William Blair’s strong results in recent years have been directly tied to our people and our unique culture. That culture is built on trust, collaboration, and creating opportunities for our clients and each other.
Video Transcript
MATT ZIMMER: Hi, I'm Matt Zimmer. I'm honored and excited to have stepped into the role of William Blair's Global Head of Investment Banking, and thrilled to help lead this team into the future.
Also, I'd like to take a moment to thank our clients, our team, and our community partners around the world and to highlight some of the reasons I feel William Blair is such a special place to work.
The growth that has occurred over the course of my 15 years at William Blair has been remarkable. We have continually invested in attracting and developing the industry's most talented team. We have expanded upon deep and expert knowledge in sectors that are constantly innovating in today's global economy, and we've delivered creative solutions that redefine the growth trajectories of leading companies around the world.
The foundation of our growth is a culture built on trust and collaboration. I'm excited to have some of our incredible team members share their perspectives of what makes our platform such a differentiator for our clients.
JERRY DARKO Managing Director, Technology: I joined William Blair three years ago in the technology investment banking team in San Francisco. When I came to William Blair I could immediately tell that everything was different. From day one I was struck by how open the firm was and how willing my colleagues were to pull me into new opportunities; definitely exceeded all my expectations. At the end of the day, we're a collection of people, of voices, backgrounds, and perspectives. There’s a true emphasis on that at William Blair.
The firm strives to empower and equip our emerging team members to serve clients in a differentiated way.
CHRISTINA BRESANI Head of Corporate Advisory: I joined William Blair to formally build out a larger and technically deep public company advisory team after more than 15 years at a bulge bracket investment bank on Wall Street. The firm's culture and institutional commitment to building a world-class team and a new product area are what attracted me to William Blair.
We've quickly attracted and elevated some of the strongest emerging talent on Wall Street and we now have a 30-plus member team in place and a multi-billion dollar pipeline of engaged mandates underway.
ADAM FILKIN Head of Consumer & Retail: Our aspiration is to be the best developer of talent in the investment banking industry. But even more instrumental to our team's development is our culture; treating each other with respect, empowering each other and acting with both confidence and humility. We're committed to retaining and protecting this unique culture as we grow while also remaining laser focused on our client's success.
I joined William Blair 15 years ago and am very fortunate to now lead a 60-person consumer and retail team globally. We're committed to paying it forward by investing in the development of our future stars. It's a core part of who we are as a firm.
MATT ZIMMER: This supportive collaborative culture runs deep throughout our global business. Why does this matter for our clients? When we focus on collaboration within our teams, when we breakdown operating silos, and when we remove traditional communication barriers, we are able to deliver one integrated solution tailored to each client's unique and often complex situation.
In 2021 this approach was vital as we supported innovative companies tasked with addressing some of the world’s most pressing issues. We worked alongside healthcare companies addressing the global COVID-19 pandemic, software companies accelerating the world's transition to sustainable energy, and logistics businesses solving supply chain and last-mile delivery challenges around the world.
2021 was a record year for all of our teams and across every metric. We are proud of our financial results, but we are even prouder of the strength of our relationships and the trust and confidence you have instilled in us. So, to our clients and on behalf of William Blair's entire investment banking team, thank you. We are honored to represent each and every one of you and we look forward to more successful outcomes in the future.