Investec Asset Management has announcde the continuing expansion of its specialist Credit team with the appointment of Leah Parento to the role of specialist credit analyst. This builds upon the recent hire of Jeff Burch and Theodore Stamos, both from credit hedge fund Blue Mountain Capital, and further expands Investec Asset Management’s specialist credit capability.

Parento joins from Royal Bank of Scotland where she worked as a senior credit analyst in the Principal Strategies Trading group and on the Local Markets trading desk. Prior to this she was part of Barclays Capital’s Fixed Income Credit Research team.

Parento joins Investec Asset Management’s 33-strong Fixed Income Team which currently manages in excess of $20 billion in fixed income assets, including $6bn in emerging markets debt.

Commenting on the new hires, co-Head of Fixed Income John Stopford said, “We are continuing to strengthen our specialist Credit team to capture the investment opportunities we see evolving over the medium-term and to manage the record net inflows received by Investec Asset Management so far this year. We have built a successful 25-year track record as a specialist fixed income and currency manager by creating relevant investment capabilities for our clients such as our Investment Grade Corporate Bond, Emerging Markets Debt and Currency High Alpha strategies, managed using well established processes by an experienced team. Leah’s credit knowledge and skills are a welcome addition to this team.”