It is just over a year since former BlackRock veteran Joe Linhares joined Russell Investments to oversee its business across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and he appears to have fully embraced the merits of active management.

“What’s exciting about Europe is there is still support for active managers,” said Linhares, who was one of the main architects behind the rapid expansion of BlackRock’s now-behemoth European exchange traded funds arm, iShares, during its formative years.