Managing Director, Consumer Products & Services
Chu-An Lee is a managing director for William Blair based in the firm’s Chicago office. He originally joined William Blair’s investment banking team in 2008. Before joining William Blair, he worked for Deutsche Bank, Protiviti, and Arthur Andersen.
Chinese (Mandarin)
English
has been acquired by
a portfolio company of
Pritzker Private Capital
March 2023
William Blair acted as the exclusive financial advisor to CENTAURI Technologies, LP in connection with its sale to Aurorium, a portfolio company of Pritzker Private Capital.
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a portfolio company of Tilia Holdings
has been acquired by
October 2022
has acquired
October 2022
a portfolio company of Bain Capital
has acquired
October 2022
William Blair acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Dessert Holdings, a portfolio company of Bain Capital, in connection with its acquisition of Dianne’s Fine Desserts.
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a portfolio company of
The Riverside Company
has been acquired by
August 2022
has acquired
April 2022
a portfolio company of Waterland Private Equity Investments
has acquired
March 2022
William Blair acted as the exclusive financial advisor to EMPWR, a portfolio company of Waterland Private Equity, in connection with its acquisition of Noble Foods Nutrition, Inc (Noble Foods).
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business and related assets of Landec
have been acquired by
December 2021
William Blair acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Landec Corporation (NasdaqGS: LNDC) on the divestiture of its Eat Smart business.
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a portfolio company of Seidler Equity Partners
has been acquired by
September 2021
William Blair acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Sunny Sky Products, a portfolio company of Seidler Equity Partners, in connection with its acquisition by The Jordan Company.
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Ready-to-Eat Cereal Business
has been acquired by
June 2021
William Blair acted as exclusive financial advisor to TreeHouse Foods, Inc. (NYSE: THS), in connection with the acquisition of its ready-to-eat (RTE) cereal business by Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: POST).
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Private Placement
October 2020
has received a minority equity investment by
September 2020
Our investment bankers are 100 percent committed to your organization’s sustained success. By drawing on our deep industry and product experience as well as our dedicated global resources, we provide advisory and financing services that allow you to capitalize on today’s opportunities and anticipate tomorrow’s challenges.
More about investment banking at William Blair
Amid rapidly evolving consumer preferences and the proliferation of new brands and channels, our experience and relationships throughout the consumer and retail industry have allowed us to deliver outstanding outcomes for our clients. Corporate boards, management teams, and business owners turn to us for execution excellence, sector expertise, deep relationships with strategic, financial, and family buyers, and creative public and private capital market solutions.
More about our consumer products & services expertise
William Blair is a premier global partnership with expertise in investment banking, investment management, and private wealth management. We provide advisory services, strategies, and solutions to meet our clients’ evolving needs. As an independent and employee-owned firm, together with our strategic partners, we operate in more than 20 offices worldwide.*
Year William Blair was founded
Employees worldwide
Client assets
Independent and employee-owned
Offices worldwide
Companies under coverage
As of September 30, 2025
*Includes strategic partnerships with Allier Capital, BDA Partners, and Poalim Capital Markets.
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