Celebrating 175 Years of Lazard
In 2023, Lazard celebrated the 175th anniversary of our founding.
Throughout the year, we commemorated this milestone by sharing stories and images from our past, profiling the most consequential leaders from our history and asking some long-serving colleagues to share their memories from their years at Lazard.
We invite you to learn more about Lazard, our history and the key events and leaders that have shaped us into the firm we are today.
Lazard 175 Years: A Retrospective Film
In this short film celebrating Lazard's 175th Anniversary, Kenneth M. Jacobs, former Chairman and CEO of Lazard, takes us through the history of the firm and its evolution from a single store in New Orleans in 1848, to its position today as a preeminent independent financial firm operating in 26 countries around the world.
Lazard 175: A Visual History
In this special commemorative digital book, we invite you to read the story of Lazard, meet some of our most remarkable leaders, learn about some of our most celebrated episodes and understand the qualities and values that have enabled Lazard to grow, evolve, and thrive for 175 years.
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Celebrated Episodes and Inspiring Leaders from 175 Years of Lazard
Ken Jacobs on Lazard's 175 Years
Former Lazard Chairman and CEO Kenneth M. Jacobs reflects on Lazard's 175th year in business, and shares his perspective on the secrets behind Lazard's success and longevity.
"Few businesses have the staying power to mark such an achievement, and even fewer have such interesting stories to tell."
The Four Pillars of Lazard's Success
The story of Lazard, from the 19th-century French brothers who founded the firm with ingenuity and determination to our position today as a global financial institution, is marked by periods of profound challenge as well as moments of real opportunity.
Lazard’s 175-year history demonstrates that our enduring success has not been the product of chance. Several defining themes emerge: a continued ability to adapt, an unwavering commitment to clients, a sustained record of impact, and a culture shaped by exceptional people.
These qualities have guided Lazard throughout our history and remain central to our continued success.
From its earliest days, Lazard's partners understood that changing circumstances create new opportunities, and adapted accordingly. This inclination led them from New Orleans to California, and later to New York, Paris, and London.
Over the years, Lazard has engaged in retail banking, currency trading, principal investing, and brokerage, among other businesses, while exiting those that no longer served a clear purpose or created value. This capacity for adaptation has contributed to our reputation for innovation and sound judgment and remains central to anticipating our clients' evolving needs.
Even as Lazard's businesses have changed over time, our commitment to client service has remained constant. From operating a retail store, to managing client assets, to advising business and government leaders, this commitment reflects deep and long-standing roots.
A sustained focus on serving clients' interests first has been essential to building Lazard's reputation for excellence and discretion, qualities that remain fundamental to the firm's continued success.
Throughout much of its history, Lazard has exerted an influence on global affairs disproportionate to its size, owing largely to the nature of our work: advising business and government leaders on significant financial and strategic decisions, and helping investors around the world pursue their financial objectives.
The firm's impact extends beyond client matters to the cities and communities in which we operate. From our earliest days in San Francisco, Lazard's leaders have participated actively in civic life, through business associations, charitable endeavors, and initiatives to expand opportunity. This civic engagement continues to support the firm's reputation as a contributor to the communities we serve.
Lazard’s history has been shaped by exceptional individuals, only a select number of whom are profiled here. While Lazard has evolved beyond reliance on any single individual or small group, it remains a firm where individual initiative, judgment, and leadership can have a lasting impact.
Today, Lazard's global footprint includes 3,000+ employees representing over 90 nationalities. Wherever the firm’s growth leads next, our people will continue to be central to our success.
175 Years of Innovation
Our story begins in the most modest of circumstances, when two young brothers from a family of French peddlers depart their home town of Frauenberg to seek their fortunes in America.
The brothers, Alexandre and Lazare Lazard, sailed to New Orleans, arriving in 1841. They immediately set to work, buying “dry goods,” a term for fabrics, clothing accessories, haberdashery, and related items, wholesale in the city and traversing the countryside to sell piecemeal to settlers and farmers. Within several years, they had achieved enough success to write home and invite a third brother, Simon, to join them.
In 1848, Alexandre, Lazare and Simon decided to give their partnership a legal framework, drawing up a contract that marked the founding of Lazard Frères & Co.