Simon N. Ballard

RBC Europe Ltd. is the Great Britain-based broker/dealer subsidiary of RBC Europe Ltd., itself a subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada (TSE: RY) in Canada. Headquartered in London, the firm was founded in 1970 and provides a full spectrum of brokerage services specifically tailored for both retail and institutional investors. The firm is active in several markets, exchanges, and electronic trading platforms.

Fortis Investment Management (UK) Ltd. (FIM-UK) became Fischer Francis Trees & Watts (UK) Ltd. in October 2010, and refocused on fixed income investments. In the course of the integration of Fortis into BNP Paribas, the equity investments previously managed by FIM-UK were taken over by BNP Paribas Investment Partners (UK) Ltd., the dedicated asset management business of BNP Paribas SA (XP: BNP) in France. Established in 2003, FIM-UK is located in London. Their clients include institutions, high-net worth individuals and retail investors. In 2008 the firm absorbed ABN AMRO Asset Management Ltd., following the merger of the asset management activities of Fortis and ABN AMRO worldwide. In 2010 Fortis Investments merged with the existing BNP Paribas Investment Partners Group creating a global investment solutions provider which combines the best that large companies have to offer with the reactivity, specialization and entrepreneurial spirit of investment boutiques.