Long-time consultant Steve Moore joins asset manager. Asset management firm Russell Investment Group recently made former National Football League (NFL) coach Steve Moore director of practice management for its U.S. distribution business. That means he oversees Russell’s efforts to advise financial professionals on ways to expand their businesses and serve their clients more efficiently.

“Steve has a demonstrated track record of helping advisor organizations transform their businesses by achieving focus and driving bottom-line performance,” says Craig Wainscott head of “knowledge capital” at Russell. “He is a leading facilitator, mentor and coach and we are excited that he is now available exclusively from us to help financial professionals with the practice management issues that often stand in the way of them taking their businesses to the next level.”

Motivator

Moore comes to Russell from his own consulting firm, Moore Solutions , which he founded in 1993. Russell and Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft were his principal clients. Before that he was a managing director and then CEO of the Pacific Institute, a Seattle-based consultancy that specializes in performance improvement and professional growth, change management and leadership development.

In a 20-year football career, Moore went from coaching at high schools in Texas and California to coaching for the Seattle Seahawks and the Buffalo Bills in the NFL. Highlights along the way included coaching stints at Rice University and the United States Military Academy at West Point.

In his new role, Moore oversees Russell’s practice-management services for financial professionals. He’s in charge of the firm’s “High Speed Strategic Planning” sessions, which are meant to give advisors practical information and strategies for expanding their businesses and improving the value they bring to clients. Moore will also work with the firm’s “Russell University” education program to deliver training, advice and support to financial professionals on matters such as business-plan development, succession planning, marketing, client relationship management and time management. He reports to Wainscott.

Tacoma, Wash.-based Russell Investment Group is part of the Frank Russell Company, a subsidiary of Milwaukee, Wisc.-based Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance. Russell managed more than $133 billion in advisory assets at the end of March 2005. –FWR

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