Threadneedle Asset Management Ltd.

Threadneedle was founded in 1994. It actively manages £58.6 bn* of assets providing investment solutions for pension schemes, insurers, private investors, corporations, mutual funds and affiliate group companies. (US$93.75bn, €64.1bn). Source: Threadneedle, as at 30.09.09.

Threadneedle has investment expertise across equities, bonds, property and hedge funds with over 140 talented investment professionals. As a truly international asset manager, Threadneedle reaches customers in over 80 countries and its distribution reaches across four continents.

For more information, visit www.threadneedle.com'

Threadneedle has been involved in the Sustainable and Responsible Investment (SRI) field since 1998 and we believe that well governed companies are better positioned to outperform over time. We run several SRI related mandates but also have a focus on integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) analysis into the investment process, across asset classes and benefiting all funds. The analysis of ESG factors is incorporated into the stock selection process to identify associated risks and opportunities. We continuously work to quantify and measure as well as attribute the real financial returns or even the environmental and social returns, and communicate our work to fund managers and analysts across investment desks. We actively engage with key holdings on ESG issues and carry out global proxy voting. We report extensively on our activities on our corporate website.

In 2009, Threadneedle received two SRI recognitions, being voted ‘Best UK ESG Asset Manager’ by the World Finance Magazine and was also ranked fourth in Thomson Reuters Extel SRI and Sustainability survey.

Threadneedle is the international investment platform and subsidiary for Ameriprise Financial, a leading US financial planning and services company with more than 12,000 financial advisors and registered representatives that provides solutions for clients' asset accumulation, income management and insurance protection needs. Ameriprise Financial was formerly known as the American Express Financial Corporation. It is an independent, publicly traded company (NYSE: AMP). For more information, visit www.ameriprise.com.