Schroders has appointed its first ever head of exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
The firm has hired Tom Stephens to further drive the firm’s expansion amid strong client demand for actively-managed solutions.
Stephens will join from JP Morgan Asset Management (AM), where he worked for eight years as International head of ETF capital markets.
At Schroders, he will be responsible for building and executing its global ETF strategy across product, infrastructure, distribution and client engagement.
The announcement of Stephen’s appointment to this newly created role also swiftly follows the launch of Schroders’ first two active ETFs in Europe earlier this year.
Schroders launches first European active ETFs
It also coincides with Schroders surpassing the key milestone of $1bn in assets under management (AUM) across its global ETF franchise.
At JP Morgan AM, Stephens led a global team responsible for ETF market structure, liquidity architecture, authorised participant and market-maker strategy.
He also managed client execution standards, operational design and the development of new ETF capabilities across multiple regions and asset classes.
He sat on the firm’s global ETF operating committee, contributing to the overall direction, governance and oversight of their offering.
Stephens, who is also the current chair of the Investment Association’s ETF Committee, will report into Matt Oomen, Schroders global head of client group.
Oomen said: “We’re pleased that Tom will be joining Schroders in the New Year to help spearhead the accelerated development of our active ETF business.
“His 20 years of leadership in this space will be invaluable to the expansion of our market-leading active edge through ETF wrappers.
“Our recent European active ETF launches will enable us to reach more investors than ever before – and Tom’s deep knowledge and experience of the ETF market will help marry our growing capabilities with increasing client interest.”
He will join Schroders on 5 January 2026.