Baird Global Investment Banking, an international financial services firm, has hired Scott J.R. Smith for the firm’s global investment banking business as managing director in its global financial sponsors group.
With over 25 years of investment banking experience, Smith joins Baird from Goldman Sachs where he was a managing director in the firm’s cross markets and financial and strategic investors group, focusing specifically on middle market private equity coverage. He began his career as an M&A banker at Bowles, Hollowell, Conner & Co. in Charlotte, N.C. where he executed sell-side M&A processes across numerous industry sectors and was promoted from associate to managing director. Smith transitioned to financial sponsor coverage when he opened the Charlotte office for Lazard in 2008.
“With his many years of investment banking experience – most of them focused on supporting middle market private equity – Scott will be a great addition to our tenured team, allowing Baird to continue providing a differentiated level of service to funds,” says Les Cheek, head of Baird’s global financial sponsors group.