William Blair Investment Management announced today that Marcelo Assalin, CFA, Marco Ruijer, CFA, and a number of key members of their team from NN Investment Partners (NNIP) will join William Blair to form a dedicated emerging markets debt (EMD) team. Mr. Assalin will be reporting directly to Stephanie Braming, CFA, partner, global head of William Blair Investment Management, and will serve on her leadership team. The team will join William Blair in the first quarter of 2020.

"Marcelo, Marco and the team have a well-documented track record of success, enhance our global footprint, and give William Blair a unique opportunity to broaden our successful emerging markets equity franchise to fixed income," said Ms. Braming. "These experienced and successful investors are a strong cultural fit with our partnership, holistically incorporate ESG into who they are as investors and as a team, and are focused on delivering strong client outcomes."

Mr. Assalin was most recently head of the EMD team at NNIP, while Mr. Ruijer was lead portfolio manager on their successful Emerging Markets Debt Hard Currency strategy. The team was built over time since 2013. They have expertise across the EMD spectrum, including Hard Currency, Corporate Debt, Local Bond, Frontier Markets, Multicurrency and Local Currency. Mr. Assalin has been managing EMD strategies since 1996 and Mr. Ruijer has been managing EMD strategies since 2002. The team has a global footprint and is located in New York, London, the Netherlands, and Singapore. The EMD team's work will also complement the developed markets fixed income growth initiatives of William Blair's recent senior fixed income hire, Ruta Ziverte.

"We have enjoyed the opportunity to build a strong EMD franchise over the years. I am delighted to be joining a firm that is client focused, empowers its investment teams, where we will have investment autonomy, and be able to incorporate sustainable factors in a holistic and tailored approach that's beneficial for clients," said Mr. Assalin. "I have been impressed with the firm's private partnership structure, entrepreneurial spirit, and steadfast commitment to client success. We are confident that this new opportunity will serve as a growth platform for our team and support our ability to deliver alpha for clients."

"We are excited to build upon the success our team has achieved over the years and in William Blair we find a culture of investing excellence with a proven track record of delivering strong client results," said Mr. Ruijer.

About William Blair

William Blair is the premier global boutique with expertise in investment banking, investment management, and private wealth management. We provide advisory services, strategies, and solutions to meet our clients' evolving needs. As an independent and employee-owned firm, together with our strategic partners, we operate in more than 20 offices worldwide.*

William Blair Investment Management is a premier global investment management boutique, with a sole focus on active management across equity, fixed income, currency and multi-asset strategies. We are a U.N.-Supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) Signatory, Investor Stewardship Group Member (Framework for U.S. Stewardship and Governance), and Signatory to the Japan and Korea Stewardship Codes. We work closely with private and public pension funds, insurance companies, endowments, foundations, and sovereign wealth funds, as well as financial advisors. As of September 30, 2019, William Blair Investment Management manages $54.2 billion in assets.

*Includes strategic partnerships with Allier Capital, BDA Partners, and Poalim Capital Markets