JP Morgan Asset Management named veteran Travis Spence to lead its global exchange-traded funds business, which manages $190 billion in 102 ETFs worldwide.
Based in London and reporting to CIO and global head of asset management solutions Jed Laskowitz, Spence will lead ETF product development, capital markets, the firm’s newly formed ETF insights division and continue to head ETF distribution across EMEA. Spence, who has been at the firm for 20 years, takes the post immediately.
Spence is part of the asset management unit of New York-based JPMorgan Chase & Co., the sixth-largest U.S. ETF issuer, with $156.4 billion in 64 U.S.-issued ETFs.
The move comes after the company extended its lead in Europe’s nascent active ETF market since Spence was appointed head of EMEA ETF distribution in March 2023.
By the end of this year’s first half, the firm claimed $21.6 billion, nearly half, of the $44.3 billion in active ETFs in Europe, booking $5.7 billion inflows during the first half of the year.
Over his two decades at JP Morgan, Spence has operated across a number of leadership positions including managing director of fixed income, currencies and commodities, as well as head of strategic communications and liquidity for the firm’s APAC business.
“Under Travis’s leadership, we are confident that our ETF franchise will continue to innovate and help our clients achieve their goals,’ Laskowitz said in the statement that announced Spence’s new role. “We are committed to revolutionizing the landscape by providing the highest quality active ETFs in the industry.
Spence’s promotion follows the departure of former global ETF head Bryon Lake for Goldman Sachs Asset Management in May, after former GSAM ETF head Mike Crinieri left the firm earlier this year.
JPMorgan Active ETFs
New York-based JP Morgan arrived relatively late to the ETF industry, issuing its first funds a decade ago in 2014, Laskowitz told etf.com. He said the firm is particularly focused on active ETFs due to client interest in those products.
“We’ve doubled down on our ETF business in the last five years,” he said. “Our clients are interested in ETFs, active ETFs are growing twice the rate of passive. Five years ago active ETFs made up 3% of the industry, today it’s 8% in terms of assets.”
The $33.4 billion JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF (JEPI) is the company’s largest ETF.
etf.com reporter Jeff Benjamin contributed to this article. The piece was originally published on etf.com sister publication ETF Stream.