Mark Brandreth was named co-head of research with Schroders’ quantitative equity products global equities team, said Jamie Dorrien-Smith, CEO, Schroders Americas.
The London-based position is new. He will join Sydney-based David Philpotts as co-head of research. Mr. Philpotts previously was the lone head of research.
Mr. Brandreth was a managing director in BlackRock’s scientific active equities group. BlackRock spokeswoman Lauren Trengrove would not say whether Mr. Brandreth would be replaced.
Separately, Schroders on Tuesday announced the launch of the Schroders QEP Global Quality Fund, a growth equity offering for institutional investors in North America, Mr. Dorrien-Smith said.
The offering will be the first available to North American institutional investors from the firm’s quantitative equity products team, which currently manages roughly $17 billion in assets, combining quantitative analysis and traditional stock picking, he said.
The strategy, unconstrained by any benchmark index, will focus on quality companies with stable growth. The minimum investment in the fund is $5 million.