Sponsors

With 80 years’ experience in fund management, Pioneer Investments (the “Group”) has a history few asset management companies can match. Pioneer Investments flagship fund, Pioneer Fund™, is the third oldest mutual fund in the United States. It has not only weathered volatile market conditions, but has outperformed common stocks, long term bonds, US Treasury Bills and inflation since its foundation in 1928.

Innovation is part of Pioneer’s heritage. At the forefront of the establishment of the modern US mutual fund industry, Pioneer Investments is an industry leader in the development of this market in Europe. The Group was the first asset management company to launch investment funds in Italy, first in Germany to register US mutual funds under the Foreign Investments Act, and first to distribute open-ended investment funds in Poland. In 2002 it acquired the Momentum Group, which in keeping with Pioneer Investments’ tradition of innovation, is one of the founders of the funds of hedge funds industry.

In October 2000, UniCredito Italiano S.p.A. ("UniCredit") completed its acquisition of the Pioneer Group, Inc., further bolstering the capabilities of its asset management operations in Milan and Dublin. Through the consolidation of these powerful investment houses, Pioneer Investments is ideally positioned to expand its global reach and penetrate deeper into each market.

The main activity of Pioneer Investments is the management and distribution of over 180 investment funds and alternative investments. With investment centres in Boston, Dublin, Milan and Singapore, it manages assets worth €181 billion as on 30th April 2011. Headquartered in Milan, Pioneer Investments has a presence in over 28 countries around the world.The investment process is active, bottom-up and research-driven, based upon the principles of fundamental investing that Pioneer Investments has used since 1928. The approach enables Pioneer Investments to make informed judgements about how industries and companies have operated in the past, about their future behaviour and about the effects of these variables on stock prices. We add a strong quantitative discipline to this process, which supports the work of fundamental analysts and keeps a close check on the investment risks for its funds.

*Pioneer Investments is a trading name of the Pioneer Global Asset Management S.p.A. group of companies ("PGAM"). PGAM is a wholly owned subsidiary of UniCredit S.p.A.

In the Indian banking universe, Bank of Baroda occupies a distinct position.whose name inspires confidence among its customers. Bank of Baroda is a state-owned bank with more than 100 years of successful existence.

The biggest strength is its uninterrupted profit performance and consistent record in dividend payments. Its track record in the market, sound financials, its contribution to social sectors and even to policy-making has given the Bank a unique place in the marketplace.

Bank of Baroda’s vast distribution channel of domestic branches (at 3,471 on 30th April, 2011), extension counters and ATMs (at 1,576), and a strong international presence in 26 countries (excluding India) covering regions like U.S.A., U.K., Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific zones has ensured a wide global client base of 38 million.