President & Chief Executive Officer
William Blair & Company
John R. Ettelson became president of William Blair in 2003 and has been CEO since 2004.
Under his leadership, the investment banking and asset management business has grown to more than 20 offices globally and annual revenues have tripled to over $1 billion. During his three decades at William Blair, Mr. Ettelson has held various leadership positions within the firm, including; head of mergers and acquisitions, chief financial officer, and chief operating officer.
Mr. Ettelson has a deep commitment to his community and is a respected civic leader. He is the past chairman of the board of trustees for Lincoln Park Zoo and of the Economic Club of Chicago. He currently sits on the boards of the Northwestern Medical Group, Francis Parker School, the Executives’ Club of Chicago, and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He is a member of Commercial Club of Chicago, and is a member of its Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago. Additionally, he is also involved in industry trade organizations where he is on the board and executive committee of SIFMA and on the board of the American Securities Association.
Mr. Ettelson received his Sc.B. from Brown University and his JD/MBA from the University of Chicago.