Paul Bodnar will join BlackRock on April 19 as managing director and global head of the firm's sustainable investing group.
Mr. Bodnar will be based in BlackRock's New York office and will oversee the firm's global effort to "help clients create more sustainable, more resilient investment portfolios," said a news release Tuesday.
Mr. Bodnar will oversee sustainable investment research, analytics, product development and the integration of ESG factors into investment processes.
BlackRock manages about $200 billion in sustainable investment strategies, spokesman Edward Sweeney said in an interview.
Mr. Bodnar is a managing director and chief strategy officer at Rocky Mountain Institute, Boulder, Colo., a non-profit organization focused on accelerating the global transition to clean-energy sources.
He also served in the Obama administration as special assistant to the president and senior director for energy and climate change at the National Security Council.
While at RMI, Mr. Bodnar created and chaired the organization's Climate-Aligned Finance initiative, which collaborates with financial institutions to aid in their transition to net-zero emission portfolios, according to BlackRock's news release.
Mr. Bodar replaces Brian Deese, managing director, who left the firm to join President Biden's administration as director of the National Economic Council.
Jessica Tan, managing director and BlackRock's head of corporate strategy, filled Mr. Deese's position on an interim basis, Mr. Sweeney said.
"Understanding the interplay between public policy, technology and finance is absolutely critical in helping clients invest sustainably," said Philipp Hildebrand, BlackRock's vice chairman, in the release.
He added that Mr. Bodnar's "experience in developing both policy and market-based solutions for the financial sector make him an ideal choice to help BlackRock's clients achieve their net-zero ambitions."
BlackRock managed a total of $8.68 trillion as of Dec. 31.
