Bill Ford, Peggy Johnson and Mark Wilson join BlackRock’s Board of
Directors
Adds significant leadership and experience in international financial
services and technology
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK) has elected William E. Ford, Chief Executive
Officer of General Atlantic, Margaret L. “Peggy” Johnson, Executive Vice
President of Business Development at Microsoft Corporation and Mark
Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of Aviva plc, to the Company’s Board as
independent directors.
BlackRock takes a strategic approach to board composition and
refreshment, balancing deep institutional and industry knowledge with
fresh perspectives on key areas of future growth. The three new
directors’ global perspective and combined expertise in technology,
financial services and fast-growing markets, such as Asia-Pacific,
reflects BlackRock’s current and future priorities.
“We are delighted that Peggy, Bill and Mark have joined BlackRock’s
Board of Directors, and we are eager to benefit from their guidance and
advice,” said Chairman and CEO Laurence D. Fink. “Peggy’s insights on
technology and the innovation economy, Bill’s understanding of the
changing financial services landscape, particularly as it relates to
fintech and China, and Mark’s deep experience in financial services in
Europe and Asia-Pacific will be a tremendous benefit to BlackRock’s
management, clients and shareholders.”
One third of BlackRock’s directors have been newly elected over the past
five years. BlackRock considers diversity in gender, ethnicity, age,
career experience and geographic location, as well as intellectual
diversity in the design and orientation of its Board of Directors.
BlackRock has five female Directors.
Abdlatif Y. Al-Hamad and James Grosfeld are not standing for re-election
at BlackRock’s 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. They have served the
Board with distinction since 2009 and 1999, respectively. “Both Abdlatif
and Jimmy have been instrumental to BlackRock’s success, and I want to
sincerely thank them for their passion and dedication to BlackRock
during their tenures. Abdlatif has given the board and BlackRock
invaluable wisdom and guidance as we have grown in the Gulf region and
as a firm globally,” said Fink. “I have been learning from Jimmy for
close to 40 years, and his advice has helped guide BlackRock from the
very first day.”
Bill Ford
Mr. Ford is the Chief Executive Officer of General Atlantic, a position
he has held since 2007. He also serves as Chairman of General Atlantic's
Executive Committee and is a member of the firm’s Investment and
Portfolio Committees. Mr. Ford is actively involved with a number of
educational and not-for-profit organizations. He is a member of the
board of Rockefeller University, where he is Vice Chair, and serves on
the Board of Directors of the National Committee on United States-China
Relations, and is a member of The Council on Foreign Relations. He is
also a member of the Steering Committee for the CEO Action for Diversity
and Inclusion initiative. Mr. Ford has formerly served on the boards of
First Republic Bank, NYSE Euronext, E*Trade, Priceline and NYMEX
Holdings.
Peggy Johnson
Ms. Johnson has been an Executive Vice President of Business Development
at Microsoft Corporation since September 2014. She is responsible for
driving strategic business deals and partnerships across various
industries. Ms. Johnson joined Microsoft from Qualcomm Incorporated,
where she served in various leadership positions across engineering,
sales, marketing and business development. She most recently served as
Executive Vice President of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and President of
Global Market Development. Ms. Johnson is a Director of PATH and a
Trustee of The Paley Center for Media.
Mark Wilson
Mr. Wilson has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Aviva plc, a
multinational insurance company headquartered in the UK, since 2013.
Prior to joining Aviva, he worked in Asia for 14 years, including as
Chief Executive Officer of AIA Group Limited, a leading pan-Asian
company. Mr. Wilson is recognised for his leadership on sustainability
issues and is a member of the UN Business and Sustainable Development
Commission. In addition, he is a member of the Development Board of the
Royal Foundation for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and
Ms. Meghan Markle.
About BlackRock
BlackRock helps investors build better financial futures. As a fiduciary
to our clients, we provide the investment and technology solutions they
need when planning for their most important goals. As of December 31,
2017, the firm managed approximately $6.288 trillion in assets on behalf
of investors worldwide. For additional information on BlackRock, please
visit www.blackrock.com
| Twitter: @blackrock
| Blog: www.blackrockblog.com
| LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/blackrock.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180315006424/en/
BlackRock
Investor Relations
Tom Wojcik,
212-810-8127
Tom.Wojcik@BlackRock.com
or
Corporate
Communications
Ed Sweeney, 646-856-4968
Ed.Sweeney@BlackRock.com
Source: BlackRock, Inc.