Brennan Named Russell CEO

Brennan succeeds Andrew Doman, who will become chairman of the board. Ed Zore, who served as chairman since 2008, will remain on the board as a director. Brennan will also be a director on Russell’s board.

Based in Seattle, Brennan recently re-joined Russell as chief executive of the EMEA business, a position he will continue to hold in addition to his new global responsibilities. He is expected to spend a significant portion of his time in the firm’s London office as well.

According to a company announcement, Brennan has more than twenty years of experience at Russell, dating back to 1985, and has held a number of senior management positions, most recently as managing director of Individual Investor Services. He previously managed Russell’s Toronto and London offices and, notably, launched the firm’s first multi-manager investment funds outside the United States. In 2005, Brennan joined Rainier Investment Management, Inc., where he served as president and CEO for six years.

“My priorities for Russell are to constantly evolve our business in order to meet the changing needs of our clients globally, while preserving the DNA that has made this company exceptional for 75 years,” Brennan said, in the announcement. “I am committed to ensuring that our core values and purpose as an organization remain unchanging guideposts for everything that we do.”

During his two and a half years as president and CEO, Doman was able to expand the firm’s global footprint, grow its product and service offerings, and help re-ignite the firm’s spirit of innovation, according to the announcement. In his new role, Russell will continue to benefit from Doman’s experience, knowledge and strategic points of view.

“I believe we have found in Len the right successor to take Russell to the next stage of the firm’s growth,” said Doman. “Len is one of the architects of what Russell is today. The rest of the board and I are confident that he possesses the right mix of visionary leadership and ties to Russell’s rich legacy to effectively lead the organization forward.”