Ward Sexton, CFA, partner, is a portfolio manager on William Blair’s Small Cap Growth and Small-Mid Cap Core strategies. Previously, he was an associate portfolio manager on William Blair’s Small Cap Growth strategy and a research analyst. He joined the team in 2001 and covered resource, financial, and consumer companies during his time as an analyst. He joined William Blair in 1999, initially working in the firm’s corporate finance group for two years. Ward is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society Chicago. He received a B.S. in finance, with honors, from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an M.B.A., with high honors, from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

Mark Thompson, CFA, partner, is a portfolio manager on William Blair’s Small Cap Growth and All Cap Growth strategies. Previously, he was a research analyst and an associate portfolio manager on William Blair’s Small Cap Growth strategy. In Mark’s research role, he focused on U.S. small-cap stocks across sectors. Before joining the firm as a research analyst in 2006, he was a research generalist at Kidron Capital for three years. Before that, he was a research analyst covering healthcare at American Express for two years. Mark is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society Chicago. He received a B.B.A. in finance (with an emphasis on accounting) and an M.B.A. (with an emphasis on finance) from the University of Iowa.