The former president and chief executive at Royal Bank of Canada is set to join the asset management giant in October.

BlackRock has elected Gordon Nixon, former president, chief executive and director of Royal Bank of Canada, to its board of directors.

Nixon, who retired from RBC in August 2014 (and was succeeded by Dave McKay), will join the board on October 6 as an independent director.

He started his career in 1979 when he joined Toronto-based Dominion Securities. In 1986 was promoted to run Dominion’s Japanese operations and when Dominion was acquired by RBC he then returned to Toronto.

In 1999 he was promoted to CEO of RBC Capital Markets – a position he held until his 2001 appointment as president and CEO of RBC.