Cohen Named Head of Russell DC Business

Cohen is replacing Richard (Dick) Davies, who has left the firm. He is responsible for the leadership, strategic direction and growth of Russell’s institutional DC business. Based in Russell’s Chicago office, Cohen assumed the role on December 9 and reports to Greg Gilbert, CEO, Americas Institutional.

Most recently Cohen helped steer Russell through enhancements to the Russell LifePoints Institutional Target Date Funds, implementation of several custom target-date mandates, the introduction of the Russell Real Asset Fund for qualified institutional investors, and the launch of Russell Adaptive Retirement Accounts. In keeping with his focus on DC product and industry innovation, Cohen often lends his expertise on the topics of plan design, the incorporation of alternative assets into target date funds or stand-alone investment options, automatic enrollment strategies designed to overcome investor inertia, the next generation of target date investing, and steps plan sponsors can take to evolve their 401(k) programs from “good enough” to “best in class.”

“American workers are increasingly relying on DC plans for their retirement security, but too few are saving appropriately for retirement, and plan investment menus often fall short of providing an institutional quality approach,” says Cohen. “Russell is well positioned to assist plan sponsors in addressing this challenge and meeting their fiduciary obligations.”

Cohen is a member of the Department of Labor’s Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans (ERISA Advisory Council), a 15-member council providing advice on policies and regulations affecting employee benefit plans governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. Cohen is also actively involved with other industry organizations such as the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA) and the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).