Your Global ETF
Growth Partner

Stronger teams. Sharper brands. Smarter ETF growth.

Blackwater helps ETF issuers and asset managers build, scale and grow their ETF businesses.

About Blackwater

“We focus on three core drivers of ETF success: talent management, distribution & brand, and training. We build high-performing ETF teams across distribution, product, capital markets and leadership, turn ETF strategies into clear narratives and market positioning, and equip teams with the knowledge and confidence to perform in a fast-evolving marketplace.

Our difference is focus: we live and breathe ETFs, bringing together talent, brand and training to turn strategy into measurable growth. We work as an extension of our clients, aligning people, positioning and execution to achieve real business outcomes.”

– Michael O Riordan

Building ETF teams that accelerate growth

Finding top-tier talent in the ETF space isn’t easy — but we make it seamless. Blackwater helps ETF issuers and asset managers build high-performing teams across revenue-critical functions, combining talent strategy, search, and capability support to ensure better hiring outcomes and faster impact.
  • ETF Team Building: Build ETF teams across distribution, capital markets, product, and trading, focusing on role clarity, disciplined search, and faster productivity.
  • Integrated Talent Strategy: Combine talent strategy, targeted search, and team capability support so clients don’t just hire, they build teams that work.
  • Revenue-Critical Execution: Focus on revenue-critical growth hiring, team build-outs, market mapping and competitor intelligence for mandates where speed, precision, and execution matter.

Building enduring brands that command authority

We help ETF issuers build distribution infrastructure, sharpen positioning, and turn visibility into asset growth. ETF success is not just about performance. It depends on understanding where investor demand exists, getting in front of the right buyers, and executing distribution consistently. We don’t chase marketing noise, we build systems that drive inflows.
  • Distribution Intelligence & Positioning: Understand real buyers, how they allocate, and where your ETF can realistically win. Build clear, differentiated narratives that align with investor behaviour and decision-making.
  • Content, PR & Investor Education: Develop educational content, thought leadership, PR, and media presence that builds credibility, strengthens positioning, and keeps your ETF visible to the right investors.
  • Targeted Distribution & Conversion: Activate PR, thought leadership, video, education, and targeted campaigns to reach the right investors, then optimise execution so visibility compounds into sustained inflows and commercial momentum.

ETF training designed to build real-world expertise and confidence

Blackwater provides structured ETF training to help financial professionals understand how ETFs work in practice and how they are used across markets, investors, and distribution channels. Whether you are onboarding new team members or upskilling experienced professionals, our programmes build practical capability and confidence.

  • Certificate Courses: Structured training on ETF market structure, product mechanics, distribution, and investor behaviour, designed to build a strong operational understanding of ETFs.
  • Market Insight & Practical Expertise: Real-world perspective from ETF specialists with experience across distribution, positioning, and investor engagement in the European ETF market.

Do you have questions about our services?

We’re here to help! Whether you’re curious about our ETF research, advisory services, or job listings, don’t hesitate to reach out.

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