Small-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

Yingbin Chen, CFA
Director, Investments Group

• Experience
• Current Responsibilities
• Analyst responsibilities on the Technology Research Team
• Member of the Small-Cap Investment Committee
• Experience began in 2001
• Joined Brandes Investment Partners in 2001
• Limited partner of the firm’s parent company
• Prior Career Highlights
• Technology Officer with Citicorp
• Technology Consultant with Hewlett Packard
• Education and Skills
• International MBA (with high honors) from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business
• MS in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University
• Fluent in Chinese

Mark Costa, CFA
Director, Investments Group

• Experience
  • Current Responsibilities
  • Analyst responsibilities on the Industrials Research Team
  • Member of the Small-Cap Investment Committee
  • Product Coordinator for the Small-Cap Investment Committee
  • Experience began in 2000
  • Joined Brandes Investment Partners in 2000
  • Limited partner of the firm’s parent company
• Education and Skills
  • BS in finance with distinction from San Diego State University

Luiz G. Sauerbronn
Director, Investments Group

• Experience
  • Current Responsibilities
  • Analyst responsibilities on the Industrials Research Team
  • Member of the International Large-Cap and Small-Cap Investment Committees
  • Member of the Corporate Governance Committee
  • Experience began in 1995
  • Joined Brandes Investment Partners in 2001
  • Limited partner of the firm’s parent company
  • Prior Career Highlights
  • Summer Associate with J.P. Morgan
  • Manager of Mergers and Acquisitions Advisory Team with Banco Brascan (part of Brookfield Asset Management) in Brazil
  • Trainee with Royal Dutch Shell
• Education and Skills
• MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley
• BS in economics from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro