Philip Michael Brides

UBS Asset Management (Americas) LLC (UBS AM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 2000 as UBS Global Asset Management (Americas), Inc. They are a wholly owned subsidiary of UBS Americas, Inc., ultimately owned by UBS Group AG (SIX: UBSG; NYSE: UBS) in Switzerland. UBS AM provides investment products and services to corporate and public pension plans, financial institutions and advisors, central banks, charities, foundations and individual investors around the world.

BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Ltd. (BIM-UK) is an investment management firm headquartered in London, UK. The firm is a subsidiary of BlackRock Finance Europe Ltd., ultimately owned by BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK) in the US. BIM-UK was founded in 2006 following the merger of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers and BlackRock. In 2009, BlackRock merged with Barclays Global Investors, including the iShares exchange traded funds business. The combined firm operates under the BlackRock name and has retained the iShares brand. BIM-UK manages a family of mutual funds and acts as sub-advisor to other mutual and pension funds. They also offer alternative investments and managed accounts for individual and institutional clients.

In 1915 Charles Edward Merrill founded Merrill Lynch & Co. (NYSE: MER) with Edmund C. Lynch in Baltimore, Maryland. The modern Merrill Lynch was formed in 1940 through mergers with E.A. Pierce & Cassatt and, soon after, Fenner & Beane. In 1973, Merrill Lynch adopted a holding company format, with Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. as the parent and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith as the operating subsidiary. Merrill Lynch Asset Management, Inc. (MLAM) was created as an integral business unit in the Merrill Lynch family in 1976. Fund Asset Management, doing business as Mercury Asset Management, was acquired in December 1997. In 2000, MLAM and Mercury were combined under the name Merrill Lynch Investment Managers. MLAM manages the Merrill Lynch family of mutual funds, as and acts as sub-advisor to other mutual funds.