Samara Cohen
BlackRock | Global Head of Market Development
Samara Cohen, Senior Managing Director, is Global Head of Market Development for BlackRock where she helps to shape the evolution of market structure to support investor access and product innovation. She is a member of the firm’s Global Executive Committee (GEC).
Samara works with stakeholders across the capital markets ecosystem, including investors, academics, market makers, trading venues and service providers. In partnership with Global Corporate Affairs, Global Product Solutions, BlackRock Global Markets & Index Investments, and Digital Assets, she is focused on advancing market structure priorities on behalf of investors. Samara previously was Chief Investment Officer of ETF and Index Investments and led teams delivering the market quality and investment integrity for BlackRock’s index funds and iShares ETFs. Samara is a member of the GEC Investment Subcommittee and the GEC Talent Subcommittee. She is also the GEC sponsor for BlackRock’s Women’s Initiative & Allies Network (WIN) and Co-Head of the Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Steering Committee (GDSC).
Prior to rejoining BlackRock in 2015, Samara was a Managing Director in the Securities Division of Goldman Sachs, where she built and led the Global Market Transition team to develop and deliver solutions to clients in the evolving market structure and regulatory environment following the 2008 global financial crisis. Samara first joined BlackRock in 1993 as an analyst in the Institutional Client Business. Samara has been recognized for her leadership in the financial services industry. In 2023 and 2024, Samara was named one of American Banker’s Most Powerful Women in Finance.
She has been honored as one of Barron’s Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance for the past four consecutive years. In 2025, she received the Women’s Bond Club Merit Award for her outstanding contributions to the industry. She is a member of the Board of the Directors for the Securities Industry Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), and a member of the Board of the BlackRock Foundation. She earned a BS Econ in Finance from the Wharton School and a BA in Theatre Arts from the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania. She earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Samara Cohen, Senior Managing Director, is Global Head of Market Development for BlackRock where she helps to shape the evolution of market structure to support investor access and product innovation. She is a member of the firm’s Global Executive Committee (GEC).
Samara works with stakeholders across the capital markets ecosystem, including investors, academics, market makers, trading venues and service providers. In partnership with Global Corporate Affairs, Global Product Solutions, BlackRock Global Markets & Index Investments, and Digital Assets, she is focused on advancing market structure priorities on behalf of investors. Samara previously was Chief Investment Officer of ETF and Index Investments and led teams delivering the market quality and investment integrity for BlackRock’s index funds and iShares ETFs. Samara is a member of the GEC Investment Subcommittee and the GEC Talent Subcommittee. She is also the GEC sponsor for BlackRock’s Women’s Initiative & Allies Network (WIN) and Co-Head of the Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Steering Committee (GDSC).
Prior to rejoining BlackRock in 2015, Samara was a Managing Director in the Securities Division of Goldman Sachs, where she built and led the Global Market Transition team to develop and deliver solutions to clients in the evolving market structure and regulatory environment following the 2008 global financial crisis. Samara first joined BlackRock in 1993 as an analyst in the Institutional Client Business. Samara has been recognized for her leadership in the financial services industry. In 2023 and 2024, Samara was named one of American Banker’s Most Powerful Women in Finance.
She has been honored as one of Barron’s Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance for the past four consecutive years. In 2025, she received the Women’s Bond Club Merit Award for her outstanding contributions to the industry. She is a member of the Board of the Directors for the Securities Industry Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), and a member of the Board of the BlackRock Foundation. She earned a BS Econ in Finance from the Wharton School and a BA in Theatre Arts from the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania. She earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.