BlackRock Asset Management Appoints Hiroyuki Shimizu as Head of Institutional Business for Asia-Pacific and President of Japan Corporation

by Hwang Yoonju

Published 22 Feb.2022 15:10(KST)

BlackRock Asset Management Appoints Hiroyuki Shimizu as Head of Institutional Business for Asia-Pacific and President of Japan Corporation

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoonju Hwang] BlackRock Asset Management announced on the 22nd that it has appointed Hiroyuki Shimizu as Head of Institutional Business for the Asia-Pacific region.

Following board approval, Shimizu will also serve as President of BlackRock Japan. He is expected to join BlackRock in the second quarter of this year.

Based in Hong Kong, Shimizu will oversee providing solutions across the entire institutional client portfolio. He will collaborate with country-level management, investment teams, and other business units to lead product offerings and client segmentation strategies for all institutional clients. Additionally, as President of BlackRock Japan, Shimizu will support Hiroyuki Arita, CEO and Representative Director of BlackRock Japan, and be responsible for local institutional client sales.

Until recently, Shimizu served as Global Co-Head of Private Credit and PE at Morgan Stanley Investment Management and was the head for Japan and Korea. Previously, he was CEO of KKR Capital Markets Japan, leading fundraising and capital raising activities. He worked at Goldman Sachs Japan for 15 years, handling product sales in the Special Situations Group, Credit, and Alternative Investments divisions, and later managed derivatives sales in the Financial Institutions Group.

Rachel Lord, Chair and Head of BlackRock Asia-Pacific, said, "Shimizu’s thorough understanding of local markets, strong track record in alternative investments, and extensive institutional client management experience will be of great benefit to our clients. We also expect him to contribute to achieving BlackRock’s growth objectives in the Asia-Pacific region."

Shimizu stated, "Asia-Pacific institutional clients have very diverse characteristics, and their investment objectives are becoming increasingly sophisticated, ranging from comprehensive portfolio solutions to alternative and sustainable investments. I will focus on understanding client needs and delivering BlackRock’s broad investment capabilities through tailored solutions."