Stephen James Hobbis

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.

abrdn Investments Ltd. (aIL) is an asset management firm headquartered in Midlothian, UK. The firm was founded in 1987 and formerly known as Aberdeen Asset Managers Ltd. They are a wholly-owned subsidiary of abrdn Holdings Ltd., wholly-owned by abrdn Plc (LON: ABDN). aIL provides their clients with discretionary and non-discretionary asset management and related services across a broad range of investment strategies and asset classes. They also offer an alternative platform which encompasses multi-manager research, selection and portfolio management for hedge funds strategies.