS has built its reputation on being a leader in retirement, and this expansion reflects a material capital commitment to supporting Australians across their entire retirement journey by providing the most comprehensive whole-of-life offering in the market.”

“By bringing together best-in-class global investment capability, local market-leading lifetime income expertise and tax‑effective structures, this integrated offering is designed to meet the increasingly complex financial needs of Australians. It recognises that retirement is no longer a single event, but a long-term financial journey that requires different solutions over time,” added Ms Power.

A seamless retirement income experience for advisers

CFS will integrate innovative retirement income solutions (IRIS) and the full suite of annuity capabilities from Challenger directly across all CFS platforms. It will also integrate Generation Life’s investment-linked IRIS onto FirstChoice and investment bonds onto FirstChoice and CFS Edge, providing a tax-efficient alternative as Australia’s investment and retirement tax landscape continues to evolve.

The new whole-of-life offering will bring together a comprehensive range of retirement solutions in a single environment, making it easier for advisers to deliver whole‑of‑portfolio advice across wealth management, income and estate planning.

The adviser experience will also be supported by new integrated retirement modelling capabilities that draw on multiple data sources to enable more tailored retirement outcomes and greater efficiency via straight-through processing.

The rollout of new solutions begins from August with the introduction of the Retirement Income Optimiser on the FirstChoice platform, as well as a Pension Bonus feature for eligible CFS members. Further solutions will be introduced progressively over the next 12 months.

Greater choice and confidence for members

CFS’s expanded partnership with Australia’s largest annuity provider, Challenger, builds on a relationship of more than 30 years, with this next phase fully integrating Challenger’s complete product range – including newly launching IRIS guaranteed and market-linked pensions alongside fixed-term, lifetime income and aged care solutions.

The alliance with Generation Life brings together its retirement expertise with BlackRock’s global investment and retirement capabilities. CFS members will also benefit from BlackRock’s experience delivering LifePath Paycheck in the US – an integrated target date strategy which provides eligible participants the ability to purchase a guaranteed income stream for retirement payable by third-party insurers selected by BlackRock.Together, these alliances will provide CFS members with greater choice and flexibility in how they generate income and transfer wealth over time. Members will have access to lifetime income solutions combining fixed, CPI and investment-linked annuities, with account-based pensions, alongside flexible and tax-effective investment bond structures, and digital tools designed to support more confident decision-making across long-term and intergenerational planning.

Partner perspectives

Nick Hamilton, Managing Director and CEO, Challenger, said, “What’s powerful about this partnership with CFS is how naturally our organisations fit together. But the real significance goes beyond partnership mechanics. Australia has been very successful at helping people accumulate super, yet far less effective at helping them convert those balances into income they can actually depend on. CFS is embedding lifetime income at scale, and this collaboration tackles one of the hardest and least‑solved problems in the retirement system – how to turn savings into income for life.”

Jason Collins, Head of Australasia, BlackRock, said, “CFS has been a longstanding whole portfolio partner for BlackRock, and we are proud to continue supporting its MySuper LifeStage portfolios. Working alongside Generation Life, we look forward to contributing to the next phase of growth as CFS expands the retirement toolkit for advisers and members, and moves towards more integrated, end-to-end retirement solutions that help more Australians experience financial wellbeing.”

Felipe Araujo, CEO of Generation Life, said, “Generation Life is proud to be selected as a partner of choice by CFS to help co-develop next-generation wealth management and retirement solutions. Australia’s retirement system is entering a new phase, where advice delivery is keeping pace with the increasingly dynamic needs of Australian retirees. This alliance represents one of the first truly integrated retirement ecosystems of its kind in Australia, bringing together income, tax efficiency and intergenerational wealth planning in a more connected way to better support Australians through retirement and across generations”

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Grant Hackett

Generation Life, a market leader in tax-effective investing and a specialist retirement income subsidiary of Generation Development Group (ASX:GDG), has announced a strategic alliance with BlackRock.

By bringing together Generation Life and BlackRock’s local and global retirement investment expertise, the two firms are focused on setting a new standard for managing longevity and sequencing risk with investment solutions developed in Australia for Australian retirees. As part of its long-term commitment to the alliance, BlackRock will acquire a minority stake in Generation Development Group.

Grant Hackett OAM, Group CEO of Generation Development Group said, “BlackRock’s investment in Generation Development Group strengthens our shared commitment to reshaping retirement income through innovation, continuing to build market-leading solutions that deliver superior outcomes for retirees and superannuation funds, while creating long-term value for financial advisers and our shareholders.

