Ann Shrekgast Cavanaugh
Mrs. Cavanaugh is responsible for leading a global team of professionals to ensure accounting for transactions are thoroughly vetted before a new product is launched or a business acquisition is made. She is approaching her 13th year with the firm. She has presented on various subject matters to the SEC, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the IASB, and the PCAOB on BlackRock’s behalf on several occasions. Mrs. Cavanaugh was also responsible for the development of the Asset Management Industry Accounting Policy Group (“AMIAPG”), a committee comprised of 35 of the largest assets managers engaged primarily in the asset management business whose objective is to educate and influence standard setters on issues important to the industry. Most recently, Mrs. Cavanaugh has been working with BlackRock’s Financial Institutions Group, educating clients on regulations related to complex financial products in which they invest.
Previously, Mrs. Cavanaugh spent 13 years as a senior member of the Accounting Policy team at Merrill Lynch. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch, Mrs. Cavanaugh was a senior auditor at the public accounting firm, Arthur Andersen.
Mrs. Cavanaugh earned an accounting degree from Villanova University and an MBA in Finance from Fordham University. She completed a ten-month Global Executive Leadership Program at Yale School of Management in 2019.
Mrs. Cavanaugh has served as a mentor to military veterans looking to transition to the workforce through the American Corporate Partners program. She is a council member of BLK's Global Women's Initiative Network ("WIN") and is BLK’s representative on NICSA’s Diversity Project, a Committee focused on Inclusion and Diversity in the asset management industry. Mrs. Cavanaugh serves on the Business School Advisory Council of her alma mater, Villanova University. She is also a member of Chief, a private New York based network for senior executive women focused on connecting, coaching and supporting women leaders who have a seat at the table in making decisions today and influencing change tomorrow.
Mrs. Cavanaugh was at the World Trade Center site on September 11, 2001 and witnessed first hand the tragedies of that day. It was that experience and the emotional recovery during the following months that drew her to the mission of Project Healthy Minds.
Mrs. Cavanaugh lives in Chatham, New Jersey with her husband and two daughters. In her free time, Mrs. Cavanaugh enjoys traveling, skiing, exercising, reading and spending time with family and friends.
