In Memoriam

In the span of three months beginning late last year, our firm lost two of our most influential and beloved leaders.

G. FREDERICK KASTEN, JR., former President, CEO & Chairman, passed in December 2019. Throughout his 42-year career at Baird, he celebrated and embodied our people-focused culture, codifying the principles it was built on as The Baird Way. Under his leadership, we grew from a small Midwestern brokerage into a diversified middle-market financial services firm. A kind and generous man, Fred was a shining example of Baird's commitment to community, particularly through his commitment to healthcare and support of medical research.

PAUL E. PURCELL, former President & CEO, was our Chairman when he passed in February 2020. Recruited to the firm by Fred in 1994, he brought with him a keen strategic mind and extensive equity capital markets knowledge. His unwavering belief that things could always be better — for our clients and for the firm — inspired everyone who knew him and helped drive Baird to new heights of growth and success for clients. Under his leadership, our equity businesses expanded into Europe and Asia. In 2004, he engineered the buyback of outstanding shares that enabled Baird to become employee-owned and independent, ensuring control of our own destiny and that our clients' needs would always come first. Always thinking of the future, Paul was deeply committed to supporting education and children's causes.

We miss them deeply, but will continue to celebrate their lives and legacies through our commitment to you, our clients, and the communities we share.