Each day, we will profile an innovative leader who was selected for the 2026 edition of Az Business Leaders magazine. Today, meet Rachel Sass, vice president and relationship advisor for The Northern Trust Company.
Rachel M. Sass, The Northern Trust Company
Background: Rachel Sass is a vice president and relationship advisor at Northern Trust. Prior to joining Northern Trust, Rachel was an associate attorney at Rimon, P.C. and Snell & Wilmer, L.L.P. Rachel’s practice concentrated in estate and tax planning. She is well-versed in developing estate plans in a wide variety of circumstances, from simple plans to complex plans for high net worth families. Rachel is a member of the State Bar of Arizona, is a graduate of the Greater Tucson Leadership LEAD program, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Southern Arizona Estate Planning Council and Greater Tucson Leadership.
Upcoming challenge: “Preventing artificial intelligence fraud is one of the biggest challenges that the wealth management industry is facing. To prepare, we are investing in advanced AI-driven fraud detection, enhancing cybersecurity, and training advisors to recognize emerging threats, ensuring client trust and data integrity remain at the core of our services.”
Leadership lesson: “An important leadership lesson I’ve learned is the power of active listening. Truly hearing others builds trust, fosters collaboration, and uncovers deeper insights. Embracing this has shaped my career by strengthening relationships, improving decision-making, and creating a more inclusive, empowered team environment where people feel valued and motivated to excel.”
Surprising fact: “A lot of people may be surprised to learn that I competed in scholarship pageants for 15 years! I started competing at nine years old in the ‘Little Miss Tucson Pageant,’ and later became Miss Arizona United States in 2012.”
