He went on sabbatical at the end of March 2009, having managed the BlackRock Gold and General Fund since 1999 and the BlackRock World Mining IT since 1993.
He had been the head of BlackRock’s highly rated natural resources team.
The BlackRock Gold and General Fund’s factsheet is the most viewed over a one-year period on Trustnet. It is currently ranked the highest performer over three years in the unit trust and OEIC universe.
Source: Financial Express Analytics
Evy Hambro, who ran the fund while Birch took his sabbatical, is to continue the management, and BlackRock says there will be no change to the fund’s investment strategy.
"Hambro has worked with Birch for a long time, and BlackRock’s natural resources team is a strong one, so we would not expect his leaving to have a big impact on its performance. It will be one to watch, but is not a big concern for investors," Jonathan Wallis, director of fund research at Allenbridge said.
Hambro is also manager of BlackRock Global Funds (BGF) World Mining Fund and BGF World Gold Fund.
Eight of BGF World Gold Fund’s top ten holdings match BlackRock Gold & General’s, indicating that the changeover should not have a huge impact on the fund.