Steer Joins BNY Mellon After Year-Long Term at Russell

(January 9, 2012)  —  Cynthia Steer has re-emerged at fund giant BNY Mellon Investment Management as Head of Manager Research & Investment Solutions, a month after leaving Russell Investments following a year-long tenure.

Steer succeeds Phil Maisano, who retired earlier this year, the company announced today. She will report to Curtis Arledge, Chief Executive Officer of BNY Mellon Investment Management, and Mitchell Harris, President of the company.

Steer had joined Russell Investments in December 2010 after a seven-year stint at consultants RogersCasey where she had latterly been Chief Research Strategist, focusing on long-term asset class trends and program implementation. Steer left Russell in December last year.

At Russell she had looked at the importance of currency fluctuations to institutional investors’ portfolios.  Steer has long challenged the pension plan industry’s philosophy on foreign exchange- primarily stemming from her days as a corporate plan CIO and manager of FX for a corporation. Last year she told aiCIO that FX and its potentially disastrous effect on portfolio performance were “the number one issue that plan sponsors have to deal with”.

At BNY Mellon, Steer will have responsibility for performance oversight, due diligence and analysis of investment performance across BNY Mellon Investment Management, the company said today. She will also be the senior investment advisor to the executive management of BNY Mellon Investment Management.  

Steer will focus on measuring and analysing the firm’s investment strategies and on its overall solutions effort.  In addition, she will provide ongoing thought leadership on global investment strategy.

Watch an aiCIO Consultant Corner video with Cynthia Steer, conducted in January.