Mirae Asset GlobalX Launches New CEO Ryan O'Connor Leadership Team

Mirae Asset Global Investments announced on the 17th that its U.S. exchange-traded fund (ETF) management subsidiary, Global X, has officially begun the ‘Global X 2.0 Era’ under a new CEO leadership.

Ryan O’Connor officially started his duties as the new CEO of Global X on the 8th of this month. Ryan O’Connor is an ETF expert with over 17 years of experience in the U.S. ETF market, having worked at Goldman Sachs, State Street Global Advisors, and others. He was appointed CEO in February this year.

Founded in March 2008, Global X has grown as a leading innovator in ETFs in the U.S. market by introducing various innovative products. As of the 11th of this month, its total assets under management (AUM) reached a record high of 65 trillion KRW. The growth momentum is accelerating, with an increase of about 8.9 trillion KRW in just about four months since the end of November last year, when AUM was 56 trillion KRW.

With the launch of the Ryan O’Connor leadership, Global X is preparing to leap from being a ‘leading innovator in ETFs’ to becoming a ‘global top-tier ETF provider’ after 15 years in the U.S. ETF market. To this end, it recently reorganized its leadership, with new additions including Chief Financial Officer Eric Olsen.

Global X also plans to focus on strengthening its brand value. Having built an excellent track record over the past 15 years in the U.S. ETF market and secured a solid customer base, Global X intends to concentrate on enhancing its competitiveness in the global ETF market going forward.

To achieve this, various collaborations are being prepared with Horizons ETFs, a Canadian ETF management company scheduled to be rebranded as Global X Canada next month. Global X plans to leverage the strengths of Horizons ETFs’ products, such as covered calls, leveraged and inverse ETFs, and active ETFs, by launching them under the Global X brand, thereby creating synergy through Mirae Asset Group’s global network and platform.

CEO Ryan O’Connor said, “Global X is preparing for a new era centered on growth and innovation, and we plan to work hard to achieve our goals together with talented and competitive employees. We will not spare any investment to provide innovative new products, investment solutions, and insights that global investors expect.”

Meanwhile, Mirae Asset Global Investments acquired the U.S. ETF specialist Global X in 2018. Mirae Asset Group Chairman Park Hyun-joo (GSO), who recognized Global X’s growth potential, said at the time, “Global X was a competitive company like Mirae Asset 15 years ago, which led to our investment decision,” adding, “This deal became a foundation for Mirae Asset’s global picture.”