Corinna Lau

In 1915 Charles Edward Merrill founded Merrill Lynch & Co. (NYSE: MER) with Edmund C. Lynch in Baltimore, Maryland. The modern Merrill Lynch was formed in 1940 through mergers with E.A. Pierce & Cassatt and, soon after, Fenner & Beane. In 1973, Merrill Lynch adopted a holding company format, with Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. as the parent and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith as the operating subsidiary. Merrill Lynch Asset Management, Inc. (MLAM) was created as an integral business unit in the Merrill Lynch family in 1976. Fund Asset Management, doing business as Mercury Asset Management, was acquired in December 1997. In 2000, MLAM and Mercury were combined under the name Merrill Lynch Investment Managers. MLAM manages the Merrill Lynch family of mutual funds, as and acts as sub-advisor to other mutual funds.

Ares Management LLC is a SEC-registered investment advisor and global alternative investment manager headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The firm was founded in 1997 by Merritt Hooper, John Kissick and Antony Ressler. They are a subsidiary of Ares Management Holdings LP and their ultimate parent is Ares Management Corp. (NYSE: ARES). Ares Management provides investment advice to various pooled investment vehicles, other separately managed accounts and other institutional clients.