Managing Director, is Head of the Fundamental Sterling team within BlackRock's Global Fixed Income (GFI) Group. Prior to joining BlackRock in 2011, Simon was Head of Institutional Credit Portfolio Management at Aviva Investors where he oversaw 9 billion in assets across Euro, Sterling, and Global credit and aggregate products. Prior to joining Aviva in 2009, Simon spent 10 years at ABN AMRO Asset Management (later acquired by Fortis Investments where he stayed on for a year), most recently as Head of Credit. He previously held positions at HSBC Asset Management and Morgan Grenfell Asset Management. He began his investment career in 1994.

Ben Edwards, CFA, Managing Director, is a Portfolio Manager in the Sterling Bond Portfolio team within BlackRock's Global Fixed Income Group. Mr. Edwards is the lead fund manager of the BlackRock Corporate Bond Fund and co-manager of the BlackRock Sterling Strategic Bond Fund.

Prior to joining BlackRock in 2010, Mr. Edwards worked at Legal and General Investment Management from 2003 to 2009 where he was a portfolio manager, responsible for both institutional and retail sterling corporate bond portfolios. He began his career as an Analyst at M&G in 2002.

Mr. Edwards earned a Business degree from the Queensland University of Technology (Aust.) in 2000 and post-graduate qualifications in Finance from the Financial Services Institute of Australia in 2002. He is a CFA charterholder.