Get to know IE's Advisory Board Iberia 2020

InvestmentEurope boosts ties with the fund selection community in Spain by creating an independent advisory board in the country.

The Advisory Board Iberia 2020 is formed by ten leading fund selectors working for the asset management industry in Madrid, whose regular comments and insights will play a key role on the evolution of InvestmentEurope's digital & printed magazine and events' portfolio.

The launch is the first of many, given that other regional and independent advisory boards, corresponding to the different European regions covered by our publication, are set to be announced in the coming months.

If you are a fund selector and want to join this board, the one from your region, or simply want to find out more about the initiative, do not hesitate to contact InvestmentEurope's editorial team.

ADVISORY BOARD IBERIA MEMBERS

Belén Blanco, head of BBVA Group's Quality Funds platform

Madrid-based Belén Blanco is responsible for the selection of third-party funds at BBVA's Quality Funds platform (€43bn AUD), working closely with the bank's networks and investment teams providing them with specialised support in relation with these products. Also a member of BBVA AM & GW Management Committee, Blanco joined the Group in 1995 as an auditor at the bank's Treasury and Capital Markets International department, from where she moved on to become a risk manager at the Private Banking unit. After that, she worked as a fund manager for over 10 years becoming head of the BBVA AM Credit and Fixed Income team. She was later promoted to head of Innovation and Product Development Department.

Guendalina Bolis, chairwoman and general director at Inversis Gestión

Guendalina Bolis has been the chairwoman and general director of Inversis Gestión since 2014.With two decades' experience in asset management, she previously worked in global firms including CNP and Allfunds bank in Madrid, and Intesa San Paolo in Milan, covering a range of roles from multimanager to fund selection and portfolio management. She is actively involved in gender diversity being a board member of the CFA Society Spain - Women in Finance Commitee. She is also the chairwoman of the International Advisory Board for fund selection, aimed to promote fund selection development.

Marta Campello, partner and fund manager at Abante Asesores

Marta Campello joined Madrid-based Abante Asesores in 2002 where she started working as the head of the retail sales department. For the past 13 years, she has been a member of the firm's asset management team combining the roles of absolute return fund selector and portfolio manager. Since 2018, she is also the director of the firm's portfolio advisory division and she has been a partner of the firm since 2009.

Prior to joining Abante, Campello worked as a training director for the business development department of Morgan Stanley in Spain. She started her career as a financial adviser at Ab Asesores.

Toni Conde, head of portfolio asset management at Renta 4 Banco

Toni Conde is head of portfolio asset management at Renta 4 Banco, where she has been working for the last 16 years, leading the fund/ETF analysis team and the asset management investment committee for discretional portfolio management.

César Gil, head of multi-manager and absolute return funds at Bankia Fondos

César Gil is head of multi-manager and absolute return funds at Bankia Fondos, which sum up over €12bn in AUM. At Bankia, he is responsible for selecting and managing a number of funds for the firm, dealing with global bonds, total return, and EM equities while using global macro and long-only strategies, and several different types of options strategies.

Alberto Herranz, head of digital investment solutions at Allfunds

Alberto Herranz is currently head of digital investment solutions at Allfunds, a company he joined in 2011 and where he is currently in charge of product governance and product development. Prior to joining Allfunds, Herranz held different positions in risk and control roles at BBVA and Renta Markets. He began his professional career at Vega Asset Management, a hedge fund dedicated to macro and relative value strategies.

Patricia Justo, head of fund selection at A&G Banca Privada

Patricia Justo, head of fund selection and part of the asset management team at A&G Banca Privada, joined the company 14 years ago. In addition to her fund picking role, Justo is responsible for managing several mandates, portfolios, and a fund of funds.

Jacobo Ortega, European CIO at Santander Asset Management

Jacobo Ortega is the European CIO of Santander Asset Management. Although he has spent most of his career working for the Santander Group, he was an executive director al Ronit Capital LLP from 2016 to 2018, where he led the equity research for Europe and Latin America.

In 2015, when he was managing the Carmosa sicav, he was promoted to the Santander Group's executive chairman office, where he led several projects. He had previously joined Santander's Strategic Investments department in 2008 as co-portfolio manager of the Group's industrial portfolio. He began his professional career in 2006, working for the high net worth team of Banif, Santander's former private banking arm.

Francisco Javier Velasco, senior portfolio manager and fund selector at Andbank Wealth Management

Francisco Javier Velasco has over 15 years' experience in financial markets having started his career as a fund analyst at Inversis Banco in 2004. He is currently fund selector and portfolio manager at Andbank Wealth Management, a company he joined in 2014. Some of the areas where he is more experienced are: construction and integration of teams; management and financial advisory for HNWI and institutional clients; portfolio construction; face-to-face client advisory; and support to the bank's commercial teams.

Ion Zulueta, head of manager selection at Arcano Partners

Ion Zulueta is head of Manager Selection at Arcano Partners, a company he joined in 2015. Prior to that, he worked atCrèdit AndorràGroup as a hedge fund analyst, managing a fund of hedge funds. Zulueta also worked at various companies including the asset management arm of Kutxa Bank and Safei, a pioneer in the Spanish private banking industry.