Pioneer Investments has appointed John Pollen as portfolio manager of Pioneer Emerging Markets Fund, effective 27 July.

Pollen is head of emerging markets equity and oversees the firm's global emerging markets equity team. He has over 20 years of experience in managing emerging markets equity assets.

Pollen replaces Christopher Smart as manager of Pioneer Emerging Markets Fund and Pioneer Emerging Markets VCT Portfolio. Smart is leaving Pioneer effective on 24 July to join the Obama administration as deputy assistant secretary of the Treasury for Europe and Eurasia.

There will be no changes to the investment style or strategy of Pioneer Emerging Markets Fund or the related VCT portfolio. As manager of Pioneer's Europe-based emerging markets equity strategies, Pollen has worked closely with Smart for the last five years on investment strategy and stock selection.

Pollen is based in London and oversees two other portfolio managers and 13 analysts specializing in emerging markets equities in Pioneer's Dublin, Moscow, Singapore, and Warsaw offices.

Pioneer Investments is the trade name for Pioneer Global Asset Management and its subsidiaries, a global investment firm with offices in 31 countries and approximately USD227bn in assets under management as of 30 June 2009.