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Russell bolsters global alternatives capabilities
New appointments and expansion plans announced for Russell's global alternative investments team; Nicole Connolly joins as head of alternatives advice in Australia

Tacoma, WA — March 15, 2010 — Russell Investments is expanding its manager research and consulting advisory services globally in an effort to deepen capabilities in less traditional strategies such as active commodities, private investments and higher-alpha-driven strategies. The expansion includes plans to appoint more than 25 new specialist resources to Russell's global talent pool in Australia, Asia, Japan, Europe and the Americas. The new resources include senior consultants, senior investment strategists and manager research analysts.

In Australia, Nicole Connolly has been appointed as head of alternatives advice. Connolly will be responsible for directing Russell's alternative strategy for consulting clients and joins Russell from Telstra Super where her most recent role was portfolio manager – alternative assets. Connolly has more than ten years of experience in the alternative assets space across all major asset classes and brings extensive knowledge of the superannuation and investment industry, having also previously worked at AMP Capital Investors.

In addition, several internal moves to alternatives-focused roles include Paul Kreiselmeier, senior research analyst, Leola Ross, senior investment strategist, Lee Kayser, research analyst and Mark Paris, senior research analyst. These roles reside in the U.S. and are integrated into Russell's global investment network, which allows clients to draw on the best of Russell worldwide, regardless of where they are located.

Victor Leverett, managing director of Russell's global alternative investments team, said the expansion underpins Russell's strategic direction to deepen manager research capabilities in this area, broaden the product range in liquid markets and extend as appropriate into illiquid markets.

"Expertise in less traditional strategies is becoming increasingly important as investors consider alternative assets in the wake of the global financial crisis. I am confident that we have the skills and experience to deliver an innovative approach for clients around the world who are seeking greater insight on alternative investments," said Leverett.

Janine Baldridge, Russell's global head of consulting and advisory services, added, "This effort will greatly enhance the breadth of Russell's consulting advice and will continue to increase the diversity of our strategies and solutions across the globe."

About Russell
Founded in 1936, Russell Investments is a global financial services firm that serves institutional investors, financial advisers and individuals in more than 40 countries. Over the course of its history, Russell's innovations have come to define many of the practices that are standard in the investment world today, and have earned the company a reputation for excellence and leadership.

Through a unique combination of wide-ranging and inter-linked businesses, Russell delivers financial products, services and advice. A pioneer, Russell began its strategic pension fund consulting business in 1969 and today is trusted by many well-known worldwide institutions for investment advice. The firm has $176 billion in assets under management (as of 12/31/09) in its mutual funds, retirement products, and institutional funds, and is well recognized for its depth of research and quality of manager selection. Russell offers a comprehensive range of implementation services that helps institutional clients maximize their assets. The Russell Indexes calculates over 50,000 benchmarks daily covering 65 countries and more than 10,000 securities.

Russell is headquartered in Tacoma, Washington, USA with offices in Amsterdam, Auckland, Johannesburg, London, Melbourne, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo and Toronto. For more information about how Russell helps to improve financial security for people, visit us at www.russell.com.

Contact:
Kate Stouffer: 206-505-1858
Matt Burkhard: 718-875-2122




Russell Investment Group, a Washington, USA corporation, operates through subsidiaries worldwide including Russell Investments. Russell Investment Group is a subsidiary of The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company.

First Used: March 2010
USI #6005
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