Kevin Jia, Director, is a portfolio manager and research analyst on the Global Emerging Markets Equities Team within BlackRock’s Fundamental Equity Group. Mr Jia co-manages the Global Emerging Markets Core Strategy with Gordon Fraser. He is also a member of the North Asia Consumers and Communication Services research pod. 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 degree in Economics & Finance from Tsinghua University in 2013.

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 director and Head of the Global Emerging Markets team and a Portfolio Manager on 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.