“This strategic alliance validates our proven track record and builds on the strong momentum Generation Life has achieved in recent years as we continue to expand our capabilities and grow our presence in the financial advice and retirement income sector.”

Jason Collins, Head of BlackRock Australia, said, “BlackRock’s investment in Generation Development Group will ensure the best of our global retirement expertise and technology is delivered to the Australian marketplace through a proven local innovator.

“By combining Generation Life’s technical expertise and product structuring capabilities with BlackRock’s scale in technology and investment management, this strategic alliance enables BlackRock to contribute to the development of the retirement income sector in Australia at a time of increased client and policymaker focus.”

Australia’s retirement paradox: Wealthy but wary

The growing needs of Australian retirees, combined with the federal government’s focus on the Retirement Income Covenant, presents an urgent challenge. Many retirees remain hesitant to spend their savings due to the fear of outliving their capital, while financial advisers and super funds grapple with limited fit-for-purpose solutions.

Australia ranks fourth in the world for life expectancy^[1] and Australians over 50 now control 69%^[2] of the nation’s $4.2 trillion in superannuation assets^[3] —a figure projected to reach $9 trillion by 2040^[4]. There are currently over 4 million retirees, with that number expected to grow by 670,000 in the next five years^[5]. Australia is also one of the wealthiest nations globally[^[6], with the average total net wealth of a Baby Boomer household sitting at $2.31 million.^[7]  Yet despite this, around 84% of Australian retirement savings are in account-based pensions with minimal longevity protection^[8]. The result is under-spending in retirement and increased financial insecurity among older Australians.

A platform built for the future of retirement

Generation Life has a strong history in delivering flexible, innovative investment strategies and solutions for financial advisers and their clients, designed to support the evolving needs of Australian retirees. Its reinsurer arrangement and scalable administration infrastructure offer superannuation funds a turnkey platform to develop or enhance retirement offerings – without the burden of building complex in-house systems.

The strategic alliance marks a transformational step for Generation Life and a key milestone in Generation Development Group’s growth strategy, building on strong momentum following its acquisitions of Lonsec in 2024, and managed accounts group Evidentia earlier this year.

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Notes:
[1] Australian Bureau of Statistics – Life Expectancy 2021 to 2023
[2] Australian Prudential Regulation Authority – Quarterly Superannuation Industry Publication as at March 2024.
[3] Australian Prudential Regulation Authority – APRA releases superannuation statistics as at December 2024.
[4] Investment Magazine – Super assets hit $4 trillion as systemic risks loom.
[5] Actuaries Institute – Retirement Matters
[6] UBS Global Wealth Report 2024
[7] KMPG – The great wealth transfer begins as Gen X overtake Boomers for housing and shares
[8] APRA – Annual Superannuation Bulletin June 2022, Table 8.

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Jason Collins

BlackRock has announced the appointment of Jason Collins as Head of Australia. Jason will continue to report to Andrew Landman, who was appointed Deputy Head of APAC, Head of Southeast Asia and Oceania, and Head of APAC Wealth at BlackRock in January this year.

As Head of Australia, Jason will have oversight of all commercial and operational aspects of the Australian business. He will continue to serve as an executive director on the board of BlackRock Australia and BlackRock New Zealand.

Jason was previously Deputy Head of BlackRock Australasia. He joined BlackRock in 2013 and has held multiple senior roles including as Head of iShares and Index Investments for Australia and New Zealand and Head of Client Business, Australasia. Prior to that, Jason held leadership roles in Australia and Asia including at BT Financial Group and Deutsche Bank.

Andrew Landman, Deputy Head of APAC, Head of Southeast Asia and Oceania, Head of APAC Wealth, BlackRock, said, “Following his highly successful contribution to the firm in his previous leadership roles, I am delighted to see Jason take on a broader remit to lead the Australian business.

“BlackRock’s strong local team has enabled us to deliver consistency of leadership for our clients throughout Australia and New Zealand which supports them in achieving positive investment outcomes for their respective member and client base over the long term.”

Commenting on his appointment, Mr Collins said, “I am excited to take on the role of leading a diverse and experienced Australian team and leveraging BlackRock’s global scale and expertise to the benefit of our partner firms and end investors.

