
Michael Ward
Managing Director, Leveraged Finance

About Mr. Ward
Michael Ward is a managing director for William Blair based in the firm’s Chicago office. He originally joined William Blair’s investment banking team in 1997. Before joining William Blair, he worked for First Chicago Corp.
Community Involvement
Trustee - Union League Boys and Girls Clubs
Awards and Affiliations
CPA
Notable Transactions
- The J. M. Smucker Company - senior note offering
- Hartmarx - financing for purchase
- Datamark - financing for purchase
- Molex - advisor on senior credit facility
- John B. Sanfilippo - advisor on bank facility and mortgage
Rigorous pursuit of your success. Every transaction. Every time.
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
Leveraged Finance
William Blair's leveraged finance team has extensive experience arranging all types of leveraged loans for sponsor-backed, non-sponsored, and public clients. We provide trusted, objective advice on how best to structure debt issues, and we are skilled at negotiating key terms of debt agreements.
More about our leveraged finance expertise
About William Blair
William Blair is a premier global boutique 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 March 31, 2022
*Includes strategic partnerships with Allier Capital, BDA Partners, and Poalim Capital Markets.