Paul L. Audet

Independent Director—AB

Paul L. Audet was appointed a Director of AB in 2017. He is the Founder and a Managing Member of Symmetrical Ventures, a venture capital firm specializing in growth capital investments in the technology sector. The firm evaluates investment opportunities in start-ups and development-stage enterprises that aim to transform traditional business models through disruptive technologies. Previously, Audet served as a senior managing director at BlackRock, retiring in 2014 after a 35-year career in the financial-services industry. During his BlackRock tenure, he held a number of executive leadership roles, including CFO for nine years and head of the company’s US active mutual funds, global real estate and global cash-management businesses. Audet’s affiliation with BlackRock started in 1994 when, as director of mergers and acquisitions for PNC Financial Services, he led the acquisition of BlackRock. He began his professional career in 1977 at PricewaterhouseCoopers and worked at PaineWebber and First Fidelity Bancorporation before moving on to BlackRock and PNC. Audet holds a BA in economics and accounting from Rutgers University.