About

Joe Hill is currently a managing director and the head of legal and compliance for Latin America and Iberia at BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager. He is, says one nominator, ‘sharp, kind, smart and great to work with. [Hill] consistently displays a solid command of local and international law, as well as a unique insight into the specific challenges affecting each matter under discussion. His ability to think not just about the legal issues facing a given transaction, but the future ramifications of the transaction and what legal issues might flow from those ramifications, is something that all companies seek out in a head of legal and compliance, but few ever really find. He is deeply knowledgeable about each country in Latin America and spends a significant amount of time working in the region. His engaging personality and extensive experience working throughout the region for over two decades means he has a tremendous network to draw upon in Latin America.’ Since Hill joined Blackrock in 2013 it has grown to become the largest asset manager in Latin America, doubling its size in the region from around $65bn in assets under management (AUM) to around $120bn AUM over the past four years. BlackRock has also recently become a regulated entity in Mexico by transforming into an independent investment advisor, a change of status which required a lot of work from Hill and his team of six lawyers. Overseeing legal and compliance issues in both Latin America and Iberia has allowed Hill to improve compliance procedures by on-boarding Latin America-based clients through BlackRock’s offices in Madrid. As Hill explains, ‘applying a European Union level of vetting and having that vetting carried out by experienced BlackRock professionals allows us to follow stringent regulatory standards and gives a much more consistent approach than we would be able to achieve by using English speakers in the US or by syndicating the process out across Latin America’. Hill also sits on the executive committee that runs the Latin America and Iberia region. His involvement goes far beyond monitoring compliance issues. ‘Usually when a GC is asked to interact with executive leadership committees, they are asked to serve as a moral compass’, says Hill. ‘The great thing about BlackRock is that everyone is expected to be a moral compass and when someone speaks up they have the immediate support of the business. That means I get to spend far more time analysing the wider business strategy and working closely with other leaders in the company’. Prior to joining BlackRock, Hill served as the principal lawyer for Latin America at MetLife for six years and JP Morgan Chase for 12 years. During his time at MetLife, Hill found himself handling the integration of all entities in Latin America and the Caribbean as well as Spain and Portugal following the company’s $16.2bn acquisition of America Life Insurance Company from AIG. He has also gained experience from private practice, working as an associate at Mayer Brown in New York and Uría & Menéndez in Spain. Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, he is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a director of the US-Spain Chamber of Commerce.