William Blair

Matthew Zimmer is a partner and global head of Investment Banking at William Blair, overseeing M&A advisory and growth financing across the U.S. and Europe. He previously led the firm's Services and Industrials team for five years and worked in the London office from 2011 to 2016 and the Chicago M&A team before that. Earlier in his career he was in the investment banking group at Robert W. Baird & Co. and began at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Chicago in 1998.

Scott McLaughlin is a partner and head of equities at William Blair, where he oversees institutional sales, trading, and research across six offices in North America and Europe. He serves on the firm's executive committee, extended leadership group, and equity commitment committee. He joined William Blair in January 2022 after 18 years leading equities teams at Truist Securities, Lazard Capital Markets, and WR Hambrecht, and holds an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and an undergraduate finance degree from Syracuse University.

Steve Tole is a partner, managing director, and head of healthcare investment banking at William Blair, based in Chicago, where he joined the investment banking team in 2011. He serves on the firm's executive committee and extended leadership group. Prior to William Blair, he worked at Great Lakes Scrip Center and National City Bank, and he holds an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago and an undergraduate degree from Michigan State University.

Amber Kennelly is a partner and Chief Human Resources Officer at William Blair, leading the firm's global human resources organization across talent acquisition, compensation and benefits, performance management, and leadership development. She previously served as CHRO of insurance brokerage HUB International and spent twelve years at Allstate, including officer-level roles in total compensation and as VP of HR for its Esurance subsidiary. She holds an M.B.A. from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in accountancy from the University of Illinois, and is a CPA and Certified Compensation Professional.

Beth Satterfield is Chief Operating Officer at William Blair, which she joined in 2015 as managing director and head of market development in the Investment Banking group. She previously served as COO of Aurora Investment Management and spent 12 years at private equity firm Glencoe Capital in roles including managing director, COO, and CFO, and earlier worked in leveraged finance at Bank of America and commercial banking at JP Morgan Chase. She holds an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a B.S. in finance from the University of Illinois.

Cissie Citardi is a partner and general counsel of William Blair, overseeing legal, compliance, enterprise risk management, information security, and internal audit across the firm, and serves on its executive committee. Before joining William Blair in 2020, she was general counsel at PineBridge Investments and previously worked at Silver Point Capital and in private practice at Shearman & Sterling in New York. Originally from Australia, she began her legal career as an associate in the Federal Court of Australia and practiced at Herbert Smith Freehills in Sydney, and holds Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Laws degrees from the University of Sydney.

Erin Murray Butler is a partner and global head of Workplace and Real Estate Management at William Blair, where she has managed the firm's global real estate, facilities, IT support, security, travel, and office services since 2008, and directs its business continuity program. She led the development of the firm's Chicago headquarters and real estate expansions across U.S. and international offices, including the London relocation. Before William Blair, she held corporate real estate roles at Marsh McLennan Companies and served as director of administration at the Next Door Foundation; she holds a B.S. in political science and international studies from the University of Wisconsin La Crosse.

Jim Connors is a partner and chief technology officer at William Blair & Company, where he has led technology services since joining in 1999 and is part of the extended leadership group, serving on the risk and business continuity committees. Earlier in his career, he spent six years at John Nuveen & Company as vice president of information services overseeing technology, and worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company on strategy, operations, and systems within financial services. He holds a B.A. from Colgate University and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Mike Trimberger is a partner and chief financial officer of William Blair, a role he assumed in July 2023 after eight years as senior director of finance. He previously spent eight years on the firm's investment banking team in transaction-related and management roles, and worked in private equity at Svoboda Capital Partners before rejoining William Blair in 2007. He has passed the CPA exam, holds an M.B.A. from Stanford University, and earned a B.S. in accountancy from the University of Illinois.