“BlackRock seeks to make a meaningful impact in the markets we operate in, and we remain committed to furthering the development of the local industry in our role as a fiduciary to clients.”

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Jason Collins

BlackRock Australia has announced the upcoming launch of two new core ETFs – the iShares Core FTSE Global Infrastructure (AUD Hedged) ETF (GLIN) and the iShares Core FTSE Global Property ex Australia (AUD Hedged) ETF (GLPR) – as part of iShares unwavering commitment to broaden its suite of low-cost building blocks for Australian advisers and investors.

The ETFs will be priced at 20 basis point (or 0.20%) – which is less than half the current management fee of similar ETFs in the Australian market.^[1] The ETFs will be available on the ASX later in May.^[2] 

iShares Core FTSE Global Infrastructure (AUD Hedged) ETF (GLIN), will be benchmarked to the FTSE Developed Core Infrastructure 50/50 AUD Hedged Index, offering Australian investors access to global infrastructure companies listed in developed markets. iShares Core FTSE Global Property ex Australia (AUD Hedged) ETF (GLPR) will be benchmarked to the FTSE EPRA Nareit Developed Ex Australia Rental AUD Hedged Index, offering Australian investors access to Global (ex-Australia) real estate investment trusts (REITs) and listed companies spanning office, commercial, retail, industrial and other sectors.

Jason Collins, Deputy Head of BlackRock and Head of iShares Australia, said, “Today’s announcement of our intent to introduce the lowest-cost Global Infrastructure and Global Real Estate ETFs in Australia underscores our commitment to deliver advisers and investors the most efficient suite of core building blocks in the market.”

“Australian institutional investors have long considered Global Infrastructure and Global Real Estate core assets for asset allocation purposes because they typically offer consistent income streams, inflation resilience, as well as potential long-term capital appreciation benefits.”

“BlackRock is pleased to be able to leverage our global scale, technology and portfolio construction insights to the Australian market, with the aim of further growing the ETP and advice market in Australia and democratising investing more broadly.”

Chantal Giles, Head of Wealth, BlackRock Australasia, said, “The addition of low-cost Global Property and Global Infrastructure ETFs further bolsters our local iShares Core ETF range, allowing allocators and advisers more room in their fee budget for higher cost alpha and alternative strategies or for more tactical and granular ETF exposures which may be appropriate in the current investment environment.

“BlackRock believes more Australians would benefit from access to financial advice, and today’s move by iShares further reduces the input cost in investing which we hope contributes to meaningful growth in the industry.”

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Notes:
[1] ASX Investment Products March 2023 – page 16 – https://www2.asx.com.au/issuers/investment-products/asx-funds-statistics
[2] Pending the ASIC fund exposure period

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Jason Collins

BlackRock Australia has announced it is reducing fees on two of its popular core iShares ETFs – iShares Core S&P / ASX200 ETF (IOZ) to 0.05% or 5bps and iShares Core Composite Bond ETF (IAF) to 0.10% or 10bps – as part of its commitment to share the benefits of its scale with investors. This is a reduction of 44 percent and 33 percent respectively, and will see iShares have the most cost-efficient ETF options in comparable asset classes in the Australian market.

iShares core ETFs serve as building blocks within a portfolio to reflect investors’ asset allocation views. Designed to be long-term portfolios holdings, they are efficient index exposures that enable advisers and investors to keep more of what they earn within their portfolios. The fee savings from indexing the core may be allocated to alpha-generating strategies like active or alternatives that can help investors reach their long-term financial goals sooner.

Jason Collins, Deputy Head of Australasia, BlackRock said, “As both the largest investment manager and the largest ETF issuer by assets in the world, BlackRock is committed to passing on scale benefits to Australian advisers and investors.

“As more Australian investors move beyond individual security selection to holistic portfolio construction, indexing core exposures can simplify how advisers and investors build their portfolios. The additional fee savings can also be used for broader tailoring – which may include other specific ETFs for diversification or tactical purposes, or bespoke active management or alternatives exposures.

“BlackRock has benefited from a 30 year-plus history in the Australian market and during that time has developed a diversified business with partner advice and institutional firms. To be able to deliver a meaningful fee reduction, particularly in a time of heightened inflation and volatile markets, is very pleasing.”

Chantal Giles, Head of Wealth, BlackRock Australasia, said “The best outcomes for building wealth are achieved over decades of steady long-term investing. iShares core ETFs play a critical role because they offer advisers a low-cost way to build well-diversified portfolios for their end clients.

“By reducing the fee of IOZ and IAF, we share the cost savings achieved through our scale with advisers to enable them to build better tailored portfolios to meet their clients’ individual needs. Ultimately, clients keep more of what they earn within their portfolios to help them reach their long-term financial goals sooner.”

Peter Loehnert, Asia-Pacific Head of iShares and Index Investments, BlackRock said, “Reflecting on our continued growth in the Asia-Pacific region, it’s gratifying to see the broad spectrum of Australian wealth clients use iShares ETFs as core portfolio building blocks and whole portfolio solutions.

“We continually work to offer increased affordability to all types of investors. Our decision to cut the fees on two Australian core iShares ETFs is another example of how we are consistently focused on finding ways to pass on the benefits of our scale to investors to support them in achieving their individual financial goals.”

iShares strives to make investing more affordable and accessible to a broader base of Australian investors to help them experience financial well-being.  In an inflationary and volatile year, iShares continues to focus on all aspects of affordability – lower fees, lower minimum investments, and fewer commission barriers – so investors can keep more of what they earn and have a better opportunity to achieve their long-term financial goals. Since 2015, iShares has helped investors save nearly USD$600 million globally.

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Jason Collins

BlackRock has launched the iShares Global Aggregate Bond ESG AUD Hedged ETF (AESG) specifically to serve as a core fixed income ESG portfolio building block for Australian investors. The addition of this fund increases BlackRock’s local suite of portfolio building blocks and assists Australian investors to embed sustainability considerations into their portfolios.

Priced competitively at 19 basis points (bps), the iShares Global Aggregate Bond ESG AUD Hedged ETF offers Australian investors a simple, low-cost way to access a globally diversified basket of over 21,000 fixed income securities including government, government-related, corporate, securitised, and green bonds. Benchmarked to the Bloomberg MSCI Global Aggregate Sustainable and Green Bond SRI AUD Hedged Index, the fund offers an improved sustainability profile while matching the currency, sector and maturity composition of the Bloomberg Global Aggregate Index.

The index takes a best-in-class selection approach by incorporating a broad range of ESG and business involvement screens as well as exclusions of issuers with an MSCI ESG rating lower than BBB. Additionally, exclusions to certain sovereign and government-related bonds are also applied based on the UN sanctions list. The index also aims to set an allocation of 10% of its market value to securities classified as green bonds to achieve a measurable environmental impact.

Jason Collins, Head of iShares and Index Investments, BlackRock Australasia, said, “We’re excited to offer Australian investors a sustainable global aggregate bond exposure via an ETF that is hedged to the Australian dollar and at the low fee of 19 basis points.

“By having the broadest range of fixed income ETFs listed on the ASX, clients have more options in how they decide to allocate fixed income exposures to put more precision into their portfolio.

“As we enter a more volatile macro regime with inflationary pressures expected to persist, investors are demanding higher returns for their fixed income allocations and are increasingly embedding ESG considerations to ensure long-term resilience in their portfolios.”

Chantal Giles, Head of Wealth, BlackRock Australasia, said, “We saw an opportunity to add to our fixed income ETF range by bringing an Australian dollar-hedged version of our established iShares Global Aggregate Bond ESG ETF.

“As the ESG alternative option to the Bloomberg Global Aggregate Index, AESG offers a diversified global fixed income investment grade-rated portfolio building block with improved sustainable characteristics.

“Clients are looking to embed ESG considerations into their fixed income sleeve in the same way they approach their equity exposures, and they are increasingly transitioning to index fixed income allocations to implement their sustainability preferences. ETFs are efficient tools in that sense as they offer the transparency, liquidity, diversification, and ease of access, giving clients the conviction to use those securities.”

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Jason Collins

iShares, in collaboration with NAB Private Wealth, has launched three iShares ETFs designed for Australian investors. The products offer a low-cost, well-diversified investment solution to help Australians achieve their long-term financial and sustainable investment goals.

Based on NAB’s client insights, there is strong demand from Australian investors for simple, low-cost, holistic investment options that they can use to build a globally diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds. Additionally, they would like to gain exposures to global megatrends like technological innovation and sustainability that are otherwise more complex or costly to access.

The addition of these funds seeks to meet investors’ evolving needs, complementing BlackRock’s local suite of investment solutions to give Australian investors more choice in how they meet their long-term wealth creation goals, while embedding sustainability considerations into their investment portfolios.

The new funds listing are the iShares Balanced ESG ETF (IBAL), the iShares High Growth ESG ETF (IGRO) and the iShares Future Tech Innovators ETF (ITEK).

The iShares Balanced ESG ETF (IBAL)and iShares High Growth ESG ETF (IGRO) seek to provide investors with a core exposure to a globally diversified, sustainable multi-asset portfolio based on balanced or growth risk considerations. Priced competitively at 22 basis points (bps), the multi-asset portfolios use iShares screened and sustainable building blocks where available and aim to hold targeted exposures to companies with favourable ESG characteristics relative to their sector peers within the broader market.

The BlackRock Multi-Asset Strategy and Solutions (MASS) team will set and review the long-term Strategic Asset Allocation (SAA) of these funds. The MASS team has managed multi-asset portfolios for Australian clients since 1992, with approximately A$50 billion in assets1across its diversified funds range, model portfolios, absolute return strategies, and custom mandates.

The iShares Future Tech Innovators ETF (ITEK) will be the first of its kind in the Australian ETF market. By drawing on the global iShares megatrend product range, ITEK is made up of an evenly weighted portfolio of six complementary iShares thematic ETFs. The fund seeks to offer investors a well-diversified exposure to global technological innovation trends including Electric Vehicles and Driving Technology, Healthcare, Robotics and Automation, Digitalisation, Clean Energy and Smart City Infrastructure.

Jason Collins, Head of iShares and Index Investments, BlackRock Australasia, said, “In partnership with NAB Private Wealth, we can build on our commitment of supporting more Australian investors on their investment journey with the introduction of three iShares ETFs -iShares Balanced ESG ETF (IBAL), iShares High Growth ESG ETF (IGRO) and iShares Future Tech Innovators ETF (ITEK) -that are specifically tailored to meet their long-term financial and sustainable investment goals.

“We believe these funds present a holistic offering for Australian investors at a compelling price point. Based on our shared experience with NAB Private Wealth, ESG considerations are a key priority for Australian investors as they seek to build resilience into their portfolios by gaining exposure to sustainability-related opportunities over the long term. Additionally, the rise of millennials and new self-directed investors have given rise to megatrend investing as they seek to take advantage of the transformative growth trends that will reshape how we live and work in the future.”

Chantal Giles, Head of Wealth, BlackRock Australasia said, “Our iShares suite, launched in partnership with NAB Private Wealth, presents an affordable, holistic investment option for investors looking to build a broadly diversified portfolio in one simple trade.

“Investors are increasingly looking to the convenience of ETFs to take the necessary steps to meet their long-term financial and sustainable investment goals in the context of their whole portfolio.

“The fact that anyone can access these opportunities, and the underlying transformative trends, via an ETF represents how far we’ve come in making investing simpler, efficient and more affordable for everyone.”

To coincide with the listing of the three iShares ETFs, nabtrade has launched its dedicated ETF Centre that is now available to Australian investors.

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Jason Collins

BlackRock Australasia has appointed Jason Collins as Head of iShares and Index Investments for the Australian and New Zealand region effective immediately.

This will form part of his broader responsibilities as Deputy Head of BlackRock Australasia, where Jason works across strategic initiatives and has high-level responsibility for enterprise relationships in the region. Jason is also a member of the BlackRock Australian board. 

Andrew Landman, Head of Australasia, BlackRock said, “With a near decade long track record in successfully building the local BlackRock franchise and over 20 years of investment industry experience, Jason has an in-depth understanding of the needs of all types of Australian investors from wealth advisers building model portfolios for their clients, to superannuation funds looking to build scale and access global insights.

“The focus of our local iShares franchise has always been to offer institutional-quality, cost-effective portfolio building blocks and key thematic exposures in response to our wealth and institutional client needs.  We have an unwavering commitment to our partners to help them deliver the best outcomes for their end-investor clients and members.

“As a champion of investor education, I’m delighted to see Jason lead the next phase of indexing growth in the region to help more Australian investors realise the benefits of our iShares and index investments business including convenience, affordability, transparency, and resilience.”

Peter Loehnert, Head of iShares and Index Investments, Asia Pacific, BlackRock said, “Australia is home to one of the most mature ETF markets in the world, we are delighted to have a seasoned, high-calibre individual like Jason take on the role to support our clients.

