Robert D. Newman, CFA, CPA, a member of William Blair & Company's executive committee, has served as the Director of
Equity Research and Manager of the Equity Research Group since 2001. Newman, who previously was Director of Research in
Investment Management from 1999 to 2001, joined the firm in 1989 as a securities analyst in that group, and became a principal
in the firm in 1993. He has chaired the firm's annual United Way Campaign since 2004. Newman earned a B.S. in Accounting from
the University of Illinois in 1983 and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management in 1987.
Newman is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the CFA Society of Chicago and the Economic Club
of Chicago. He has started up and/or served on the boards of several educational foundations.
William Blair & Company equity research analysts, portfolio managers, and investment bankers
are of the highest caliber, renowned for expertise in their respective sectors and for their winning
investment strategies. Our mission is to help you meet your deadlines and provide fast, direct access
to key professionals at the firm.
Tony Zimmer joined William Blair & Company in 1991 and has served as the media contact since
1999. He spent the previous eight years with the firm's human resources group and holds his series
7, 24, and 63 licenses. Mr. Zimmer received his B.S. in management from DePaul University and attended
SIFMA's Securities Industry Institute at the Wharton School of Business. While at DePaul, he was
captain of the division I soccer team for two years and team MVP one year, and was awarded the
Father Edward Riley, C.M. Memorial Award in recognition of excellence in leadership, community
service, and academics.
Jeff Germanotta
Co-Group Head–Business Services
Diversified Industrials, Industrial Distribution
Jeff Germanotta, principal, co-group head–business services, joined William Blair & Company
in 2000 as an equity analyst focusing on industrial and transportation stocks. Mr. Germanotta
previously spent six years at Robert W. Baird & Co. as an analyst covering wholesale distributors
and diversified manufacturers. He also has experience in capital markets, corporate planning, and
commercial banking with Bank One (now JPMorgan Chase) and U.S. Bank. Mr. Germanotta has been
consistently recognized in the Financial Times/StarMine "World's Top Analysts" listing. He holds
a B.A. in business administration from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and an M.B.A. from
Marquette University.
Nate Brochmann, CFA, joined William Blair & Company in 2000. Mr. Brochmann is an industrial
services analyst with a focus on logistics and transportation companies. Previously, he worked as a
management consultant at Andersen in its strategic valuation services group. Mr. Brochmann holds
a B.S. in finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign and an M.B.A. from the
University of Chicago.
Brian Drab
Filtration and Water Management, Industrial Technology
Brian Drab joined William Blair & Company in 2006. Mr. Drab covers the filtration and water
management and industrial technology industries. Previously, he worked as an engineer at Motorola,
with mechanical design and manufacturing responsibilities. Mr. Drab graduated summa cum laude with
a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and earned an M.B.A. from
Harvard Business School.
Brandon Dobell
Co-Group Head–Business Services
Educational Services, Real Estate Services
Brandon Dobell, principal, co-group head–business services, specializes in the educational
and real estate industries. Mr. Dobell was previously group head–global services research at
Credit Suisse. He also worked in equity research at Bank of America Securities. Mr. Dobell has won
two awards in the Financial Times/StarMine "World's Top Analysts" listing, including the No. 2
earnings-estimator for 2008 in diversified consumer services and the No. 1 earnings-estimator for
2009 in real estate management and development. Mr. Dobell has an M.B.A. in finance from the
University of Southern California Marshall School of Business and B.A. degrees in history and
political science from the University of California, San Diego.
Timothy McHugh, CFA, joined William Blair & Company in 2002. Mr. McHugh is a business
services analyst specializing in the consulting, employer services, and staffing sectors.
Previously, Mr. McHugh was a senior research analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Mr.
McHugh was named the No. 1 earnings-estimator in professional services for 2008 in the Financial
Times/StarMine "World's Top Analysts" listing. He graduated from Wabash College with a bachelor's
degree in economics and received an M.B.A. in finance and accounting from the University of
Chicago.
Robert Riggs
Business Process Outsourcing, Information Services
Robert Riggs, CFA, focuses on the business process outsourcing and information services
industries. Mr. Riggs joined William Blair in the summer of 2007 from Credit Suisse, where he
worked in the business services space. Mr. Riggs has an M.B.A. from the University of Southern
California and B.A. degrees in economics and business administration from Vanderbilt University.
