BNY names new global head of investments and wealth

The Nuveen alum with investment experience from TIAA, AIG, and Merrill Lynch is set to join as longtime leader lets go of the reins.

New York’s oldest and most storied bank has named the next leader for its global wealth and investments business.

BNY, which shed its only slightly longer moniker BNY Mellon last month, announced the appointment of Jose Minaya as the new global head of BNY Investments and Wealth, effective September 3.

Minaya will report directly to President and CEO Robin Vince and join the firm’s executive committee.

This leadership change comes as Hanneke Smits steps down to retire, although she will continue as chair of BNY Investments until the end of 2024 to ensure a smooth transition.

“I’d like to thank Hanneke for her leadership and am very pleased to welcome Jose, an investment veteran with decades of diversified experience leading a major asset manager,” Vince said in a statement Tuesday.

“BNY manages money, moves it and keeps it safe, and with the global wealth segment continuing to grow rapidly, we are uniquely poised to serve clients in the segment across the entire financial lifecycle,” he said.

As the firm unites its global asset management and US private bank, both leading players in their respective sectors, Vince expressed confidence in Minaya, declaring “[his] leadership will enable us to be more for our clients around the world.”

Minaya transitions to BNY from Nuveen, a global asset management firm overseeing more than $1 trillion in assets. During his tenure at Nuveen, Minaya served as president and chief investment officer, managing global operations and investments across various sectors including equities, fixed income, real estate, and alternatives.

His career at TIAA began in 2004 as a fixed income portfolio manager, following over a decade of investment experience with firms like AIG, Merrill Lynch, and JPMorgan.

“I am delighted to join BNY, a historic institution with a legacy of helping clients achieve their ambitions and advancing the future of finance, and to lead a globally renowned asset management and wealth franchise with deep relationships around the world,” Minaya said.

Beyond his professional achievements, Minaya is an active member of the investment and academic communities, serving on the Board of Trustees of Manhattan College and the Board of Advisors of the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

Additionally, he is involved with several companies and charitable organizations, including Moody’s, the National Forest Foundation, and the Investment Company Institute.

A proponent of inclusion and diversity, Minaya chairs the Governing Board of Directors of the Robert Toigo Foundation, which promotes inclusive leadership in finance and beyond. He also served as the executive sponsor of TIAA’s Inclusion and Diversity initiative.