Pimco hires three to boost emerging market fixed-income team

By Toni Weeks

San Diego, April 13 - Pimco said it is expanding its emerging market fixed-income team through the hiring of Francesc Balcells, Isaac Meng and Javier Romo. According to a press release, the new portfolio managers will enhance Pimco's efforts in the emerging market sector, which include the recent launch of its first emerging market equity strategy and emerging multi-asset strategy.

"Our firm has long been active in emerging markets and is committed to providing outstanding value to our clients by focusing on some of the most promising investment opportunities in the global economy," Mohamed A. El-Erian, Pimco's chief executive officer and co-chief information officer, said in the release.

"The recruitment of three exceptional talents will further enhance an already deep and successful team, reinforcing Pimco's continued commitment to this important segment of the global markets."

Balcells will join Pimco in July as executive vice president and portfolio manager. In addition to managing global emerging markets portfolios and contributing to the firm's investment strategies, he will lead Pimco's local bonds and currency initiatives based in Munich. He joins the company from Rogge Global Partners, where he was head of emerging markets and portfolio manager for emerging markets fixed-income and foreign exchange.

Meng will join the firm in April as senior vice president and portfolio manager. He will be based in the Hong Kong office, where he will specialize in macroeconomic and financial analysis of China and regional linkages integral to portfolio strategy. He was previously at BNP Paribas, focusing on China in his roles as director and senior financial economist. Prior to that, he worked in risk management and energy-related securities for Mirant and held the positions of fixed-income manager at Bank of Montreal and foreign-exchange trader at Bank of China.

Romo will join the firm in May as vice president and portfolio manager in the Newport Beach, Calif., office and will focus on relative value analysis, trading and portfolio strategy for Latin American sovereign credit, foreign exchange and local interest-rate products. Previously he was with Citigroup as vice president, where he focused on trading hard currency bonds and credit default swaps in Latin America.

Pimco is an investment management firm based in Newport Beach, Calif.

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