Christopher Shutler, CFA, joined William Blair in 2007 and specializes in the transaction
processing industry. Previously, Mr. Shutler worked at Credit Suisse as an associate analyst
covering educational and business services companies. Mr. Shutler received his B.B.A. degree in
finance and business economics from the University of Notre Dame.
Mark Miller
Group Head–Consumer
Discount Stores, Energy Retail and Refining, Health and Beauty
Mark Miller, principal, group head–consumer sector, CFA, joined William Blair & Company
in 1999. His coverage includes broadline retailers, drug stores, and the health-and-beauty sector.
Previously, Mr. Miller covered branded consumer companies at Merrill Lynch and the restaurant
industry at CS First Boston. Mr. Miller was recognized by The Wall Street Journal's
"Best on the Street" in 2003 for his coverage of broadline retailers. He has also received four
awards in the Financial Times/StarMine "World's Top Analysts" listing, including both the No. 1
stock-picker and No. 1 earnings-estimator in 2009 in food and staples retailing. He graduated from
Columbia University with a B.A. in political science and he received his M.B.A. in finance and
marketing from Kellogg Graduate School of Management, where he graduated with distinction.
Jon Andersen, CFA, joined William Blair & Company in 2005 to cover the consumer
products sector, including household, personal care, and packaged food companies. Previously,
Mr. Andersen was a senior manager in the strategy practice of Accenture, where he provided
strategic consulting services to leading consumer packaged goods and retail companies. Mr.
Andersen was recognized by The Wall Street Journal's "Best on the Street" for his coverage of
household and personal products in 2009. He graduated from Colorado College with a B.A. in
economics, and he received his M.B.A. in finance and strategic management from the University
of Chicago Graduate School of Business, where he graduated with honors.
Meggan Friedman
Marketing and Media Services, Packaging and Signage
Meggan Friedman joined William Blair & Company in 2005. She is an analyst in the consumer
sector with a focus on the media and marketing services industry. Ms. Friedman was recognized by
The Wall Street Journal's "Best on the Street" for her coverage of the advertising and
publishing industry in 2009. Previously, she worked with General Mills and Sears Holdings in
operating and corporate roles. Ms. Friedman has a B.A. in mathematical methods in the social
sciences and economics from Northwestern University and earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business
School.
Jack Murphy, principal, CFA, joined William Blair in 2005 and covers e-commerce and hardline
retailers. Previously, Mr. Murphy worked at Credit Suisse First Boston for nearly six years as
an equity research analyst covering a broad range of retail companies. Before CSFB, he worked
as an equity research analyst at Lehman Brothers and as an equity research associate at Salomon
Brothers. Prior to sell-side research, Mr. Murphy worked as a financial analyst for General
Electric Capital, having graduated from GE's Financial Management Program. Mr. Murphy earned
his bachelor's degree in economics from Villanova University, where he graduated magna cum laude.
Sharon Zackfia, principal, CFA, joined the equity research group of William Blair & Company
in 2000. She focuses on the restaurant, leisure, and apparel industries. Previously, Ms. Zackfia
worked in research at Credit Suisse First Boston and with the Nasdaq Stock Market and Jennison
Associates. Ms. Zackfia was recognized by The Wall Street Journal's "Best on the Street" for
2009 for her coverage of restaurants, ranking No. 1 overall. She also won an award in the
Financial Times/StarMine "World's Top Analysts" listing as the top stock-picker in restaurants
for 2009. Ms. Zackfia received a B.A. from Yale University.
Mark Lane, principal, group head–financial sector, joined William Blair & Company in
1998. He specializes in asset management, brokerage, exchanges, and investment banks. He covered
the insurance sector from 1998 to 2010. From 1992 to 1995, Mr. Lane worked as a senior underwriter
for The St. Paul Companies, analyzing specialty property-casualty insurance risks. From 1995 to
1998, Mr. Lane worked at Goldman Sachs in Chicago as an analyst in the high-net-worth money
management group. Mr. Lane has been recognized by The Wall Street Journal's "Best on the Street"
two times, most recently in 2007 for his coverage of investment services. He has also received two
awards in the Financial Times/StarMine "World's Top Analysts" listing, most recently as the
No. 2 earnings-estimator for 2009 in the insurance industry. He received a B.A. in economics
from Northwestern University and an M.B.A. in finance and accounting from the University of
Chicago.
