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BlackRock appoints Andrew Landman as Head of Alternatives in Australia

Announcement posted by FCR (Financial & Corporate Relations Pty Limited) 12 Jun 2012

Australia, June 12, 2012 – BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK) today announced the appointment of Andrew Landman as Head of Alternatives in Australia. In this role, Mr Landman will further strengthen BlackRock’s alternative investment capability in Australia to meet clients’ investment needs.

Mr Landman has more than 18 years of industry experience and joins BlackRock from Ascalon Capital (a subsidiary of BT Financial Group) where he is currently Chief Executive Officer. Under Mr Landman’s leadership, Ascalon has successfully built a portfolio of nine single strategy hedge and high conviction funds across Australia and Asia Pacific with $4.2 billion in assets under management. In addition to his role at Ascalon, Mr Landman is Head of Investment Strategy at BT Financial Group.

Michael McCorry, acting Country Head for BlackRock Australia, said: “Conventional asset classes alone will not be sufficient to fund the future liabilities of Australian investors. In today’s markets, which are characterised by low yields and increased volatility, alternative investment strategies have a greater role to play in investment portfolios. They offer the potential to enhance returns while reducing risk because of their low correlation to other asset classes.”

Rick Arney, Head of Hedge Funds for BlackRock Alternative Investors said: “BlackRock is one of the largest alternative asset managers globally. Andrew’s appointment reflects our desire to expand on our position in Australia, one of the most advanced and established markets in the region. Demand from our clients for alternative investments is increasing as they seek to capture opportunities that maximise returns.”

Joseph Pacini, Head of BlackRock’s Alternatives business in Asia excluding Japan, will lead the Australian Alternatives business until Mr Landman’s commencement with the firm.

As at March 31 BlackRock manages approximately US$110 billion in alternative assets globally, of which US$20 billion comes from the Asia Pacific region. Globally, BlackRock Alternative Investors offers hedge funds, fund of hedge funds, private equity, real estate, renewable power and other specialised products.

ENDS

About BlackRock


BlackRock is a leader in investment management, risk management and advisory services for institutional and retail clients worldwide. At March 31, 2012, BlackRock’s AUM was $3.684 trillion. BlackRock offers products that span the risk spectrum to meet clients’ needs, including active, enhanced and index strategies across markets and asset classes. Products are offered in a variety of structures including separate accounts, mutual funds, iShares (exchange-traded funds), and other pooled investment vehicles. BlackRock also offers risk management, advisory and enterprise investment system services to a broad base of institutional investors through BlackRock Solutions. Headquartered in New York
City, as of March 31, 2012, the firm has approximately 9,900 employees in 27 countries and a major presence in key global markets, including North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East and Africa. For additional information, please visit the Company's website at www.blackrock.com.

Issued by BlackRock Investment Management (Australia) Limited (AFS License No. 230523, ABN 13 006 165 975) (“BlackRock”). BlackRock believes the information in this document is correct at the time of issue, but no warranty of accuracy or reliability is given and no responsibility arising in any way for errors or omissions (including responsibility to any person by reason of negligence) is accepted by BlackRock. This information is general in nature, and has been prepared without taking into account any individual’s objectives, financial situation, or needs. Past Performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Investing involves risk including loss of principle. 2012 BlackRock. All rights reserved.