Robeco has appointed Dorcas Phillips as head of ETF capital markets from Fidelity International, ETF Stream can reveal.
Phillips (pictured) will join Robeco on 19 August, ahead of the launch of the firm’s first ETF later this year.
She will report to fellow Fidelity alumni Nick King, head of ETFs at Robeco, who joined the Dutch asset manager last September to lead its entry into European ETFs.
In her new role, Phillips will be responsible for ensuring Robeco’s ETFs trade efficiently as well as managing relationships with capital markets partners.
King told ETF Stream: “We are delighted that Dorcas will be joining Robeco as head of ETF capital markets.
“This is a critically important role, ensuring our ETFs are trading efficiently and providing an optimal outcome for our clients. Dorcas has both the experience and the strong relationships needed to make this a great success.”
Phillips joined Fidelity in 2016 and spent eight years overseeing the firm’s ETF capital markets function while supporting the distribution of its ETF and index product ranges.
Fidelity launched 21 ETFs during her tenure, while raising $7bn assets under management (AUM) and establishing itself as the second-largest contender in Europe’s burgeoning active ETF market.
Previously, she spent more than 18 years at Morgan Stanley, latterly as executive director of EMEA ETF sales.
Phillips commented: “After eight-plus years as head of capital markets at Fidelity, I am moving on to a new opportunity mid-August.
“My time at Fidelity has been some of the most enjoyable of my career, where I have had the opportunity to work with great people to build an ETF capability offering cross asset solutions to meet the evolving needs of clients.”
A Fidelity spokesperson told ETF Stream: “We would like to express our gratitude to Dorcas for her efforts in building our ETF capabilities over the last eight years and we wish her all the best in her new role.
“We remain committed to the expansion of our ETF business and will replace Dorcas’s role in due course as part of a broader acceleration of ETFs in Fidelity’s global product line-up.”
The appointments of Phillips and King signal competition for talent among Europe’s growing ETF market, which Robeco identified as the key focus of its ETF push last year.
The firm previously told ETF Stream in a statement: "The notion that ETFs are strictly passive is often misconceived; ultimately, ETFs are simply another vehicle to wrap intellectual property, whether that be via passive or active strategies.
"While the active ETF market in Europe may still be nascent, we believe Robeco can capture growth as an early adopter and provide differentiated products compared with existing ETFs, especially given our sustainable investment expertise."
