Jeff Saef

MD at BlackRock

Speaker

Jeffrey Saef, CFA, Managing Director, is the Head of the Americas Region and Global Head of Model Portfolios within Multi-Asset Strategies & Solutions. The Multi-Asset Strategies & Solutions (MASS) team is the investment group at the heart of BlackRock's portfolio construction, asset allocation, and active management ecosystem. MASS draws on the full toolkit of BlackRock’s index, factor, and alpha-seeking investment capabilities to deliver precise investment outcomes and cutting-edge alpha insights. MASS constructs active asset allocation strategies and whole portfolio solutions across a wide spectrum of commingled funds, separate accounts, model portfolios, and outsourcing solutions in the wealth and institutional channels. In this role, Mr. Saef is the lead portfolio solutions CIO for MASS in the Americas and is also responsible for leading and executing the business strategy to grow the global model portfolios business across BlackRock. Mr. Saef has over 30 years of investment management experience. Prior to joining BlackRock, Mr. Saef founded and led the Investment Strategy and Solutions Group within BNY Mellon Investment Management. In this role, Mr. Saef was responsible for developing investment strategy and managing multi-asset investment portfolios for $11 billion in client assets. Mr. Saef also served as the lead portfolio manager for the BNY Mellon Real Asset Strategy, Chairman of the Capital Markets Committee, Chairman of the Investment Committee, and Chairman of the Portfolio Implementation Committee. Prior to BNY Mellon, Mr. Saef helped start and manage Pyramis Global Advisors, a Fidelity Investments Company, where he was an executive vice president and director of institutional investment strategies. He served on the executive management team and was responsible for developing new investment strategies and executing new business strategies in international markets, sub-advisory markets, and defined contribution markets. Mr. Saef also worked at Putnam Investments, where he was a managing director and head of investment strategy and research for its global institutional business. He also has extensive experience in the fixed income area, having spent over a decade as a portfolio manager for both Putnam and Independence Investment Associates. Mr. Saef received an MBA degree from the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College, and a bachelor’s degree from Brown University with a dual major in business economics and computer science.