Stake hires former BlackRock heavyweight

Stake has named former BlackRock managing director Jon Howie as chief commercial officer as the online trading platform pursues ambitious plans to turbocharge growth.

The new commercial chief, who previously served as head of index equity at BlackRock and of iShares Australia, has also held leadership positions at Macquarie Bank and VGI Partners.

Stake co-founder and chief executive Matt Leibowitz pointed to Howie's "outstanding" track record of driving better investor outcomes, combining in-depth knowledge of product leadership, with a talent for business strategy and the ability to motivate teams.

"Stake is already breaking barriers for investors via our ASX, Wall St and SMSF products, and with Jon on board, we are perfectly positioned to expand well into the future."

Leibowitz said the platform  - which has $2.5 billion of assets under administration - is growing its annual customer base by 120 per cent making it the country's third-largest investment platform.

Howie said Stake has pioneered making markets more accessible and is incredibly well-positioned to meet current and future customer needs. 
"As more people engage with their finances, there are incredible opportunities ahead, and I'm excited by what we can achieve."