Egon Vavrek, Managing Director, is Head of the EM & Asia Core Team as a part of BlackRock's Fundamental Equity Global Emerging Markets Platform. Mr. Vavrek is lead PM for the Global Emerging Markets Core, Emerging Markets Equity Income, Emerging Markets Sustainable and Emerging Markets ex-China strategies. He is also responsible for the overall research process for the EM & Asia Core Team.

Mr. Vavrek joined BlackRock as a Managing Director on April 16, 2025. He joined BlackRock from Alma Capital Group, where he was an emerging market equity consultant. Before that, he was at APG Asset Management for 10 years and was most recently Hong Kong-based Head of the Global Emerging Markets team and a Portfolio Manager on the internal Global Emerging Market Fundamental Equity product. Mr. Vavrek also sat on APG's ESG inclusion board and was a member of SASB/ISSB's Investor Advisory Group for 6 years. Prior to his time at APG, he was a Senior Portfolio Manager at LGT Capital Management/Partners for 5 years, where he launched and managed a 5-star Morningstar Emerging European and Middle East fund. He held previous roles at different emerging market boutique asset managers as analyst and portfolio manager.

Mr. Vavrek earned an MSc in International Securities, Investment and Banking at Henley Business School, ICMA Centre, UK in 2006, and a BSc in Economics at University of Szeged, Hungary in 2000. He also completed the IMD Leadership program in Lausanne in 2017.

Emily Fletcher, CFA, Managing Director, is a member of the EM & Frontiers Team as a part of BlackRock's Fundamental Equity Global Emerging Markets Platform. Mrs. Fletcher is a named portfolio manager on the Emerging Frontiers Hedge Fund and Frontier portfolios. She is responsible for Frontier Markets research coverage for the EM & Frontiers Team.

Mrs. Fletcher joined BlackRock in 2006 as a part of the firm’s Analyst Program. Before joining the Global Emerging Markets Platform in 2008, Mrs. Fletcher had a rotation between the Multi-Asset Portfolio Solutions and UK Equity teams.

Mrs. Fletcher earned a BA degree and an MSc degree in experimental and theoretical physics, both from the University of Cambridge in 2005 and 2006, respectively.

Gordon Fraser, CFA, Managing Director, is Co-Head of the Emerging Markets & Frontiers team as a part of BlackRock's Fundamental Equity Global Emerging Markets Platform.

Mr. Fraser is a named portfolio manager on the Emerging Frontiers Hedge Fund and is also the co-portfolio manager on the long-biased Emerging Markets Equity Strategies Fund and long-only Latin America strategies. Mr. Fraser's research coverage is across Asian markets, and he is the platform lead for macroeconomic analysis. He joined BlackRock as an Analyst in 2006.

Mr. Fraser earned a BA (1st class) and an MPhil (distinction) in Economics from Cambridge University in 2006. He is also a CFA Charterholder.

Kevin Jia, Director, is a member of the EM & Asia Core Team as a part of BlackRock's Fundamental Equity Global Emerging Markets Platform. Mr. Jia is the co-portfolio manager on the long-only Global Emerging Markets portfolios, including the Global Emerging Markets Core strategies. He is also responsible for North Asia research coverage for the EM & Asia Core Team.

Prior to joining BlackRock in 2015, Mr. Jia was with KKR, based in Beijing, responsible for private equity investment due diligence and portfolio company management.

Mr. Jia earned a BA in Economics & Finance from Tsinghua University in 2013.