Long standing fund selector Belén Blanco Jerez has been appointed director of BBVA Asset Management (BBVA AM) for Europe.

She will be responsible for BBVA asset management business in Spain, Luxembourg and Portugal, with assets under management of €80bn.

She replaces Luis Megías, who is leaving the bank to undertake new professional projects with BlackRock.

Since 2012, Belén Blanco has been responsible for BBVA Quality Funds, the BBVA unit responsible for the selection of third-party investment funds, and a member of the BBVA AM & Global Wealth Business Committee.

She has almost 30 years of experience in the financial markets, the last 25 at BBVA AM & Global Wealth, where she has held different positions related to asset management, including head of Fixed Income and member of the Investment Committee, and head of of BBVA AM product design.

BBVA AM is the unit that encompasses the investment and pension fund managers of the BBVA Group, with leading market positions in both Spain and Latin America.

The Spanish-headquartered investment house manages global assets of more than €162bn. In Europe, the volume of assets under management amounts to €80bn.