Christopher J Williams

Christopher J. Williams is Chairman, CEO and founder of The Williams Capital Group, L.P. and Williams Capital Management, LLC. Mr. Williams began his career with Lehman Brothers in New York, where he was most recently a Senior Vice President with responsibilities in debt capital markets, derivatives and fixed income securities trading. Upon leaving Lehman Brothers in 1992, Mr. Williams formed Williams Financial Markets, a division of Jefferies & Company, which specialized in structuring debt financings for investment grade corporate issuers. Chris Williams founded Williams Capital in 1994 and has since directed the firm's strategic effort in investment banking and its expansion into asset management. In 2008, the firm served as lead or co-manager on nearly 250 corporate debt, agency, and equity offerings with a total face amount of over $320 billion. Williams Capital consistently ranks among the top 15 most active underwriters of corporate debt. Black Enterprise magazine has ranked Williams Capital as the #1 minority-owned investment bank in five of the last six years. Additionally, both Fortune magazine and Crain’s New York Business selected Chris Williams as one of the most powerful minority business leaders in America. Mr. Williams serves on the board of directors of Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. He is also an active board member of several higher education institutions, not-for profit organizations, and corporations. These memberships include Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Partnership for New York City, Teachers College at Columbia University, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Mr. Williams is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and the Economic Club of New York and remains a longstanding supporter of the Fresh Air Fund and Partnership with Children. Chris Williams holds a Master of Business Administration from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and a Bachelor of Architecture from Howard University.