Ben Andrew, principal, group head–healthcare sector, joined William Blair & Company in 1998
as a medical technology analyst covering cardiovascular, orthopedics, sleep disorders, blood
products, and other sectors. Previously, Mr. Andrew was an equity research analyst at Vector
Securities International, worked in product development at Baxter International, and was a synthetic
organic chemist at Abbott Laboratories. He received a B.S. in chemistry and B.A. in rhetoric from
the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, and also holds a Master
of Management degree in finance and healthcare services from the Kellogg Graduate School of
Management.
Ryan Daniels, principal, CFA, joined William Blair & Company in 2002 as a healthcare
services analyst with a focus on healthcare and veterinary services. Previously, he worked with
Deloitte Consulting's M&A Advisory Services Group. Mr. Daniels was recognized by The Wall
Street Journal's "Best on the Street" for his coverage of healthcare providers in 2009, ranking
No. 3 overall. Mr. Daniels holds a B.A. in economics from Northwestern University and earned an
M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management.
John Kreger, principal, joined William Blair & Company in 1999 as a healthcare services
analyst. He provides coverage of pharmaceutical outsourcing, healthcare distribution, and pharmacy
benefit management. Previously, Mr. Kreger worked as a healthcare services analyst at Vector
Securities International for five years, where his research coverage encompassed disease management,
managed care, and pharmaceutical outsourcing. Mr. Kreger has been recognized by The Wall Street
Journal's "Best on the Street" four times, most recently ranking fourth in 2007 for his coverage
in the healthcare provider industry. Before becoming an analyst, he was a biotechnology research
associate at Vector for three years. Mr. Kreger received a B.B.A. from the University of Michigan
and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.
Amanda Murphy joined William Blair & Company in 2006. Ms. Murphy is a healthcare analyst
with a focus on diagnostic services and pharmacy benefit management. Previously, Ms. Murphy worked
at Caremark as a business analyst and as a senior consultant within PricewaterhouseCoopers's
strategy consulting division. She received a B.S. in biology from Boston College's honors
program and holds an M.B.A. in finance, accounting, and economics from the Kellogg Graduate
School of Management at Northwestern University.
John Sonnier, principal, joined the William Blair & Company, L.L.C. equity research group
as a biotechnology analyst in September 2005. He previously worked for nine years with Prudential
Equity Group, LLC and Vector Securities International, where he was a biotechnology analyst. Before
his move to Vector Securities in 1996, Mr. Sonnier spent eight years in the industry at Johnson &
Johnson and Baxter International's biotechnology group, where he served in several commercial and
strategic positions, including North American product manager for Recombinate, one of the
biotechnology industry's first approved biotechnology drugs.
Brian Weinstein, CFA, joined William Blair & Company in 2001. Mr. Weinstein is a
healthcare analyst with coverage in the diagnostics arena. Before joining William Blair &
Company, Mr. Weinstein was a senior analyst at Casas, Benjamin & White, L.L.C., where he worked
on restructurings and workouts in the healthcare services space. In addition, he worked at Baxter
International/Allegiance Corporation in a variety of finance roles, including manager of investor
relations at Allegiance. He received his B.S. in business with concentrations in both finance and
marketing from Indiana University, and also holds an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago
Graduate School of Business.
Jason Ader, CFA, co-group head–technology sector, focuses on data networking and storage
technology. Mr. Ader joined William Blair & Company in September 2008 after serving as a managing
director at Thomas Weisel Partners, LLC for more than eight years and as a research analyst at
H.C. Wainwright & Co. for three years. Before joining the financial services industry, he worked
for three years as an information officer at the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C., where he
was a speechwriter and project manager for U.S.-Israel bilateral programs. Mr. Ader holds a B.A.
in comparative religion from Duke University and an M.A. in international relations from the
Fletcher School at Tufts University.
Laura Lederman
Business Software & Services, IT Services, Software as a Service
Laura Lederman, principal, CFA, co-group head–technology sector, joined William Blair &
Company as an equity research analyst in 1990. She specializes in the information technology and
business software industries. Previously, she worked at Duff & Phelps and Texas Instruments. Ms.
Lederman was named the No. 1 stock-picker in U.S. software for 2007 in the Financial
Times/StarMine "World's Top Analysts" listing. She graduated from the University of Texas with
a B.A. in economics and an M.B.A. in MIS and statistics.
Jim Breen, CFA, joined William Blair & Company in 2010 as a communication services
analyst. Previously, Mr. Breen spent 10 years as an analyst at Thomas Weisel Partners, LLC.
