BlackRock Names New Asia-Pacific Head

Tom Burroughes

10 February 2021

BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, has appointed Rachel Lord to lead its Asia-Pacific business. She is taking over from Geraldine Buckingham, who will remain at the firm as a senior advisor.

Lord, who will be based in Hong Kong and serve as chair and head of BlackRock Asia-Pacific, will start on 1 May, subject to regulatory approval. Lord most recently headed BlackRock’s business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Her APAC experience began with ANZ Investment Bank in London, helping clients in Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan to access international financing for industrial growth. Lord then moved to Hong Kong where she built a number of Asian equities businesses for Morgan Stanley. She later joined Citigroup where she led the growth of global strategic equity solutions, overseeing its launch in Asia in 2010.

“The appointment of one of the firm’s strongest leaders to head up our APAC business underscores our commitment to this fast-growing region as a top strategic priority for BlackRock. Rachel has piloted growth in assets and revenue in a complex EMEA region undergoing economic and regulatory shifts, while taking BlackRock deeper into local markets. I am excited to see Rachel’s experience and expertise and her track record in Asia paired with the strong regional leadership already in place to advance our business,” Mark Wiedman, BlackRock’s head of international business and corporate strategy, said.

Lord was named BlackRock’s head of EMEA in 2017; and is a member of the firm’s global executive committee. She chairs the EMEA executive committee and serves as global executive sponsor of the Women's Initiative Network .