New York-listed BlackRock has welcomed the UK chancellor's ex-chief of staff to its team.

The former chief of staff to UK Chancellor George Osborne and architect of the recent pension reforms, Rupert Harrison, has joined BlackRock to help drive its retirement offering.

Harrison played an instrumental role in the British pensions reform, namely last year's deregulation of the pensions industry, which removed the need to buy annuities.

He will join the investment management giant as chief macro-strategist for funds investing in equities, bonds and cash, the Financial Times reported.

“Given his experience shaping the recent pensions reforms, he is uniquely placed to help develop our retirement proposition,” BlackRock said in a statement.

The government's advisory committee on business appointments, which considers whether jobs for former ministers meet the business appointment rules, approved Harrison's hire on the basis that he does not lobby the government for two years, according to the FT.