State Street’s all-female independent fiduciary team built decades of loyalty — among clients and each other

State Street's independent fiduciary services team has represented plan participants and beneficiaries for more than 35 years, and its membership has been predominantly female for about two decades, according to Denise Sisk, a managing director who heads the team. Pensions & Investments reported that the team provides oversight for $75.7 billion in company stock assets as of Sept. 30, 2026. The service is used by companies in situations where a potential conflict of interest requires an independent party to act solely on behalf of plan participants, particularly when a client's investment committee cannot do so.

Sisk joined the team in 2005 after moving from the legal side of the business. She said that clients now have "much more awareness" of these conflicts than they did 20 years ago, and that they "appreciate the expertise more" while facing "a lot more resource constraints" than before. The team's work centers on company stock, pension risk transfers and insurer selection. Sisk, now one of four women in the group, said the team has "tons of long-tenure clients," and that its least-experienced member has spent more than 18 years at the firm.

Sisk attributed the team's cohesion to efficiency, collaboration and an "authentic" approach to client relationships. The members, all of whom have children, also support one another during family commitments, with colleagues covering missed client meetings or calls. Separately, Lori Heinel, State Street Investment Management's outgoing global CIO, told Pensions & Investments earlier this year that women building investing careers should give themselves "permission to do things that are important" in their personal lives.