He will retire at the end of 2012 though he will step down from his strategist role on 30 June, remaining in an advisory role until the end of the year. From 30 June, Chris Leavy, chief investment officer of Fundamental Equity (Americas) will manage the Large Cap Series (LCS) that Doll has looked after since 1999. He will be assisted by Peter Stournaras, who has co-managed the LCS since 2010.
Joe Wolfe has been appointed as the lead quantitative analyst on the LCS team, in addition to his role as head of the quantitative alpha research group. He recently joined from Northern Trust, where he had worked with Stournaras as head of quantitative research for global equity strategies.
Doll was chief investment officer at Merrill Lynch Investment Management and moved across to BlackRock when the latter acquired the former in 2006.
In an internal note to BlackRock staff in the US, he said: “After 34 years of intense dedication to this business and the clients we serve, I’ve decided that now is the right time for me to shift my priorities and move to the next chapter of my life.
“While investing will always be a passion for me, I also want more time to devote to my family, faith and philanthropic interests.”
