BlackRock Greater Europe has announced that it has been informed that Vincent Devlin, co-portfolio manager of the Company, will be stepping down as portfolio manager. Stefan Gries, a senior Director within the BlackRock’s European Active Equity team has been appointed co-portfolio manager alongside Sam Vecht, who retains principal responsibility for the Company’s emerging European portfolio. Stefan Gries joined BlackRock’s European equity team in 2008, after previous roles at Scottish Widows, Aberdeen Asset Management and Deutsche Bank.
About Stefan Gries
Stefan Gries joined BlackRock’s European equity team in 2008, after previous roles at Scottish Widows, Aberdeen Asset Management and Deutsche Bank. Stefan gained his MA in Economics & Spanish from the University of St. Andrews. He started his career in 2005 as European equity analyst and portfolio assistant at Scottish Widows Investment Partnership. He joined BlackRock’s European equity team in 2008 and is responsible for covering the energy sector.
About BlackRock Greater Europe Investment Trust
BlackRock Greater Europe aims to achieve capital growth through investment in a focused portfolio constructed from a combination of the securities of large, mid and small capitalisation European companies with some investment in the developing markets of Europe. BlackRock Greater Europe has the flexibility to invest in any country included in the World Europe ex UK Index, as well as the freedom to invest in developing countries not included in the Index but considered by the Manager and the Directors as part of greater Europe. The policy is that the portfolio should consist of approximately 30-70 securities and the majority of the portfolio will be invested in larger capitalisation companies, being companies with a market capitalisation of over €5 billion.
About BlackRock
BlackRock describes itself as being a global leader in investment management, risk management and advisory services for institutional and retail clients. At December 31, 2016, BlackRock’s AUM was $5.1 trillion. It offers a range of products that include separate accounts, mutual funds, iShares® (exchange-traded funds), and other pooled investment vehicles. BlackRock also offers risk management, advisory and enterprise investment system services to a broad base of institutional investors through BlackRock Solutions®. As of December 31, 2016, the firm had approximately 13,000 employees in more than 30 countries and a major presence in global markets, including North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East and Africa.
Stefan Gries appointed co-manager of BlackRock Greater Europe : BRGE