He has been recognized several times in recent years by The Wall Street Journal's "Best on
the Street" and the Financial Times/StarMine "World's Top Analysts" listing, the latter of
which recently ranked him the No. 3 stock-picker for 2009 in diversified telecom services.
Mr. Breen also worked as a high-yield fixed-income analyst at BancBoston Robertson Stephens
and as a civil engineer at Modern Continental Construction Company. He holds a B.S. in civil
engineering from Tufts University and an M.B.A. from the Carroll School of Management at
Boston College.
Anil Doradla joined William Blair & Company in 2008 to cover communication semiconductors,
wireless communications, and electronic components. He previously had 15 years of experience in
the wireless industry, including positions in consulting, R&D, strategy, product design, and
international operations. Mr. Doradla worked with SBC Labs (now AT&T Labs), participating in
several key initiatives that shaped both SBC Wireline and Cingular. He received a master's
degree in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech, where he was part of the mobile and portable
radio research group. He also holds an M.B.A. from the McCombs School of Business at the
University of Texas at Austin.
Jonathan Ho joined William Blair & Company in 2005. Mr. Ho is a technology analyst with a
focus on cybersecurity and security technology. Previously, he worked as a lead software engineer
and information technology project manager for seven years in the government/defense contracting
industry. Mr. Ho holds a B.S. in finance and a B.S. in management science and statistics from the
University of Maryland at College Park, an M.S. in information and telecommunications systems from
the Johns Hopkins University, and an M.B.A. in finance and accounting from the University of
Chicago.
Ralph Schackart, principal, CFA, joined William Blair & Company in 2000. He is a
technology analyst specializing in the digital entertainment/media sector. Previously, he
worked as a management consultant at Andersen in its strategic valuation services group. Mr.
Schackart served four years of active duty as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Marines after
receiving an NROTC scholarship. He holds a B.S. from Purdue University and an M.B.A. from
Webster University.
Bhavan Suri joined William Blair & Company in 2007 and specializes in the IT services
and enterprise software industries. Previously, he worked in venture capital and early-stage-technology
commercialization. Before joining the financial services industry, he co-founded and managed a
Boston-based enterprise software company. Before that, Mr. Suri was a director at AnswerThink,
an IT services firm that specialized in systems integration and enterprise software implementation.
He received a B.Sc. in physics from Brown University and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of
Management at Northwestern University.
Corey Tobin, principal, joined William Blair & Company in 2002 and specializes in
healthcare IT. Before joining William Blair, he was an associate at the private-equity firm
Willis Stein & Partners, an analyst in the M&A investment banking group of Merrill Lynch,
and an associate in the financial advisory services practice at Coopers & Lybrand. Mr. Tobin
was recognized by The Wall Street Journal's "Best on the Street" for his coverage in
software in 2005, ranking No. 2 overall; he also was recognized the same year in the
Forbes.com/StarMine Analyst Awards for his coverage in the healthcare providers and services
industry. More recently, Mr. Tobin was named the No. 2 stock-picker in healthcare technology
for 2009 in the Financial Times/StarMine "World's Top Analysts" listing. Mr. Tobin holds a
B.S. in business administration from the University of Michigan, an M.B.A. from Northwestern's
Kellogg School of Management, and an M.S. in computer science from the University of Chicago.
Liping Cai, CFA, joined William Blair & Company in 2006. Ms. Cai is an analyst based in our
Shanghai office, co-covering (with U.S.-based analysts) Chinese companies in several sectors.
Previously, she worked as a manager in the healthcare business strategy consulting practice of
Fair Isaac Corporation, a senior market analyst at Abbott Laboratories, a research associate at
Genentech, and a research technician at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University.
Ms. Cai has a B.S. in biological sciences and biotechnology from Tsinghua University (Beijing,
China), an M.S. in chemistry and biochemistry from the University of Delaware, and an M.B.A. from
the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Ms. Cai has also co-authored a number
of scientific journal publications.
Kyle Harris, principal, CFA, joined William Blair & Company in 1994 and has served as
operations manager in the Equity Research Group since 2002. He spent the previous eight years
on the buy side at William Blair as a generalist equity associate and analyst. Before joining
the firm, Harris held positions in mutual fund operations and commercial banking. He received a
B.S. in finance from the University of Iowa and an M.B.A. in finance from DePaul University.
