Fidelity International announces the appointment of Samantha Ricciardi as head of Emea. She will take up the role at the beginning of March and will succeed Christian Staub, who is stepping down from his current role but will remain with the company in an advisory capacity.

Currently CEO of Santander Asset Management, Samantha Ricciardi will be responsible for driving the growth and strategic development of Fidelity International’s activities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Based in Madrid, she plans to spend regular time in all markets across the region.

At Santander, she led the transformation of the group into a leading European asset manager, sustaining strong annual growth and rolling out numerous strategic initiatives. Previously, she held a number of senior roles at BlackRock, including managing director for the Emea region and country head of BlackRock Mexico.

“Samantha is a dynamic and highly accomplished executive with an outstanding track record across the Emea region,” commented Fidelity International chairman Keith Metters on her appointment. “We are delighted to welcome her as we strengthen our management team and accelerate our strategic ambitions for our clients and partners.” He also thanked Christian Staub for his “significant contributions” and looked forward to his continued presence with the group as an adviser.

For the record, Fidelity International provides investment solutions, services and pensions expertise to more than 2.9 million clients worldwide. With a presence in more than 25 locations and $1,055.4 billion in total assets, the private firm supports clients ranging from central banks and sovereign wealth funds to financial institutions, insurers, wealth managers and individual investors.