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Overview

Introduction

Baird is a highly respected middle-market investment bank looking for high-energy candidates. Baird interns work on live deals with experienced bankers, and interns’ mentoring opportunities and social events are excellent. Full-time junior bankers can take on as much responsibility as they can handle and also receive highly-rated mentoring opportunities.

Company Stats


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Employer Type

Private

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Featured Rankings

Most Prestigious Banking Firms

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Major Office Locations

Milwaukee, WI


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Chairman

Paul E. Purcell


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CEO

Steve Booth

Vault Verdict

Note: The firm did not participate in our 2022 Banking Survey; all employee reviews are from our surveys in previous years.

A well-known and highly respected middle-market investment bank, Baird is looking for intelligent high-energy candidates with a sincere interest in working in the middle market and for the firm itself. For students, Baird runs an internship program in which interns get to work on live deals with experienced bankers. The program is said to be a great learning experience, and interns report that mentoring opportunities and social events are particularly excellent. For its full-time junior bankers, Baird offers the ability to take on as much responsibility as t...

About the Company

Robert W. Baird & Co. (better known as Baird) offers wealth management, capital markets, asset management, and private equity capital to clients worldwide. In 2019, Baird ranked No. 16 on Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For list, the bank’s 16th consecutive year on the list and 10th consecutive appearance in the top 25. 

Baird’s history dates to 1919, when Robert Wilson Baird, one of the founders of the National Association of Securities Dealers, was named lead partner of the First Wisconsin Company, the securities division of the First Wisconsin National Bank. Baird rose to become president of the division, which was later spun off and renamed the Securities Company of Milwaukee Incorporated. By 1948, the firm had obtained a seat on the NYSE and assumed its current nam...

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2024 Vault Rankings


Employee Reviews


  • “Baird has made a huge commitment toward promoting work/life balance over the past several years. We have a Saturday policy, which is actually enforced, and permission to work on those days is not taken lightly. In my five years of working at Baird, I’ve only had to work a handful of Saturdays. Vacation time is also encouraged, and in general, people feel very comfortable taking time off.”
  • “Best: the no Saturdays policy. Worst: expectation of responsiveness when not working (which I don’t think is specific to Baird; it’s just a fact of life in the client service business).”
  • “Baird is very focused on culture. We insist that our associates take their PTO days and managers give regular reminders to the team to take time off, especially as our activity level has reached record levels for several consecutive years.”
  • “Baird has one of the best cultures for investment banking. And there’s a strong focus on carving out personal time on weekends, enforcing full ability to enjoy PTO.”

Getting Hired Here


  • “We are looking for high-energy people that are excited to work in banking. Most people can do the job, but we are looking for those that are excited to get to work and put in the time to produce great results.”
  • “Very efficient and effective process. Ideal candidate is somebody who wants to pursue investment banking and does not care about the ‘glamour’ of Wall Street, but who wants to be respected by coworkers and senior bankers.”
  • “Quick call-back process. We want people who have a sincere interest in our firm, like the middle market, and have a firm understanding of our industry.”
  • “Intelligence and good-natured personality.”