Northern Trust names new ETFs head

Northern Trust Asset Management (NTAM) has appointed vaunted industry leader David Abner to head its growing global ETFs and funds function.

Abner, who joins NTAM from crypto trading platform Gemini Crypto Exchange, was hailed by his new employers as a “visionary leader in the ETF industry”.

Before joining Gemini in 2020, Abner served more than a decade at US-based ETF specialist WisdomTree Asset Management, most recently as chief executive of the firm’s European arm. Earlier in his career, he also held leadership positions in ETFs at BNP Paribas and Bear Stearns & Co.

In late 2022, Abner founded his own boutique consultancy, Dabner Capital, providing ETF and crypto investment support services.

In the new role, Abner will oversee NTAM’s mutual fund and ETF product strategy, research and development, product management, and capital markets, as well as fund services oversight and treasury functions. He reports directly to NTAM’s global head of product Paula Kar

NTAM, as at end of March 2024, boasts more than $230 billion in assets under management in US mutual funds and global ETFs.

With the firm currently building out its capabilities in the mutual and ETF space, NTAM president Daniel Gamba welcomed Abner’s “proven leadership and deep expertise”, which he said would “help drive NTAM’s continued growth in this key area of our business”.

The Chicago-headquartered NTAM oversees more than $1.2 trillion in assets as at the end of March 2024.