President-elect Joe Biden named Brian Deese, a BlackRock Inc. executive who helped the U.S. enter the Paris Agreement on climate change as a senior adviser to President Barack Obama, as the director of the National Economic Council.

Deese was the deputy director of the National Economic Council, deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget and senior advisor to Obama. He "was instrumental" in rescuing the U.S. auto industry and in the negotiations for the Paris Agreement, the Biden transition team said.

At investment giant BlackRock, Deese served as global head of sustainable investing, focusing on investment strategies that could help accelerate the low-carbon transition.

"Brian is among the most tested and accomplished public servants in the country — a trusted voice I can count on to help us end the ongoing economic crisis, build a better economy that deals everybody in, and take on the existential threat of climate change in a way that creates good-paying American jobs," Biden said in a statement.

The appointment does not require confirmation by the Senate.