BlackRock Appoints Valerie Speth as Managing Director

BlackRock’s Global Renewable Power Strategy and Climate Finance Partnership programme has taken off. As APAC nations demand more electricity, grow in population, and increase their respective GDPs, the firm is offering unprecedented investment opportunities for its clients. Over the last five years, in fact, Blackrock’s Global Renewable Power platform has invested over US$1bn in APAC projects and partner companies. Now, the firm intends to invest one-third of its current climate strategy funds into APAC and other emerging markets. 

And guess who’s leading the effort? Valerie Speth, the new managing director of BlackRock’s APAC renewables team. With 15+ years of experience in European and APAC renewable energy strategy, M&A, and operations, she’ll lead the company’s investment and portfolio management throughout Asia. Prior to this role, she served as Juwi’s APAC Regional Director in Singapore, Australia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, India, and Japan. 

How Will Speth Add Value? 

Valerie’s background involves both renewable and APAC-specific knowledge. Juwi, her former company, is one of the world’s top companies in wind, solar, and energy storage. E.ON, where she was head of Portfolio Management and B2B Customer Solutions, offers virtual power plants, energy efficiency, and on-site generation solutions. And Accenture, where she worked for a time as a consultant, remains one of the world’s leading advisory firms for sustainability. 

In addition, Speth has seen it as her duty to keep learning throughout her career. In 2013, she received her PhD in Strategy and Management; in 2020, she graduated with a Stanford University Graduate School of Business Personal Leadership Certificate; in 2021, she enrolled in INSEAD’s International Directors Programme to develop her skills in global business—and lead the renewable energy transition.

What Will Change? 

Under Speth’s leadership, BlackRock aims to become one of the world’s leading APAC renewable investment firms. After all, the field is expanding: from January through November of 2020, investments in sustainable assets increased 96% from 2019, reaching US$288bn. ‘We know that climate risk is investment risk’, explained Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO of Blackrock. ‘But we also believe that the climate transition presents a historic investment opportunity’.

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