LONDON, November 19, 2009 — BNY Mellon Alternative Investment Services has been appointed as global custodian by The Sturgeon Fund, the Central-Asia focused hedge fund managed since 2006 by Clemente Cappello.

BNY Mellon Alternative Investment Services provides custody services to market leading hedge funds, and its funds of hedge funds servicing capability allows clients to focus on their own core competencies and client relationships. The company's global strength, financial stability and its commitment to client service were the reasons Sturgeon mandated BNY Mellon for this important task.

Taco Sieburgh Sjoerdsma, who joined Sturgeon Capital as CFO in June of this year, said: "Through a thorough selection process, we chose to work with BNY Mellon as it is very well capitalized and has extensive emerging markets coverage. BNY Mellon's experience, reputation and credit rating as a custodian were also key. Appointing BNY Mellon is part of an upgrade of our corporate infrastructure, which also includes opening an office in London, FSA authorisation and redomiciling the Fund's investment manager from Cayman to Malta."

David Aldrich, managing director and head of alternative investment services EMEA at BNY Mellon said: "BNY Mellon is committed to helping our hedge fund clients reduce their counterparty risk while allowing them to continue to use their preferred broker. Our appointment allows Sturgeon to consolidate its unencumbered cash and securities portfolio with one custodian, bringing operational efficiencies."

BNY Mellon Alternative Investment Services is a leading private equity and hedge fund administrator with over $210 billion in assets under administration and an extensive global presence, including locations in Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Japan, Singapore and the United Kingdom, as well as US offices in California, Florida, New Jersey and New York. In addition to alternative fund administration the company offers a wide range of cash management, foreign exchange, collateral management, trust, operational outsourcing and custody services to the hedge fund industry.

BNY Mellon is the corporate brand of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, a global financial services company focused on helping clients manage and service their financial assets, operating in 34 countries and serving more than 100 markets. The company is a leading provider of financial services for institutions, corporations and high-net-worth individuals, providing superior asset management and wealth management, asset servicing, issuer services, clearing services and treasury services through a worldwide client-focused team. It has $22.1 trillion in assets under custody and administration, $966 billion in assets under management, services $11.9 trillion in outstanding debt and processes global payments averaging $1.6 trillion per day. Additional information is available at www.bnymellon.com.