BlackRock hires Australian alternatives guru

BlackRock has hired Aussie alternatives guru George Maltezos to lead distribution in the region.

Replacing James Mellors, who has moved from Hong Kong to London as BlackRock's global real estate strategy lead, Maltezos has been hired as head of the fund's alternative specialists for the Asia Pacific.

"In this capacity, George will focus on scaling our relationships with clients in the alternatives space to deliver a best-in-class experience," said a BlackRock spokesperson.

"He will report to David Lomas, global head of BlackRock alternatives specialists, and Michael Dennis, head of alternatives strategy and capital markets for APAC."

Maltezos joins BlackRock's Singapore from Campbell Lutyens, an independent private markets advisory firm, where he served as head of institutional sales for the region with responsibility for Australia and New Zealand.

Before that, he was the founder and chief executive of Maltisian Capital, a Sydney-based boutique capital advisory firm.

Earlier, he spent more than seven years at Goldman Sachs, most recently as head of credit and alternatives for Australia and New Zealand.

Maltezos was also a director for Merrill Lynch and worked for Credit Suisse MLC and Schroders.

BlackRock Alternatives is a US$320 plus billion multi-alternatives business with over 1,300 people in more than 50 offices worldwide, with capabilities extending across credit, private equity, infrastructure, real estate and hedge funds.