LONDON, and NEW YORK, and HONG KONG, Jan. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Alcentra, the alternative fixed income specialist for BNY Mellon Investment Management (IM), today announced the appointment of Leland Hart as Managing Director and Head of US Loans and High Yield.  He will report to Vijay Rajguru, Global Co-Chief Investment Officer.

Leland will lead Alcentra's 16-people investment and research team located in New York and Boston. He will be working closely with Chris Barris, Kevin Cronk and Frank Longobardi in their ongoing roles as portfolio managers for loan, high yield and multi-strategy funds. Alcentra's US liquid credit platform has experienced strong growth with current assets under management of $12.5 billion1 across a range of CLOs, mutual funds, commingled funds and separately managed accounts.

Leland joins Alcentra from BlackRock Investment Management, where he was a Managing Director having joined in 2009. As head of loans and CLOs, he had primary responsibility for investing, fundraising and managing the firm's loan business, including mutual funds, CLOs, and separate accounts. He was also co-head of the global infrastructure debt group. Prior to BlackRock, Leland was a Managing Director in the Leveraged Capital Markets Group of Lehman Brothers, where he worked for eight years. He started his career as a banker at Continental Bank and following the bank's merger with Bank of America, he joined Bank of America's high yield group.

David Forbes-Nixon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Alcentra, said:

"Leland is a recognized industry leader and well known to many of us at Alcentra, and we are excited about him joining the firm. He brings deep experience, knowledge and relationships, as we look to continue the growth of our U.S. business platform."

About Alcentra

Alcentra NY, LLC and Alcentra Limited (together, "Alcentra") are part of a global asset management firm with assets under management of approximately $34.7 billion2. Alcentra has an investment track record that dates back to 1998. Strategies include: senior loans, high yield bonds, direct lending, structured credit, special situations, and multi-strategy credit.  Alcentra is a subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation and is headquartered in London, with offices in New York and Boston. 

About BNY Mellon Investment Management

BNY Mellon Investment Management is one of the world's leading investment management organizations and one of the top U.S. wealth managers, with $1.8 trillion in assets under management as of September 30, 2017. It encompasses BNY Mellon's affiliated investment management firms, wealth management services and global distribution companies. BNY Mellon Investment Management is a division of BNY Mellon, which has $32.2 trillion in assets under custody and/or administration as of September 30, 2017. BNY Mellon can act as a single point of contact for clients looking to create, trade, hold, manage, service, distribute or restructure investments. BNY Mellon is the corporate brand of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK). Additional information is available on www.bnymellon.com. Follow us on Twitter @BNYMellon or visit our newsroom at www.bnymellon.com/newsroom for the latest company news.

1 As of 30 September 2017

2 As of September 30, 2017; Assets under management reflect assets of all accounts and portions of client accounts managed by Alcentra. Specifically, certain assets under management reflect assets managed by Alcentra personnel as employees of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, Standish Mellon Asset Management LLC, and The Dreyfus Corporation under a dual employee arrangement.

All information sourced by BNY Mellon as of 8 January 2018. This press release is qualified for issuance in the UK and Europe and is for information purposes only. It does not constitute an offer or solicitation of securities or investment services or an endorsement thereof in any jurisdiction or in any circumstance in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful or not authorized. This press release is issued by BNY Mellon Investment Management EMEA Limited to members of the financial press and media and the information contained herein should not be construed as investment advice. The value of investments can fall. Investors may not get back the amount invested. Income from investments may vary and is not guaranteed. Investment Managers are appointed by BNY Mellon Investment Management EMEA Limited (BNYMIM EMEA) or affiliated fund operating companies to undertake portfolio management activities in relation to contracts for products and services entered into by clients with BNYMIM EMEA or the BNY Mellon funds. Registered office of BNY Mellon Investment Management EMEA Limited: BNY Mellon Centre, 160 Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4V 4LA. Registered in England no. 1118580. Authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. A BNY Mellon Company.

This press release is for information purposes only. It does not constitute an offer or solicitation of securities or investment services or an endorsement thereof in any jurisdiction or in any circumstance in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful or not authorised. The issuer of this document is BNY Mellon Investment Management Hong Kong Limited, which is registered with the Securities and Futures Commission (Central Entity Number: AQI762). BNY Mellon Investment Management Hong Kong Limited and any other BNY Mellon entity (ies) mentioned are ultimately owned by The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation.  BNY Mellon is the corporate brand of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation and its subsidiaries. This material is for wholesale clients only and is not intended for distribution to, nor should it be relied upon by, retail clients. If this document is used or distributed in Australia, it is issued by BNY Mellon Investment Management Australia Ltd (ABN 56 102 482 815, AFS License No. 227865) located at Level 2, 1 Bligh Street, Sydney, NSW 2000.

Contact:          
Ben Tanner  
(212) 635 8676   
ben.tanner@bnymellon.com    

Christian Zarro  
+44 207 163 3490  
Christian.zarro@bnymellon.com   

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SOURCE Alcentra; BNY Mellon Investment Management