Mirae Asset Global Investments has appointed Howard J. Atkinson as the global head of ETF sales and marketing for MAGI's growing international exchange-traded funds business.

Atkinson (pictured) is currently the President of Horizons ETFs Management (Canada), which is headquartered in Toronto and is a subsidiary of MAGI.

Atkinson will remain president of Horizons Canada, but in addition to that role, he will formally oversee the sales and marketing initiatives of MAGI's global ETF business, which operates from offices in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Korea and most recently, the US, where regulatory filings have been made with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to launch ETFs.

Atkinson will be responsible for overseeing global marketing projects and rebranding efforts across all ETF product suites.

Atkinson joined Horizons Canada as executive vice-president in October 2006. Atkinson sits on the board of directors of BetaShares Capital, which is based in Australia and is a subsidiary of Horizons Canada. Prior to joining Horizons Canada, he was responsible for the exchange-traded products business at Barclays Global Investors Canada (iShares Canada).

"Howard's wealth of experience will be essential as we strive to achieve our vision to create the largest independent exchange traded fund manager globally by delivering passive and active mandates in multiple asset classes across international markets -- offering choice and flexibility to every investor," says Taeyong Lee, president of MAGI's global business unit and ETF business unit.