Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
On May 31, 2022, iShares® Delaware Trust Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”), sponsor of iShares® Gold Trust (the “Trust”), appointed Shannon Ghia as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Sponsor and Bryan Bowers as the Chief Financial Officer of the Sponsor, each effective June 3, 2022.
On May 31, 2022, BlackRock Asset Management International Inc., the member of the Sponsor, appointed Mr. Bowers to the Board of Directors of the Sponsor effective June 3, 2022.
Ms. Ghia, 46, has served as a Director of the Sponsor since March 2022 and became a principal of the Sponsor on April 18, 2022. Ms. Ghia is a Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. ("BlackRock") and has served as Global Co-Head of ETF Markets since January 1, 2022. ETF Markets encompasses the Global Markets and Product Engineering teams within EII Markets and Investments (“the Engine”) of BlackRock's ETF and Index Investing organization. The Engine teams drive investment integrity and market quality in BlackRock's ETF and index portfolios. Global Markets and Product Engineering together strive to safeguard ETF trading, evolve the ETF ecosystem and develop best-in-class products with enduring integrity that promote clients' financial well-being. From January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2021, Ms. Ghia served as the U.S. Head of iShares Global Markets and was responsible for overseeing primary and secondary trading of the iShares ETF suite and developing the ETF ecosystem. In this capacity, Ms. Ghia built out the ETF trading platform and operational best practices to support a greater complexity of products and an acceleration in trading volumes. She also worked closely with exchanges, ETF service providers and liquidity providers to promote ETF market quality. Ms. Ghia's service with BlackRock or its affiliates dates to 2002, including her years with Barclays Global Investors. Ms. Ghia earned a BA degree in Business / Economics with an emphasis in Accounting from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Mr. Bowers, 47, has been employed by BlackRock or its affiliates since September 6, 2011, performing supervisory and managerial functions. Since October 4, 2021, Mr. Bowers has served as a Director of BlackRock and manages the Product Oversight and Governance team within BlackRock’s Global Accounting and Product Services (“GAAPS”) function. In that capacity, Mr. Bowers oversees fund accounting operations, strategic product initiatives, fund certifications, accounting policies and provides support to the Audit Committee of the Board for each iShares Trust, iShares, Inc. and iShares U.S. ETF Trust. From September 1, 2014 to October 3, 2021, Mr. Bowers served as a Director on the Global Financial Reporting on the Business Operations & Technology team within BlackRock’s GAAPS function. From September 6, 2011 to August 31, 2014, Mr. Bowers served as a Vice President on BlackRock’s Fund Administration team. Prior to joining BlackRock, Mr. Bowers served as an Assistant Vice President of State Street Corporation or its affiliates, where he served as a Unit Manager within the Global and Corporate Bond Accounting Units from September 1, 2007 to September 4, 2011. Mr. Bowers earned his B.S. degree in accounting from Stockton University.
Ms. Ghia replaces Paul Lohrey as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Sponsor and Mr. Bowers replaces Trent W. Walker as the Chief Financial Officer of the Sponsor and Mr. Lohrey as Director of the Sponsor. Mr. Lohrey resigned as the President, the Chief Executive and Director of the Sponsor and Mr. Walker resigned as the Chief Financial Officer of the Sponsor, effective June 3, 2022. Mr. Lohrey’s and Mr. Walker’s decision to resign was not the result of any dispute or disagreement with the Trust on any matter relating to the Trust's operations, policies or practices.