BlackRock Smaller Companies Trust plc announced the appointment of Mr. Mark Little as a non-executive Director of the Company with effect from 1 October 2020. Mr. Little will also serve as a member of the Company’s Audit, Nomination and Management Engagement Committees. Mr. Little has a wealth of experience in the financial services sector, and began his career as a fund manager with Scottish Widows Investment Management after qualifying as a chartered accountant with Price Waterhouse in 1991. He subsequently worked as Global Head of Automotive Research for Deutsche Bank and joined Barclays Wealth in 2005, where he became Managing Director of Barclays Wealth (Scotland and Northern Ireland). Mr. Little is currently a non-executive director and also chairs the audit committees of the Majedie Investment Trust Plc and Securities Trust of Scotland Plc. He was also previously Investment Director at Seven Investment Management and a non-executive Director (and audit committee chairman) of Sanditon Investment Trust plc as well as a non-executive director for the start-up business UWI Technology and the charity Winning Scotland Foundation.