All-Cap Investment Committee

Ralph Birchmeier, CFA
Director, Investments Group

• Experience
  • Current Responsibilities
  • Analyst and Team Leader responsibilities on the Financial Institutions Team
  • Member of both the Small-Cap and All-Cap Investment Committees
  • Experience began in 1994
  • Joined Brandes Investment Partners in 1999
  • Limited partner of the firm’s parent company
  • Prior Career Highlights
  • Analyst on the Basic Materials Team with Brandes Investment Partners
  • Portfolio Analyst with First Quadrant L.P.
  • Certified Public Accountant with Arthur Andersen
• Education and Skills
• MBA with an emphasis in finance (with honors) from Columbia University
• BS in accounting from Loyola Marymount University

Charles H. Brandes, CFA
Founder and Chairman

• Experience
• Founded Brandes Investment Partners in 1974
• Current Responsibilities
• Shares responsibility for driving strategic decisions and monitoring implementation of the firm’s vision and objectives
• Member of the All-Cap Investment Committee
• Member of the Investment Oversight Committee, which monitors the processes and activities of the firm’s investment committees
• Member of the Brandes Institute Advisory Board
• Investment experience began in 1968
• Other Activities
• Former board member of several organizations involved in scientific, charitable and cultural work, including the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, where he also served as Chair of the Investment Committee
• Author of “Brandes on Value: the Independent Investor,” published in 2014
• Author of “Value Investing Today,” published in 2003
• Frequent lecturer at graduate business schools, CFA Society meetings and industry conferences worldwide
• Education and Awards
• BA in economics from Bucknell University
• Recipient of lifetime achievement awards from Bucknell University and the London Value Investor Conference

Michael Hutchens, CFA
Director, Investments Group

• Experience
  • Current Responsibilities
  • Analyst responsibilities on the Financial Institutions Research Team
  • Member of the Small-Mid Cap and All-Cap Investment Committees
  • Experience began in 1994
  • Joined Brandes Investment Partners in 2001
  • Limited partner of the firm’s parent company
  • Prior Career Highlights
  • Bank examiner with the Federal Reserve System
• Education and Skills
• MBA with a concentration in finance from Columbia Business School
• BS in business with a concentration in finance from Indiana University

Kenneth Little, CFA
Managing Director, Investments Group

• Experience
  • Current Responsibilities
  • Managing Director, Investments Group, leading the firm’s overall research efforts and overseeing the product investment committees
  • Member of the All-Cap and Global Large-Cap Investment Committees
  • Analyst and Team Leader responsibilities on the Basic Materials and Utilities Research Teams
  • Member of the Senior Management Team, which is responsible for the firm's day-to-day operations and long-term strategic direction
  • Member of the Corporate Governance Committee
  • Experience began in 1996
  • Joined Brandes Investment Partners in 1996
  • Limited partner of the firm’s parent company
  • Prior Career Highlights
  • Senior Accountant with KPMG
• Education and Skills
• MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University
• BS in accounting from the University of La Verne
• Certified Public Accountant (inactive)

Gerardo Zamorano, CFA
Director, Investments Group

• Experience
  • Current Responsibilities
  • Analyst and Team Leader responsibilities on the Telecommunications Research Team
  • Member of the Emerging Markets and All-Cap Investment Committees
  • Experience began in 1995
  • Joined Brandes Investment Partners in 1999
  • Limited partner of the firm’s parent company
  • Prior Career Highlights
  • Assistant Investment Officer in the Latin America Department with the International Finance Corporation (part of the World Bank Group)
• Education and Skills
• MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management of Northwestern University
• BSE (magna cum laude) from the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania
• Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese