George Heber Joseph, a company insider, will serve as the first Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of the newly established joint venture, Jio BlackRock Asset Management Company (AMC).

Joseph has been associated with Jio Financial Services since March 2023 as Head of Special Projects, according to his LinkedIn profile. The announcement was made by him in a social media post. Joseph is the former CEO and CIO of ITI MF. Before his three-year stint at ITI MF, which ended in August 2022, he was a fund manager with ICICI Prudential MF for more than a decade.

Joseph's appointment is one of the first key appointments at the AMC, with the company yet to announce its Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Jio BlackRock AMC is expected to launch a mutual fund (MF) business soon. The 50:50 joint venture between Jio Financial Services and US leading asset manager BlackRock received the in-principle approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) to start MF business in October 2024, almost a year after it filed its application.

Final approval typically takes an additional six months to a year, depending on the applicant meeting all requirements, including the appointment of an experienced CIO. The mutual fund industry, valued at around 68 trillion, currently has 46 players. The AMC is expected to offer products in both the active and passive segments.

Jio Financial recently revealed an investment of approximately 82.9 crore for a 50% stake in Jio BlackRock AMC and Jio BlackRock Trustee.