BlackRock index specialist departs to join LSEG’s FTSE Russell EMEA business

New head of equity index product for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) has spent the last 14 years at BlackRock in institutional and index equity focused roles.

BlackRock’s director of index equity strategies has left the asset manager after nearly 14 years to join LSEG’s FTSE Russell as its head of equity index product for EMEA.

According to an update on his social media, Norbert van Veldhuizen joined LSEG’s FTSE Russell this month after serving at BlackRock for almost 14 years, most recently as its director of index equity strategies for six years.

Prior to his most recent role, van Veldhuizen served across various institutional sales roles including director of institutional client service management and director of institutional sales at the asset management giant.

He began his career at independent wealth management firm, Van Lanschot Bankiers, where he served as an investment advisor for just over three years.

“I’m excited to join FTSE Russell, an LSEG Business, as head of equity index product, EMEA. I will be working within the Data and Analytics division of London Stock Exchange Group delivering data-driven insights, indices and products to clients,” he said in his social media update.

His appointment follows the departure of the former group head of investment solutions and chief executive of FTSE Russell, Waqas Samad, who left exchange in June earlier this year to pursue another opportunity after overseeing both investment solutions and the FTSE Russell business for the last two years.

Two senior executives, Lea Carty and Arne Staal, were appointed head of investment solutions, and group head of indices and benchmarks including FTSE Russell, respectively, in March to replace Samad ahead of his departure.

«