BlackRock
Anna Ashurov has been busy.
A 2018 member of Business Insider’s rising stars list, Ashurov has changed companies twice since her stint at Goldman Sachs, going from the investment bank to the world’s largest beer brewer and then to the world’s largest asset manager, where she’s worked since 2021.
Ashurov now oversees growth strategy and client relationships for Aladdin, BlackRock’s widely used risk analytics and portfolio management tech. She told Business Insider, she’s focused on “driving growth holistically” instead of structuring deals and advising clients.
We caught up with her on her career changes, and she shared advice for those considering a big leap. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
BI: What has your career been like since Business Insider featured you on our 2018 rising stars list?
AA: When I spoke to your colleagues last, I was at Goldman, in leveraged finance and capital markets. I purposefully wanted to be more on the operating side, and I transitioned into a role within the financing division at Goldman — it was essentially a chief of staff for the financing division. And that gave me a perspective on the operating side within the firm.
From there, I was hired by AB InBev to lead their commercial strategy and transformation. And that was essentially my introduction to being on the operating side, leading commercial strategy, leading market build-out. We had a ton of interesting work that we were doing in our beyond beer strategy, doing some interesting acquisitions. And as I was getting deeper into the operating field, I had an inbound from BlackRock to join the Aladdin business, which to me was absolutely fascinating.
And I decided to make that move. Ultimately, what drove me or drew me to BlackRock was its unique position at the intersection of finance, technology, and innovation. I’ve always been interested in how technology can transform industries. So to me, that was a perfect opportunity to join the fintech world, and I’ve been here since then. It’s been a fun ride.
This story is part of a new series catching up with finance pros we once spotlighted as Rising Stars of Wall Street to see where their careers have taken them. See all of our past Rising Stars lists here.
BI: What core skills from your time at Goldman do you still use today?
AA: My background in finance has been foundational for my current role, and I even think in my role at AB InBev. So early on, I built deep relationships with institutional clients, which taught me how to understand their needs and different challenges, and to deliver solutions.
That sort of client-centric perspective is what I brought with me, and that is essential to creating long-term value. At AB InBev, I had the opportunity to drive commercial strategy and lead those transformational initiatives, so that also gave me the hands-on experience of aligning business priorities and delivering operational execution that I brought here as well.
I had to learn all about technology, which I haven’t done before, but I think some of the foundational skills and being a client-facing executive are something that I’d ultimately apply anywhere.
BI: You’ve been tasked, in an operating role, with growing brands that many would consider to be the leaders in their space. BlackRock is the world’s largest asset manager, while AB InBev is the world’s largest brewer. How do you grow established brands while retaining what got them to this point?
AA: It’s easier to do when the organization has foundational cultural values, right? AB InBev is a big conglomerate, but at the same time, it was absolutely flat in terms of structure. I had direct access to Michel Doukeris, who’s the CEO of the organization, and direct access to the head of strategy — the organization was so agile and nimble that you were able to make decisions and drive change. Same thing at BlackRock. In order for you to be able to actually impact the organization, impact its growth, impact the strategy, and make the difference that you are there to make, you need to have the proper cultural foundation to be able to actually effectuate that change. Both of the organizations have that.
BI: You’ve now worked in different industries, including some known for long hours and grueling schedules. Have you kept a similar routine as far as your day-to-day as you shifted between jobs? Is there something you’ve kept the same even as your roles have changed?
AA: I do read during my commute. That’s actually probably the only time when I have time to read. So I love when I have like an hour-and-a-half commute, I read both ways or I listen to podcasts, but often I read. I like fiction, I like murder mysteries. That’s my time to decompress and release and do something different, because I am kind of on all the time.
BI: What advice would you give someone who is thinking of making a big career move? Maybe someone who has had some success in their career but is thinking of changing industries or firms, as someone who has taken that leap.
AA: If I reflect on my journey and look back at my career, the one sort of constant is that I’ve grown through change. Do not be afraid of change. For me, it’s always been important to not become complacent and to continue to feel challenged. It’s important to continue pushing yourself.
The post Rising star catch-up: Anna Ashurov details her journey from Goldman Sachs to Anheuser-Busch to BlackRock appeared first on Business Insider.
