James Bristow, CFA, Managing Director and portfolio manager, is co-head of the Global Equity team within the Fundamental Division of BlackRock's Active Equities Platform. James has been the lead manager for the International Focus strategy since April 2007 and co-manages the Global Equity Absolute Return fund. Mr. Bristow has over twenty years' investing experience, of which fifteen have been managing concentrated Global and International strategies. He joined BlackRock in 2006. Prior to this, he was a portfolio manager with JP Morgan, responsible for managing global, international and European equity portfolios. He joined JP Morgan in 1998. He began his career with ABN AMRO Rothschild equity capital markets. Mr. Bristow earned an MA in philosophy, politics and economics from Magdalen College, Oxford in 1997.

Gareth Williams, CFA, Director and portfolio manager, is a member of the Global Equity team within the Fundamental Division of BlackRock's Active Equities Platform. Gareth is co-manager for the International Focus strategy and also manages the Global Equity Absolute Return fund. He is joint-Director of Research for the Global Equity Team. Mr. Williams has twelve years' experience managing concentrated International strategies and fourteen years' experience as a sector specialist analysing sectors including Media, Communications, and Technology. Mr. Williams joined BlackRock in 2005, including his service with Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (MLIM), which merged with BlackRock in 2006. At MLIM, he was an analyst on the UK Core Equity team, having first joined as a graduate. Mr. Williams earned a BSc degree in economics and mathematics from the University of Bristol in 2005.