Lessons From Leaders #10: Interview with Sue Thompson, Executive Vice President and Head of SPDR Americas Distribution

How do our most senior leaders, and those that offer them consultation, feel about the direction and trajectory of our industry?

What is their outlook on the future state of wholesaling and, based on their considerable experiences, what lessons would they help us all learn?

Welcome to The New Wholesaler Masterminds Radio Show and this special series of episodes we’re calling: Lessons From Leaders

In this episode, sponsored by Money Management Institute’s Center for Distribution Excellence, we interview: Sue Thompson, Executive Vice President and Head of SPDR Americas Distribution:

Sue Thompson is an executive vice president of State Street Global Advisors and serves as Head of SPDR Americas Distribution. In this role, she is responsible for developing and leading the SPDR ETF distribution strategy across all client channels in the Americas, including institutional, intermediary and strategic relationships.

Prior to joining State Street Global Advisors in 2018, she was at Thompson Peak Advisory where she was CEO and President of her own consulting firm, advising some of the world’s largest and most sophisticated investment managers on their growth and distribution strategies.

Previously, Sue worked for BlackRock for eight years where she was responsible for growing the iShares franchise with the intermediary and institutional asset manager channels in the Americas. Prior to BlackRock, Sue was at Vanguard, where she held a number of positions culminating in a senior role in developing their ETF business.

Sue is recognized for recruiting, developing and mentoring future leaders and has played a significant role in nurturing female talent across the ETF industry. She serves on the board of Women in ETFs, where she is a founding member. Sue is a graduate of the University of California, Davis School of Law and a Member of the California State Bar association. She holds a BA (Accounting) from the University of Washington.