Giles takes on new duties at BlackRock

BlackRock Australia has announced that it is combining its local client business and iShares teams. The objective is to better serve clients and meet whole-of-portfolio needs.

Chantal Giles, formerly the head of wealth and banks, is taking on an expanded role as head of iShares Wealth (iSW) Australasia. In her new role, Giles will lead the team responsible for distribution of the organisation's alpha-seeking strategies, index, and iShares ETF offerings.

James Kingston will become the head of iShares Australasia and Christian Obrist, former head, will lead iShares distribution for Asia excluding Japan.

"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," said BlackRock head of client business for Australasia Jason Collins. "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."

Giles has been with BlackRock for more than 14 years in a variety of roles including VP of institutional sales and director of institutional relationship management. She started her career as a financial planner with Financial Wisdom, providing comprehensive financial planning solutions.