Russell Investments Names Jennifer McPeek as CFO
The new head means the 82-year-old firm has women in both of its highest roles.
Jennifer McPeek
In hiring Jennifer McPeek as its chief financial officer, Russell Investments has attained a rare distinction for a top asset manager with women in two of its top roles.
McPeek previously worked as the CFO and chief operating and strategy officer at Janus Henderson Investors since 2009. She also held roles at ING, McKinsey, and Goldman Sachs. The new CFO will oversee the 82-year-old firm’s accounting, tax, treasury, management reporting, and planning divisions. She will also handle Russell’s corporate services as well as its global sourcing and procurement teams.
McPeek will report to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michelle Seitz. She succeeds Matt Moss, who left in April.
Seitz called McPeek a “deeply experienced senior executive,” and said it is now a “critical and exciting time” for the asset management industry as more women are landing high executive positions and board seats.
Seitz added that this year the firm saw its best net flows since 2007.
McPeek said she is looking forward to working with the Russell team, which she concluded is “wholly focused on delivering value for clients, leveraging our time-tested portfolio construction capabilities and an unmatched implementation platform. I believe the potential for growth and value creation within the industry is tremendous.”
McPeek is a chartered financial analyst and also sits on the board of trustees for Warren Village, a nonprofit organization that helps low-income, single-parent families.
Russell Investments has $290 billion in assets under management and has about $2.3 trillion in assets under advisement.