BlackRock, the international investment management and advisory firm, has named Joel Kim as head of Asia-Pacific fixed income, based in Singapore.

Kim joins from ING Investment Management, where he led the Asian fixed income team and oversaw the fixed income assets in Asia ex Japan. Before that, he was with ING Barings in the Netherlands until 1997. He relocated to Singapore in 2002. In his new role with BlackRock, he will be working closely with the global fixed income leadership team and taking a lead role in building the firm's Asian fixed income and global emerging market product offerings. 

BlackRock managed around $1.2 trillion in fixed income assets as of 30 June 2011, of which approximately 10 per cent is managed in Asia. The appointment supports the launch of two iShares fixed income exchange traded funds in June, which are now listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange.