BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager with $13.5 trillion in assets under management, has inducted five new members into its prestigious Tech Fellows program, bringing the elite group to 24 senior technologists who are shaping the firm’s AI-driven future. The announcement comes as Wall Street firms accelerate their adoption of artificial intelligence, with technologists gaining unprecedented influence in financial services.
The new fellows underwent a rigorous selection process including nominations, written evaluations, and interviews before being voted in by current fellows and Nish Ajitsaria, BlackRock’s co-head of Aladdin product engineering and executive sponsor of AI. The program, launched in 2020, recognizes technologists who combine technical expertise, domain knowledge, and commercial acumen while elevating the firm’s platform and culture.
Four of the five new fellows work within Aladdin, BlackRock’s sprawling risk and portfolio management platform that underpins its client relationships and represents one of its fastest-growing revenue streams. The firm’s technology services and subscription revenue jumped 28% year-over-year in the last quarter, driven by Aladdin and the integration of Preqin’s private-markets data business.
The new fellows include:
- David Woodhead, head of Aladdin Studio Engineering, who has spearheaded efforts to “open Aladdin” and championed cloud-native technologies and open-source adoption
- Kirsty Craig, head of research, data, and AI strategy for portfolio management tech, who has transformed how BlackRock’s investment team uses AI and data science
- Infant Vasanth, senior director of engineering running an analytics and automation platform team, with deep expertise in neural networks and pattern-recognition algorithms for enterprise-scale AI systems
- Michael Duncan, director and engineering lead on Aladdin’s Trading Engineering team, architect of the Xceler Ecosystem
- Charlie Johnston, a software engineer who has improved code quality and development processes across Aladdin
As of 2023, one in every three BlackRock employees was a software engineer or technologist. The firm has set ambitious targets for 2030, aiming to reach $35 billion in annual revenue and fundraise $400 billion in private markets—goals that Ajitsaria says are “very much underpinned by technology.” Tech Fellows meet monthly and are expected to foster engineering culture both internally and externally through contributions to BlackRock’s engineering blog and conference appearances.
Key Quotes
We think about the combination of technical expertise, domain expertise, commercial mindset, but really lifting the platform, the culture, the experience across the firm
Nish Ajitsaria, BlackRock’s co-head of Aladdin product engineering and executive sponsor of AI, explained the criteria for Tech Fellows selection. This highlights how BlackRock values not just technical skills but the ability to drive cultural transformation around AI and technology adoption.
We are also really deliberate about leveraging and applying our tech fellows to the firm’s most critical technology initiatives
Ajitsaria emphasized that Tech Fellows aren’t just honorary titles but active participants in BlackRock’s most important technology projects, including AI implementation across the Aladdin platform and investment operations.
The 2030 vision of BlackRock is very much underpinned by technology
Ajitsaria connected the Tech Fellows program to BlackRock’s ambitious goals of reaching $35 billion in annual revenue by 2030, making clear that AI and technology leadership is central to the firm’s strategic future, not peripheral to it.
Drawing on deep expertise in neural networks and pattern-recognition algorithms, he applies research rigor to building enterprise-scale AI systems
This description of new fellow Infant Vasanth from the internal announcement reveals the sophisticated AI capabilities BlackRock is building, moving beyond basic automation to advanced machine learning and neural network applications.
Our Take
BlackRock’s Tech Fellows expansion is a bellwether for the financial services industry’s AI transformation. The prominence of AI specialists like Kirsty Craig and Infant Vasanth among the new fellows signals that AI expertise has become as valuable as traditional investment acumen on Wall Street. The 28% revenue growth in technology services validates this strategy financially, proving that AI platforms can drive substantial revenue, not just cost savings.
Particularly notable is the focus on enterprise-scale AI systems and neural networks, suggesting BlackRock is moving beyond pilot projects to production-grade AI that directly impacts investment decisions and client services. The emphasis on “opening Aladdin” and cloud-native technologies indicates a platform strategy where AI capabilities become embedded infrastructure rather than standalone tools. As one-third of BlackRock’s workforce now consists of technologists, we’re witnessing the emergence of a new hybrid institution—part asset manager, part AI company—that may define the future of finance.
Why This Matters
This announcement underscores the critical role of AI and technology leadership in modern financial services, particularly as asset managers compete to leverage artificial intelligence for investment research, risk management, and client services. BlackRock’s elevation of technologists to fellow status—a designation typically reserved for senior investment professionals—signals a fundamental shift in how Wall Street values technical expertise.
The emphasis on AI capabilities is particularly significant, with Kirsty Craig’s fellowship recognizing her work transforming investment team AI usage, and Infant Vasanth being honored for building enterprise-scale AI systems using neural networks. This reflects the broader industry trend where AI is no longer a supporting function but central to competitive advantage.
BlackRock’s 28% year-over-year growth in technology revenue demonstrates that AI and data platforms are becoming major profit centers, not just operational tools. With the firm’s 2030 vision explicitly “underpinned by technology,” this Tech Fellows expansion represents a strategic investment in the human capital needed to execute an AI-first transformation. The fact that one-third of BlackRock’s workforce now consists of technologists illustrates how thoroughly AI and software engineering have penetrated traditional finance.
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Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/meet-blackrock-5-new-tech-fellows-2025-12