Melda Mergen is Deputy Global Head of Equities for Columbia Threadneedle Investments. In this role she leads the company’s U.S.-based equity investment team capabilities. She is also co-lead portfolio manager on the Columbia Large Cap Core Strategy. Prior to her current role, Ms. Mergen led the Investment Oversight Team from 2004 to April 2014. Before that, Ms. Mergen was a senior equity quantitative research analyst. Ms. Mergen joined one of the Columbia Threadneedle Investments legacy firms in 1999 and has been a member of the investment community since then. Ms. Mergen received a B.A. in economics from Bogazici University and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She is a member of the Boston Security Analysts Society and the CFA Institute. In addition, she holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designations.

William Davies is Global Head of Equities at Columbia Threadneedle Investments. He took up this role in July 2017 and has overall responsibility for the company’s equity teams. Prior to this, he was Head of Equities, EMEA and headed the Global Equities team. William is the lead manager of the Threadneedle Global Select Fund. William was previously Head of European Equities at the company from 1999 to 2011. He joined Threadneedle Asset Management Limited at the company’s inception in 1994. Before this he worked for Eagle Star Investments1. He has also worked for Hambros Bank as a European Investment Manager where he led the European equity team. William holds a BA (Hons) in Economics from Exeter University.