Michelle Seitz

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

MeydenVest Partners

Former Chair & Chief Executive Officer

Russell Investments

Michelle Seitz is a veteran CEO, investor and expert on global financial markets. She is the Founder and CEO of MeydenVest Parters, LLC., a private investment and strategic advisory firm.

Michelle served as Chair and CEO of Russell investments from 2017-2022. In 2022, Russell was one of the largest advisors in the world with $300 billion in AUM and $1.2 trillion under advisement for clients in 31 countries. During her five year tenure as Chair and CEO, she reset the firm's vision and strategic direction, strengthened the executive team, modernized client offerings by adding leading-edge capabilities around private markets and ESG investing, and elevated diversity and inclusion programs. Michelle expanded the company around its purpose to improve people’s financial security.

Michelle is a frequent keynote speaker on global markets, financial security, inclusive capitalism, diversity and inclusion, leadership, and innovation. With over three decades of success as an investor and CEO, she consistently appears on Barron’s list of "The Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance," and American Banker’s list of the "Most Powerful Women in Finance." She was awarded an ‘Alumni Fellow’ by Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business in 2017.

Before joining Russell, Michelle spent 22 years at William Blair, where she was CEO of William Blair Investment Management (WBIM) and on William Blair’s corporate board of directors for 16 years. Taking the CEO role at age 35, Michelle led William Blair’s institutional, mutual fund, and private wealth management businesses. Championing continuous innovation, she drove a five-fold growth at WBIM and transformed the $11 billion business from its regional high-net-worth roots into a $74 billion global asset management firm and five-time winner of the “Best Places to Work in Money Management.” She cultivated a culture of client-centric excellence, values-based leadership, and employee engagement.

With 20-plus years of corporate director experience, Michelle currently serves on the boards of Sana Biotechnology (Nasdaq: SANA) and Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. She is a member of the New York Economic Club, the Chicago Economic Club, YPO, IWF, and C200.

Michelle is a former director on the Financial Accounting Foundation Board which oversees FASB and GASB, the ICI Board of Governors, the Washington Roundtable, co-chair of Challenge Seattle and Fortune’s CEO Initiative Collaborative on Building Stronger Communities.