State Street Global Advisors Announces Lynn Blake Will Retire Following Distinguished and Impactful Career
State Street Global Advisors announced the retirement of Lynn Blake, Chief Investment Officer of Global Equity Beta Solutions, effective September 30, 2021, after over 30 years with the firm. John Tucker will succeed her, having extensive experience in senior roles since joining in 1990. Additionally, Karen Wong is appointed as Global Head of ESG and Sustainable Investing, effective June 14, 2021. Under Blake, the GEBS business managed over $2.3 trillion in assets as of March 31, 2021. The firm aims to strengthen its ESG capabilities with Wong's leadership.
- John Tucker is well-positioned to lead GEBS with a strong grasp of its processes and people.
- Karen Wong's appointment aims to enhance ESG and sustainable investing functions.
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State Street Global Advisors, the asset management business of State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT), today announced that Lynn Blake, Chief Investment Officer, Global Equity Beta Solutions (GEBS) will be retiring on September 30, 2021, after a distinguished career with State Street spanning over three decades. John Tucker will be promoted to the role upon Blake’s retirement. Tucker began his career at State Street Global Advisors in 1990 and has held a number of senior roles within GEBS over the past 20 years. Since 2017, he has served as Chief Operating Officer of Investments, where he worked across all the investment teams, including the GEBS team, to drive enterprise-wide projects and manage key capabilities supporting the investment organization. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Lynn Blake (Photo: Business Wire)
The firm also today announced the appointment of Karen Wong, who will join State Street Global Advisors on June 14, 2021 in the newly created role of Global Head of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and Sustainable Investing. Wong most recently was Managing Director and Head of Index Portfolio Management for Mellon Investments Corporation. Wong was instrumental in Mellon’s ESG efforts going back to 2014, and she formally took on the additional role of ESG Champion in 2020. She has held a number of roles with Mellon since 2000. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst and is fluent in both English and Chinese.
Blake, who joined State Street in 1987 and took on her current role in 2011, was instrumental in creating, developing and managing many of the world’s earliest index funds. Under Blake’s leadership, the GEBS business has grown to be an industry leader, managing over 1,400 portfolios and ETFs with assets in excess of
The portfolio management, model creation and research efforts, and the Company Stock Group will be taken over by Tucker, with the support of the long-tenured leadership team within GEBS. In addition to her primary GEBS responsibilities, Blake has been a key player in growing State Street Global Advisors’ ESG and asset stewardship capabilities. These areas will report to Wong in her new role. Under Wong’s leadership, State Street Global Advisors will bring together the distinct functions across the firm that support ESG, including ESG investment strategy, ESG integration, and asset stewardship.
“I thank Lynn for her tremendous leadership and contributions over the years, and wish her every happiness in her retirement,” said Cyrus Taraporevala, President and Chief Executive Officer of State Street Global Advisors. “We are fortunate to have John Tucker, who has built his career with State Street, so well-positioned to take the reins. We are also pleased to welcome Karen Wong, who will do a tremendous job bringing together and expanding the market-leading ESG capabilities we’ve built over the years.”
“As we say farewell to our valued colleague Lynn, we feel confident that we have two exceptional leaders to take forward the great work Lynn has done, both in GEBS overall, and with our ESG and stewardship programs,” said Lori Heinel, Global Chief Investment Officer of State Street Global Advisors. “John has a strong grasp on the processes and people of GEBS, including risk management, trading, and execution. And I am excited to have Karen join us to lead a newly integrated ESG function, bringing together asset stewardship, ESG integration, and ESG investment strategy.”
Blake was instrumental to the 2017 launch of the Fearless Girl campaign, which drove a global focus on the value of gender diversity in the boardroom, and to the 2016 creation of the SPDR SSGA Gender Diversity Index ETF (SHE). Melissa Kapitulik, Senior Portfolio Manager, GEBS and Amy Cheng, Senior Portfolio Manager, GEBS have been co-Portfolio Managers of SPDR SSGA Gender Diversity Index ETF (SHE) along with Lynn Blake since the fund’s inception. Kapitulik and Cheng will continue to co-manage that fund and will absorb Blake’s portfolio management responsibilities.
“As I reflect on my time at State Street over the last three decades, I have been so fortunate to work with many extraordinarily talented women and men who were impactful in my career and in our success in index investing,” added Blake. “I embark on the next chapter knowing I leave behind one of the best teams in the industry, and so many colleagues who will remain lifelong friends.”
Blake will partner closely with Tucker, Wong, Kapitulik and Cheng over the next few months to ensure a smooth transition. John’s COO responsibilities, including Trading and Investment Oversight, will continue to report to him during the transition period. Tucker and Wong will both report to Heinel.
About State Street Global Advisors
For four decades, State Street Global Advisors has served the world’s governments, institutions and financial advisors. With a rigorous, risk-aware approach built on research, analysis and market-tested experience, we build from a breadth of active and index strategies to create cost-effective solutions. As stewards, we help portfolio companies see that what is fair for people and sustainable for the planet can deliver long-term performance. And, as pioneers in index, ETF, and ESG investing, we are always inventing new ways to invest. As a result, we have become the world’s third-largest asset manager with US
*This figure is presented as of March 31, 2021 and includes approximately
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Expiration Date: 6/30/2022
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