A global fund services chief has left a Northwestern fund firm after more than three decades, and a 29-year company veteran is taking his place.

On March 2, Mark Swanson, global head of fund services at Seattle-based Russell Investments, retired from the company. Swanson started with Russell thirty-three years ago. He now serves as an independent trustee with State Street Global Advisors.

Swanson did not return a call for comment. Russell chief operating officer Vernon Barback did not return a call or email for comment. A pair of SSGA spokespeople did not return calls for comment.

A Russell spokesperson confirms that Swanson has been replaced as senior director and head of global fund services by Kari Seabrands. Seabrands joined Russell twenty-nine years ago and worked closely with Swanson during that time. She most recently served as director in fund administration.

The spokesperson describes the handoff between these two as a "very orderly transition."

Swanson is an alumnus of the University of Washington.

Seabrands started with Russell in 1994 as a product implementation manager in global fund operations, a position she held for seventeen years. Between 2012 and 2023, she served in a variety of roles related to product management and fund administration. From 1991 to 1994, she was with Ernst and Young as a senior accountant. Seabrands is an alumna of Biola University. 

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