Salim Ramji: From Small Town Roots to Global Finance

Salim Ramji has had an impressive career in the finance industry, with more than twenty years of experience. He is widely respected as a leader in the investment management world and is known for his expertise in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and index investments. At the young age of nine, Salim dreamt of becoming part of a professional sports team - specifically, to become a hockey goalie. Despite his enthusiasm for his dream, he later learned he was never going to be able to go to the next level with the sport, and so when his hockey coach pointed out that his favorite professional hockey goalie, Ken Dryden, was also a lawyer, that inspired him to have a backup plan. Born to immigrant parents who were not able to graduate high school, the importance of education was always a dream they instilled in him from a very young age, and living through the recession, he always aimed at succeeding academically as a means to gain financial stability. Soon after graduating law school, he wanted to work at the World Bank, but lacking field experience, he ended up working in the field of microfinance and doing fieldwork in the north of Pakistan, which inspired his interest in economic development. He worked as a corporate lawyer for banks, then became an asset manager and senior partner at McKinsey & Company for over a decade before joining Blackrock. Salim Ramji served as the Global Head of Corporate Strategy at BlackRock before becoming the Global Head of iShares and Index Investments. He is currently overseeing $5.6 trillion for the company. Tune in on this episode as we talk about the events in Salim’s life that made him who he is today, the need for reinvention, disruptive technology, and why he recommends we seek out people who disagree with us.