BlackRock Appoints Arnaud Gihan Head of iShares Business for France

iShares is BlackRock’s exchange traded funds (ETF) business, and launched the first ETF in Europe in 2000. It is the largest ETF provider globally with $1.8tr in assets under management.

Arnaud Gihan joined BlackRock’s iShares business in October 2010, and is currently responsible for the distribution of index solution to asset managers in France. Prior to that he was responsible for delivering ETF market insights, execution services and product expertise to continental Europe. Before joining BlackRock, Arnaud was an Equity Derivative Trader at JP Morgan, and was in charge of the ETF market making activity. He is a graduate of Paris Dauphine University, where he is currently a lecturer.

In his new role, Benoit Sorel will be responsible for leading the development and implementation of the iShares product line for EMEA. He joined BlackRock to head the iShares business in France, Monaco, Belgium & Luxembourg in 2011, prior to which he worked on equity derivatives and structured solutions for institutional investors at Credit Agricole CIB and Bank of America.

« Investors are facing structural and cyclical challenges, and ETFs perfectly fit the ongoing need for efficient portfolio construction tools. My focus with the iShares French sales team remains on addressing the need and working closely with investors of all types to deliver the best solutions to meet their financial objectives » declares Arnaud Gihan.

Stephen Cohen, Head of iShares EMEA, added « ETFs are revolutionising investing. Eighteen years after we launched the first ETF in Europe, the attributes that attracted early adopters are valued by a growing set of investors and driving growth in the industry, catalyzed by MiFID II. Responding to this demand requires a talented and insightful team - Benoit has made great strides in establishing a strong business for us in France and we are confident that Arnaud will take it to even greater heights.»