Financial services firm Baird has promoted Steve Booth to President effective January 1, 2014. He is only the eighth President since the firm’s founding in 1919.
Mr. Booth takes on the new role of President in addition to his current responsibilities as Chief Operating Officer and co-head of Baird’s Equity Capital Markets (ECM) business. Mr. Booth became COO in 2013 as part of a plan that calls for him to succeed current Baird Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Paul Purcell and become CEO in January, 2016.
Steve Booth joined Baird in 1994 and first led the firm’s Investment Banking Industrials Group, then Baird’s Global M&A business before also becoming Director of Investment Banking and co-managing Equity Capital Markets. He was named COO in 2013. He is also a member of Baird’s board of directors and Executive Committee and chairs the firm’s Finance Committee. Prior to joining Baird, Mr. Booth was at Kidder, Peabody in its Chicago Corporate Finance Office. He received his Master of Management degree from Northwestern University and holds a BBA in Finance and a BA in Economics from Southern Methodist University.
“Steve Booth and I have a very strong relationship that goes back more than 20 years,” said Mr. Purcell. “I couldn’t be prouder of what our employee-owned firm has accomplished so far and I’m confident Steve can help take Baird even further.”
Baird is an employee-owned, international wealth management, capital markets, private equity and asset management firm with offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. Established in 1919, Baird has more than 2,900 associates serving the needs of individual, corporate, institutional and municipal clients. Baird has more than $100 billion in client assets. Baird’s principal operating subsidiaries are Robert W. Baird & Co. in the United States and Robert W. Baird Group Ltd. in Europe. Baird also has an operating subsidiary in Asia supporting Baird’s investment banking and private equity operations (www.rwbaird.com).
© 2014 PEPD • Private Equity’s Leading News Magazine • 1-7-14