“In the Asia-Pacific region, our priority is to evolve the delivery of our iShares platform to better meet client needs. This includes using iShares ETFs for tactical asset allocation to core portfolio building blocks and whole portfolio solutions. Jason will accelerate our efforts in Australasia to democratise investing to help a broader base of investors achieve their long-term financial goals”.

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Tamara Haban-Beer

BlackRock Australia has announced the appointment of Tamara Haban-Beer Stats to the role of Whole Portfolio Solutions Director within client business as it expands its distribution team to meet the continued growth of its whole portfolio business.

Reporting to Chantal Giles, Head of iShares Wealth (iSW) Australasia, who leads the broader iShares and wealth distribution team, Tamara will provide senior support to BlackRock’s whole portfolio clients in Australia and New Zealand. As the designated whole portfolio solutions client specialist, Tamara will act as a thought leader on the important issues facing BlackRock’s diverse client base including embedding sustainability considerations in the portfolio construction process, risk management, trading and liquidity management, and the impact of regulatory changes.

With over 15 years of experience in investment banking and a track record of delivering derivative-based capital and risk management solutions, Tamara brings extensive technical capital market expertise and leadership experience. Most recently, Tamara was a senior team member within the Strategic Solutions Group at J.P. Morgan for over six years.

In addition, Liana Ortega, Vice President, recently joined the institutional client distribution team based in Melbourne where she will be responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with local sovereign wealth funds, government agencies and superannuation funds. Liana joins from J.P. Morgan’s London office, and brings over 10 years of experience in client services across multiple geographies.

In June, July, and September this year, Brooke Lacey, Vice President, Cameron Dennis, Vice President, and Jack Delaforce, Vice President, joined the wealth client distribution team based in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney respectively to support the distribution of BlackRock’s alpha-seeking strategies including multi-asset and active equities funds, and index and iShares ETF offerings to clients across the Australian wealth market.

Commenting on the appointments, Jason Collins, Head of Client Business, Australasia said: “We are delighted to welcome such a high-calibre of talent and experience to the firm.

“The appointment of Tamara as our dedicated senior whole portfolio solutions client specialist reflects the rapid growth of our whole portfolio business and our focus on our clients as we help guide them through the dynamics of the wealth management environment.

“Drawing on the scale and breadth of our global platform, BlackRock is uniquely positioned to partner closely with institutions to deliver a diverse range of investment styles – index, active, multi-asset and alternatives – to help achieve the individual goals of their end clients”.

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The combining of the two functions enables the newly unified client-facing team to adopt a holistic solution-based approach in its delivery of BlackRock’s diverse platform and global capabilities to clients. These efforts will be led by three long-tenured leaders within the Australian client-facing team.

Chantal Giles has been appointed to an expanded role of Head of iShares Wealth (iSW) Australasia, leading a broad team responsible for the distribution of BlackRock’s alpha-seeking strategies, index and iShares ETF offerings, as well as whole portfolio services to our wealth management, bank and platform clients in the region.

From July 1, James Kingston will take on the role of Head of iShares Australasia, in addition to his responsibility as Head of APAC Portfolio Analysis & Solutions (BPAS). James will continue to lead the APAC BPAS team to help clients build multi-asset outcome-focused solutions that match their desired long-term objectives, as well as drive the iShares strategy locally.

Christian Obrist who has held the role of Head of iShares Australasia for three successful years has been promoted to lead iShares Distribution Asia ex-Japan based in Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, Eleanor Menniti will assume the newly created role of Head of Client Product Strategy and Consultant Relations, leading the distribution strategy behind the design and delivery of BlackRock’s full set of product capabilities and solutions to the Australian wealth market, as well as managing a team responsible for key relationships with retail asset consultants and research houses.

Jason Collins, Head of Client Business Australasia, said: “As we evolve our business to reflect changing market dynamics and client needs, we are pleased to be able to promote from within and expand the roles of our senior leaders to deliver bespoke solutions to our clients.

“Our ability to work with clients across a range of investment types – index, active, multi-asset and alternatives – and deliver this via various structures, gives BlackRock a unique ability to partner with firms as they seek to curate and provide leading investment options to their end clients.

Rimmo Jolly, Head of iShares Asia Pacific, said: “It’s exciting to see clients across the region increasingly turning to BlackRock to be their partner of choice for iShares ETFs as portfolio building blocks and whole portfolio solutions.

“We are focused on evolving the delivery of our iShares platform to better meet client needs and look forward to engaging more deeply with clients in Australia.”

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