Russell Investments
turns 75
Celebrates anniversaries in North America, Australia, Asia and EMEA; thanks clients around the world
SEATTLE, MAY 3, 2011 - Russell Investments turns 75 this week and also celebrates its 25th anniversary this year in Australia and Asia; and 15 in the Netherlands. The company is marking these anniversaries throughout the year by thanking its clients around the world, and celebrating its steady and influential contributions to the asset management industry since 1936.
"More than any single achievement, we are most proud of the fact that Russell has remained a fixture at the very leading edge of innovation while maintaining our position as one of the most trusted financial advisors and intermediaries in the world," said Andrew Doman, president and CEO of Russell. "We will never lose sight of the fact that our clients are our priority and they come to us with complex challenges and wide-ranging objectives. Our commitment in return is to continually provide our clients with the right solutions, and to deliver them with the highest level of integrity."
History
Over the course of Russell's history, the company has come to define many of the practices that are now considered standard in the investment world. A timeline of the company's milestones and innovations can be found here. Among the highlights:
- 1936 - Russell is founded as a brokerage firm in Tacoma, Washington.
- The 1950s - George Russell joins the company and embarks on what would become 40 years of iconic leadership, not only for Russell but for the entire asset management industry.
- The 1960s - Russell helps pioneer the business of pension fund consulting. Its first client in that business, J.C. Penney Company, Inc, is still a client today.
- The 1970s - Russell goes global and opens an office in London, its first outside the United States. Today, approximately half of Russell's business and people are outside the United States.
- The 1980s - Russell launches multi-manager investing, and creates the Russell Indexes -- benchmarks that are used more today than all other institutional indexes combined.
- The 1990s - Russell's global expansion accelerates, and Russell 20-20 is founded with the aim of connecting developing nations in need of capital with potential investors who can make an influential difference.
- The last 10 years - Russell passes $100 billion in assets under management, now managing $161 billion (as of 3/31/11). The Russell Indexes go global with the launch of Russell Global Indexes. Russell remains at the forefront of innovation with launches including Enhanced Asset Allocation, ETFs, Target Date Benchmarking, dynamic liability management and Select Exposure™ (which stakes new ground between active and passive money management).
Today and the road ahead
Russell comes to market today with greater reach, wider influence and more relevance than ever before. The company has $161 billion in assets under management (as of 3/31/11), $2 trillion in assets under advisement (as of 12/31/2010), and trades approximately $1.4 trillion annually through its implementation services business. Nearly $4 trillion in assets follow the Russell Global Indexes, which span 50,000 benchmarks, 63 countries and more than 10,000 securities.
Russell's unique strengths are particularly timely and adaptable to specific client needs. The company offers:
- Single-manager, multi-manager, ETF and Select Exposure capabilities;
- Active management, passive management, and blends;
- Targeted exposure management and total portfolio management;
- Advice, management and execution.
"While other investment firms manufacture products end-to-end, we assemble solutions selecting the best parts to meet our clients' specific needs; and we do so free of conflict, bias or self-interest," said Doman. "It's an important distinction, and goes right to the heart of our values as an organization. In short, Russell sits on the same side of the table as our clients."
As investors of every size continue to re-assess their risk appetites and investment horizons, and move away from pure-return approaches in favor of more thoughtful, outcome-oriented multi-strategy solutions, Russell believes the market is moving en masse to its way of investing.
"Looking forward to the next 75 years, we have good reason to believe that the best of Russell is still to come," said Doman.
About Russell Investments
Russell Investments is an independent, global financial services firm that provides strategic advice, investment solutions, implementation services and global performance benchmarks that are customized to meet the unique needs of institutional investors, financial advisors and individuals.
Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2011, and 25 years in Sydney and Tokyo and 15 years in the Netherlands, Russell has pioneered innovations that have come to define many of the practices that are standard in the investment world today, and has four decades of experience researching and selecting money managers globally.
Russell has about $161 billion in assets under management (as of 3/31/11) and works with 2,300 institutional clients, 530 independent distribution partners and millions of individual investors globally. As a consultant to some of the largest pools of capital in the world, Russell has $2 trillion in assets under advisement (as of 12/31/2010) and traded $1.4 trillion last year through its implementation services business. The Russell Global Indexes calculate over 50,000 benchmarks daily covering 63 countries and more than 10,000 securities.
Founded in 1936, Russell is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, USA and has offices in Amsterdam, Auckland, Chicago, London, Melbourne, Milan, 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 www.russell.com.
