On 9^th May 2018, BlackRock announced that Andreas Zoellinger, co-manager of BlackRock Continental European Income, will assume full responsibility for the fund.

Alice Gaskell, current co-manager of the fund, has decided to leave BlackRock to take a break from fund management.  Ms Gaskell and Mr Zoellinger have co-managed the fund since its inception in 2011. Mr Zoellinger also co-manages a number of the firm’s European equity and European equity income mandates, having worked at BlackRock since 2001, including his years with Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (MLIM), which merged with BlackRock in 2006.

Mr Zoellinger is a thoughtful and experienced member of the firm’s well-resourced European equity team, headed by Nigel Bolton.  The team incorporates a mix of portfolio managers, analysts and strategists.  All are involved in the research process and as a team, they run a broad suite of funds.  Ms Gaskell’s senior research responsibilities will be taken on by Matt Yates.

There will be no change to the portfolio’s objective or investment approach and the fund will continue to target a growing level of income without sacrificing capital growth.

We have been meeting with Mr Zoellinger for several years as part of our coverage of the BlackRock Continental European Income and as such, we are comfortable retaining the fund on our Recommended list.