ETF provider ETF Shares has appointed its inaugural chief operating officer, making a similar move as his colleagues from Global X.
William Taylor has joined ETF Shares in the C-suite position, where he will lead all aspects of portfolio management, funds operations and product governance, according to the firm.
He joins from Global X ETFs, where he spent four years as a senior portfolio manager. Prior to this, he served at JP Morgan Chase and began his career in London at Franklin Templeton and Schroders.
“We are thrilled to share that William Taylor has joined ETF Shares as chief operating officer,” the ETF provider commented on LinkedIn.
“In his role, William will oversee all aspects of portfolio management, fund operations and product governance. We have worked with William for a long time and have every confidence in his leadership.”
ETF Shares first opened its doors earlier this year by former Global X employees David Tuckwell and Cliff Man, with intentions of disrupting Australia’s concentrated ETF market.
Co-founders Tuckwell and Man previously worked together at Global X as a senior product and investment strategist and head of portfolio management, respectively. At ETF Shares, Tuckwell is the chief investment officer, while Man holds the chief executive position.
Alongside the co-founders is Arjun Shanker as its chief revenue officer, who also served at Global X as a senior business development manager.
Chairing the company is Graham Tuckwell, who originally established ETF Securities Australia in 2005, which was later rebranded as Global X in 2022 when it was acquired by Mirae Asset Global Investments.
Commenting on Taylor’s appointment, Man said: “I have known William for a long time and I can say firsthand that he is an exceptional talent with a rare mix of strategic thinking and operational depth.
“His appointment reflects our ambition to build a best-in-class platform that can scale quickly and reliably. As we launch and expand our product range, William’s leadership will be pivotal.”
ETF Shares also launched its first three US-focused ETF vehicles on Cboe Australia last month: the ETFS US Quality ETF (BEST), ETFS US Technology ETF (WWW), and ETFS Magnificent 7+ ETF (HUGE). All three products are US-focused and have management fees of 0.29 per cent per annum.
The company said it was harnessing an “adviser-first” distribution strategy, due to financial advisers being the primary users of ETFs in Australia.
