William Blair, the premier global boutique with expertise in investment banking, investment management, and private wealth management, announced today that the firm’s Private Capital Advisory team is expanding into Europe with the addition of two senior hires focused on fund placement and advisory. Tom Lewis joins as managing director in London, and Silke Wood joins as a director in Zurich.
“The addition of Tom and Silke signals an important milestone in the growth of William Blair’s Private Capital Advisory group—the establishment of a dedicated presence in the European market and full investor coverage of Europe and the Middle East,” said Jerome Wallace and Brian Williams, co-heads of Private Capital Advisory at William Blair. “Tom and Silke bring a depth of experience advising financial sponsors and raising capital from institutional investors in Europe and the Middle East across private equity, credit, and real asset strategies. We are thrilled to welcome them to the team.”
Drawing on more than 15 years of experience, Lewis joins William Blair from Moelis & Company, where he served as executive director for the firm’s private funds group and led EMEA investor coverage. Before Moelis, Lewis held investor coverage roles with Schroders, Elm Capital Associates, and Quest Fund Placement, where he covered institutional investors in the U.K., France, and the Middle East. Before that, Lewis was a member of Barclays’ investment banking team. He received his B.S. degree from the University of Bristol and is a chartered accountant.
Wood’s 15-year career has focused on investor relations and coverage in Europe and the Middle East across private equity, credit, and real asset strategies. She most recently served as director of investor relations for Endeavour Vision and before that was head of sales for U.K. and Nordics and global head of consultant coverage at Tikehau Capital. Before Tikehau, Wood held senior investor coverage roles at Schroders and Foresight Group. Wood earned her M.S. degree from the University of Bristol and is a chartered accountant.
“Together with Silke, I am thrilled to be joining William Blair’s Private Capital Advisory team and to launch our presence in Europe,” Lewis said. “Partnering with such a well-respected team as part of a firm with a reputation for providing unique and sophisticated advice to financial sponsors, I’m excited to build on the momentum of our platform to provide our clients with industry-leading solutions through an integrated model.”
William Blair’s Private Capital Advisory was founded in 2022 and today consists of nearly 40 professionals across seven offices in the United States and Europe. The team is led by co-heads Mike Custar, Jerome Wallace, and Brian Williams.
About William Blair Investment Banking
William Blair’s investment banking group enables corporations, financial sponsors, and owner/entrepreneurs around the world to achieve their growth, liquidity, and financing objectives. Drawing on the collective intellectual capital and deep sector expertise of a global team that reaches over 20 cities on four continents, the investment banking group brings a rigorous and innovative approach to corporate board advisory projects, mergers and acquisitions, and equity and debt financing. From January 2019 to December 2023, the team advised on more than $745 billion in completed transaction volume.
About William Blair
William Blair is the 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.*
*Includes strategic partnerships with Allier Capital, BDA Partners, and Poalim Capital Markets.