Joseph Nelesen, Ph.D., Director, is Head of the Institutional Product Management & Consulting team for U.S. iShares. He is responsible for research and delivering product expertise to global iShares clients and partners. Dr. Nelesen's service with the firm dates back to 2008, including his years with Barclay's Global Investors (BGI), which merged with BlackRock in 2009. At BGI, he served primarily with the Product Research & Development arm of iShares. Prior to joining BGI, Dr. Nelesen worked in the Investment Banking Divisions of Citigroup and Bear, Stearns & Co. in New York and Chicago. He provided M&A and corporate finance advisory to global corporate clients across sectors including telecommunications & technology, healthcare, metals & mining and financial services.

He was previously a business strategy consultant with CSG, a specialized advisory firm serving U.S. and international providers in the telecommunications and technology sectors. Dr. Nelesen received his B.A. at University of California San Diego, his M.A. and Ph.D. at Northwestern University (focused on Telecommunication Science, Economics and Policy) where he was awarded the Northwestern Graduate Fellowship, and his M.B.A. in Finance at University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler Business School) where he was awarded the Friedman MBA Fellowship.