Sara DiCostanzo
Senior Consultant
Sara (Kirkland) DiCostanzo has extensive experience in attaining, retaining, and verifying GIPS® compliance. She also has deep knowledge of investment performance analytics as well as industry best practices with performance reporting. When Sara joined Blueprint GRC, she brought in over 15 years’ experience in the performance consulting space, both as a GIPS verifier and a performance consultant. She has worked with many alternative investment managers on GIPS compliance and investment managers on their investment performance processes either through directly assisting with outsourcing or helping firms enhance their policies and procedures to create efficiencies.
Prior to joining Blueprint GRC, Sara was with Guardian Performance Solutions for nearly four years assisting clients with GIPS and all aspects of performance consulting, compliant advertising, and associated regulatory controls. Prior to that Sara spent close to 12 years at ACA Group, primarily in New York rising from Consultant to Director.
At ACA Sara was responsible for managing strategic goals and daily operations; training and supervising audit teams; managing technical, strategic, and personnel aspects of consulting engagements; new program and process development and implementation; establishing and cultivating internal and external relationships; conducting GIPS verifications and performance evaluations for asset managers; overseeing engagement objectives and strategizing to comply with best practices; and mitigating engagement risks. She successfully advised over 60 asset managers ranging in size from $500 million to $100+ billion in AUM, spanning multiple asset classes, including structured credit, hedge funds, private equity, real estate, long-only investments, mutual funds, fixed income, overlay and WRAP accounts. Sara consulted for firms on various matters including mergers and acquisitions with respect to their GIPS program, and accounting and performance measurement systems used, including system conversions.
Sara has a Bachelor of Science, Finance from the University of Tennessee – Chattanooga. She holds a Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement (CIPM) and is a member of the CFA Institute.
