SEATTLE, November 25, 2015 – After a record 40% growth in assets traded for clients in the Asia-Pacific region in 2014, Russell Investments’ implementation services team has expanded with the addition of two new portfolio manager roles in Sydney and Tokyo.

"Globally, we’ve seen increased demand for efficient, cost-effective portfolio management," said Troy Rucker, managing director, implementation services. "In Asia-Pacific, implementation clients have hired us for a range of assignments, including transition management, currency implementation, execution services and portfolio overlays."

He added that Russell Investments’ agency approach has gained increased attention in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in Australia where superannuation funds look to improve the efficiency of their investing and are drawn to Russell Investments’ transparency in regards to its implementation services and client-aligned business model.

"As investors face changing market conditions, ensuring that they have a trusted implementation partner has become vitally important," added Rucker. "Russell Investments is assisting funds with complex overlay assignments across all asset classes, as well as managing broad portfolio restructures and transactional events in both global equity and fixed income."

In 2014, Russell Investments traded more than US$1.7 trillion globally through its implementation services business. The firm’s implementation services include transition management, interim portfolio management, portfolio emulation, overlay services, foreign exchange (FX) agency trading, and commission management.

Depth of implementation skill in Asia-Pacific grows

Responding to the growing demand for the firm’s implementation services, Russell Investments added the two new portfolio manager positions and has also expanded the breadth of responsibilities for two of its senior leaders.

Jared Bennett has joined the firm’s implementation team in Sydney. Bennett previously worked in financial modeling at Colonial First State Global Asset Management in Sydney. Also, Oyunjargal Khuyagdorj joined the team in Tokyo as a senior portfolio analyst. Khuyagdorj previously worked at Nomura Securities.

Regarding expanded responsibilities, John Venardos, now serves as director, Implementation Services – Australasia; and Hajime Takigawa was promoted to senior portfolio manager in Japan. Venardos’ enhanced role includes all of Asia ex-Japan, bringing his 20 years of experience in implementation services and transition management to more clients. Before joining Russell Investments in 2014, he was director, transition management, Asia Pacific for BNY Mellon. Prior to this, Venardos held senior implementation services positions at RBC Dexia and BNP Paribas. Takigawa, who serves Russell Investments’ implementation clients in Japan, manages the firm’s Tokyo-based implementation team.

Meanwhile, John Moore, in his role as President of Russell Investments Japan, continues to provide key support and insight to clients and the broad business.

"Implementation capabilities are core to managing clients’ multi-asset portfolios," said Rucker. "As more clients in Asia-Pacific look for ways to manage risks and improve portfolio performance, we are delighted to promote experienced professionals and expand the team dedicated to meeting our clients’ implementation needs."

About Russell Investments

Russell Investments is a global asset manager and one of only a few firms that offers actively managed multi-asset portfolios and services that include advice, investments and implementation. Russell Investments stands with institutional investors, financial advisors and individuals working with their advisors–using the firm's core capabilities that extend across capital market insights, manager research, asset allocation, portfolio implementation and factor exposures—to help each achieve their desired investment outcomes.

Russell Investments has more than AUD $337.9 billion in assets under management (as of 30/9/2015) and works with more than 2,500 institutional clients, independent distribution partners and individual investors globally. As a consultant to some of the largest pools of capital in the world, Russell Investments has $2.4 trillion in assets under advisement (as of 12/31/2014). The firm has four decades of experience researching and selecting investment managers and meets annually with more than 2,200 managers around the world. Russell Investments also traded more than $1.7 trillion in 2014 through its implementation services business.

Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Russell Investments operates globally, including through its offices in Seattle, New York, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Milan, Dubai, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, Toronto, Chicago and Milwaukee. For more information about how Russell Investments helps to improve financial security for people, visit https://russellinvestments.com/au.