William Hunt New Head of SSgA

Hunt will take over the reigns of the asset management arm of State Street effective immediately following the passing of former chief Timothy Harbert in August. He will report to Ronald Logue, who is the chairman and CEO of State Street.

Hunt, 42, first joined State Street in 1994 as managing director of its Tokyo office, according to a press release from the company. He then became CEO of State Street in Japan, and in 2001, returned to Boston to oversee the company’s international business. Most recently, Hunt headed up the company’s Global Relationship Management group, which deals with large customer relationships.

Hunt will continue in his role as a member of State Street’s Operating Group, its most senior strategy and policy making team.

“Bill has a proven track record and years of experience building business in various assignments while at SSgA,” said Logue in the news release. “One of the greatest strengths of the group he is rejoining is its team approach and focus on exceeding customers’ expectations. This success was evident in 2004, when SSgAs assets under management grew by 22%. As a member of our senior management team for more than a decade, Bill has a keen understanding of the dynamics that have fueled this success and is committed to building on this outstanding performance.”

SSgA ( www.ssga.com ) has $1.4 trillion in investment programs and portfolios.