Valerie Haertel has been named senior vice president of investor relations at Boston-based State Street Corp., responsible for managing relationships with the company’s shareholders and analysts.

Haertel succeeds Kelley MacDonald, who is retiring from State Street after serving in the investor relations role for more than a decade, the company said. Haertel will work closely with MacDonald, who will remain the primary contact for investors and analysts through the third quarter, in order to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities.

A 20-year investor relations veteran, Haertel most recently held the position of vice president of investor relations for more than five years at Medco Health Solutions Inc. Prior to Medco, she held various senior-level investor relations and management positions at Alliance Bernstein, RCN Corp. and NASDAQ.

"Our base of shareholders and analysts has increased significantly over the past few years, and we look forward to Valerie helping to continue executing a comprehensive investor relations program for these key audiences," State Street CFO Edward J. Resch said in a statement. "She has strong relationships with both the buy and sell sides and will be an asset as we continue to expand our global investor base. I also want to thank Kelley MacDonald for her leadership, dedication and significant contributions to State Street’s investor relations program for the past decade."