Richard Plackett, CA, Managing Director and portfolio manager, is Head of the UK Small/Mid Cap Team in the Fundamental Equity division of BlackRock's Portfolio Management Group. Richard Plackett has been managing the BlackRock UK Special Situations Fund since June 2004. Richard has 22 years of investment experience which includes 18 years specialising in small/mid cap investing. He also co-manages the BlackRock UK Smaller Companies Fund and leads the BlackRock UK Small/Mid Cap team, comprising of four portfolio managers all of whom conduct research and contribute investment ideas. He has also been joint manager of The Throgmorton Trust since July 2008.Mr Plackett's service with the firm dates back to 2002, including his years with Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (MLIM), which merged with BlackRock in 2006. Prior to joining MLIM in 2002, Mr Plackett worked for M&G, where he managed the smaller companies and income fund teams, as well as heading up the entire UK investment process. He began his career at 3i private equity. Mr Plackett earned an MA in Economics from Cambridge University in 1985.