BlackRock builds up with another Young Gun hire – exclusive

The firm has hired a Goldman Sachs Asset Management investment professional as it bulks up its secondaries team.

BlackRock has hired an investment professional and Secondaries Investor Young Gun from Goldman Sachs Asset Management as the world’s largest asset manager continues its secondaries build-out.

Derek Krouner, BlackRock
Derek Krouner

The New York-headquartered firm has hired Derek Krouner, according to three sources familiar with the matter. He is understood to be joining as a director in the summer.

A spokesman for BlackRock confirmed Krouner’s appointment.

Krouner ranked third in the Young Guns of Secondaries list of the most impressive industry professionals below 36 last year. Last year he took the lead on a number of multi-fund LP portfolios following Goldman’s move to reorganise its secondaries team, Secondaries Investor wrote in August.

He has led the execution of numerous portfolio deals between $500 million and $1 billion for sellers including Asian sovereign wealth funds, large US public pensions and a European corporate pension.

Krouner is the second Young Gun to join BlackRock’s secondaries team after Jarid Colucci – who featured in last year’s ranking – started in April as a director.

Other hires include Pantheon professional Joseph Feng who also joined in April and Veena Isaac who joined from multi-family office Jasper Ridge Partners as a managing director in November.

Goldman declined to comment.