Chanel H. Frazier says one of her most important career risks was opting not to follow a linear career path, working both as a tax attorney and in asset management.
“Becoming an attorney was my childhood dream,” she said. “I have always enjoyed puzzles and am a problem solver at heart, so I enjoyed my career as a tax attorney. However, I ultimately decided to make the career pivot, with the goal of exploring more within the asset management industry.”
Today, Frazier is managing director at BlackRock, a publicly traded asset management firm. “We are a fiduciary to our investment clients, and our purpose is to help more and more people experience financial well-being,” the company said.
Frazier joined BlackRock in 2013 as mergers and acquisitions tax counsel. She eventually rose to managing director and in 2020 became the global head of business strategy for the Portfolio Management Group, one of BlackRock’s largest investment businesses. In 2021, she was named head of the Atlanta Innovation Hub, responsible for leading one of BlackRock’s newest strategic businesses. In that role, Frazier attracts and retains some of Atlanta’s most skilled and diverse talent while deepening and establishing new client relationships in the region.
Frazier was recently recognized in Savoy Magazine’s 2022 Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America. This year she was also included in the inaugural Georgia Trends Georgia 500, recognizing the most influential leaders in the state. Frazier was selected as an honoree in the 2022 Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Women of Influence Awards, which recognize the most influential business women from every industry and profession in metro Atlanta.
Frazier is a regular speaker at industry and client events, including the 2022 CFA Society Atlanta Annual Forecast Event, the 100 Women in Finance JumpStart program, Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business 2022 International Women’s Day event, the Obama Portraits Viewing at the Woodruff Arts Center, the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Women Who Lead panel discussion, American Heart Association and Atlanta Go Red for Women event.
Frazier has also provided keynote addresses at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, speaking during the 54th Session of the Commission for Social Development and during the 60th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. She previously served as a board member of the New York Chapter and National Chapter of the I Have a Dream Foundation and on the board of Gibney, a New York dance organization focused on performance arts and social justice.
