BlackRock Appoints Louise Kooy-Henckel As EMEA Head

BlackRock, the investment behemoth, has hired Louise Kooy-Henckel as the new EMEA Head of Sustainable and Transition Solutions (STS). London-based Kooy-Henckel will oversee the firm's sustainable and transition investing in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region. She will be reporting to Helen Lees-Jones, Global Head of STS, as she assumes this important role at a time when demand for sustainable and transition investments continues to rise.

In an internal memo announcing her hiring, Lees-Jones and Stephen Cohen, BlackRock's Chief Product Officer, welcomed Kooy-Henckel to the firm. They pointed out her long track record of experience in sustainable and impact investing and said that her tenure will be key to deepening BlackRock's footprint in a market where sustainable finance is top of client agendas. They underlined that 100% of BlackRock's largest European client relationships are already on board to get to net zero, an indication of the growing significance of transition finance within institutional portfolios.

Kooy-Henckel comes with a rich background of experience at BlackRock, having worked before as Managing Director and Investment Director for Sustainable and Impact Investments in EMEA at Wellington Management. There, she oversaw the leadership of ESG research and integration, managing impact investing and climate strategies, and long-term engagement on sustainability topics. She was also in charge of managing portfolio positioning, performance, and risk exposure for Wellington's impact investment strategies. Before joining Wellington Management, she spent nearly two decades at JPMorgan Asset Management, where she led the Global Equities client portfolio management team.

Her appointment is timely for BlackRock, which has been building its emphasis on sustainable and transition investing. The company now has over 500 sustainable and transition-oriented investment strategies and has more than $1 trillion in assets under management that are focused on these themes. As regulators, investors, and companies increasingly put environmental and social governance (ESG) factors at the forefront, BlackRock has emerged as a leader in offering investment solutions that are aligned with long-term sustainability objectives.

In their memo, Lees-Jones and Cohen reconfirmed BlackRock's dedication to sustainable finance, citing that the STS team remains central to defining the firm's commercial strategy and product offerings. They emphasized the need to provide investment insights on pressing matters like energy transition, physical climate risks, and resilience. Kooy-Henckel's leadership will further augment BlackRock's expertise in these areas and assist clients in navigating the changing world of sustainable investing.

Her extensive experience in ESG integration and impact investing will be especially beneficial as institutional investors are increasingly under pressure to bring their portfolios in line with sustainability objectives. There is rising demand for investments that promote decarbonization, social justice, and corporate accountability, and financial institutions are expected to provide solutions that not only produce high financial returns but also lead to long-term environmental and social advancement.

BlackRock's hiring of Kooy-Henckel is part of the company's overall strategy to integrate sustainability within its investment structure. In the last couple of years, the asset manager has grown its portfolio in sectors including renewable energy, green bonds, and sustainable infrastructure. The company has also been proactively meeting with companies in order to foster increased transparency and accountability in ESG activities.

Kooy-Henckel's experience in both asset management and sustainability-oriented investing makes her an ideal candidate to spearhead BlackRock's initiatives in the EMEA region. Her job will be to work closely with clients, regulators, and internal stakeholders to create and execute investment solutions that support the firm's sustainability goals. As Europe remains at the forefront of sustainable finance policy and regulation, her experience will be instrumental in keeping BlackRock ahead of this changing market.

Through this appointment, BlackRock strengthens its commitment to assisting investors in making the move towards a low-carbon economy while producing competitive investment returns. As international interest in sustainable investing keeps growing, the company's leadership within the sector is bound to increase, further cementing its position as an important player in sustainable finance.