William Blair is a Chicago-based investment bank that is 100 percent employee-owned. It provides investment banking, asset management, equity research, and wealth management services. The firm operates in more than 20 offices across four continents.
William Blair opened its doors in 1935, at a time when most firms were shutting down. The Great Depression had cut the number of US investment firms from 600 to just 200 in six years.
Founders William McCormick Blair and Francis Bonner saw a chance to help Chicago and the Midwest rebuild. Their mission was to finance promising companies and bring trust back to a broken financial system.
The firm’s approach was to help clients win, as this would help the firm win too. Founder William McCormick Blair demanded honest dealings, unbiased advice, and recommendations backed by deep research. These standards helped investors regain confidence in the 1930s and still shape the firm’s culture today.
The firm has continued to grow its business and attract experienced talent. In 2024, William Blair welcomed a veteran wealth team from Raymond James that managed $1.2 billion in assets. The Philadelphia-based group expanded the firm’s private wealth reach in the Northeast US.
William Blair also marked its 90th anniversary in 2025, a feat few financial firms can claim. The company has stayed independent and employee-owned since day one, with only six CEOs in its history. Along the way, the company has backed the growth of notable companies such as Molex, CDW, and Concord.
William Blair offers financial services across investment banking, asset management, and wealth advisory:
William Blair also provides custody services through its partnership with National Financial Services. The firm’s equity research spans consumer, healthcare, industrials, technology, financial services, energy, and global services.
William Blair reports that inclusion is core to its workplace culture. It runs four employee alliances for women, veterans, Pride, and diversity. The firm’s stated values include:
1) client focus
2) integrity
3) excellence
4) inclusivity
5) collaboration
William Blair says it strives to be an industry-leading workplace. The firm provides benefits designed for various life stages. Its offerings include:
For community outreach, the firm runs its Global Community Partners Program across 19 employee-led partnerships worldwide. In 2024, staff logged over 14,000 volunteer hours and William Blair supported more than 1,100 charities.
Brent Gledhill serves as president and CEO, leading the firm since January 2022. He joined William Blair in 1997 and previously led the firm’s global investment banking group. Gledhill earned a BS in business administration from Miami University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
The firm’s leadership team includes executives who oversee its major business units:
William Blair has had only six CEOs since 1935, showing stable leadership over nine decades. Three of those former leaders remain active at the firm as of 2025.
William Blair’s Alaina Anderson appeared on InvestmentNews to explain why international stocks are outperforming US equities. Anderson, a portfolio manager, said the firm’s International Leaders Fund targets companies with strong and lasting corporate performance. This quality-focused strategy helps William Blair guide clients toward opportunities in non-US markets during shifting global conditions.
To support its global strategy, William Blair recently named Robert Kendall as global head of investment management. Kendall was president of Raymond James Investment Management and led DWS Americas for Deutsche Bank. His appointment positions the firm’s $65 billion investment management division for continued growth worldwide.
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