Samara Cohen

Managing Director, Head of iShares Global Markets, BlackRock

Samara Cohen, Managing Director, Head of iShares Global Markets.  This team seeks to protect and grow trading in iShares funds by actively monitoring and improving the ETF ecosystem, which encompasses investors, broker-dealers, market-makers, trading venues and technology providers. 
 
Ms. Cohen also leads the firm's efforts globally on EII (ETF and Index Investments) public policy and regulation. In this role, she works closely with BlackRock's Global Public Policy Group in addressing a wide range of issues related to indexing and ETFs with policy makers worldwide. She also works with clients and a broad range of capital markets participants in the current dialogue around how indexing and ETFs are affecting the financial markets.
 
Samara originally joined BlackRock in 1993 as an analyst in the Institutional Client Business group.  Prior to rejoining BlackRock, Ms. Cohen was a Managing Director in the Securities Division of Goldman Sachs.  She served as Chief Operating Officer of FICC (Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities) Americas Sales and led the Global Market Transition team which developed and delivered solutions to clients in the evolving market structure and regulatory environment. Previously, Samara worked in Interest Rate Products where she was responsible for developing strategies in interest rate and derivative markets for a broad range of institutional clients, including banks, insurance companies, asset managers and hedge funds.
 
Samara also represented Goldman Sachs on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's Global Markets Advisory Committee. 

Samara earned a BS Econ in Finance from the Wharton School and a BA in Theatre Arts from the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania. She earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.