David M. Silver

Head of European Investment Banking, Head of European Mergers & Acquisitions, Managing Director

David is the Head of Baird’s European Investment Banking team and Head of European M&A. He has extensive experience advising private equity clients, corporations and entrepreneurs in the United States and Europe. Before joining Baird in 1998, David practiced as a corporate and banking lawyer at Berwin Leighton. He earned an MBA with distinction from London Business School and a law degree from Leeds University.

Peter Augar

Director

Peter Augar is a Director in Baird’s European Business Services Investment Banking team. Over the past seven years, Peter has worked on a variety of M&A and equity financing transactions for a broad range of publically-traded, financial sponsor owned and private companies in a variety of industries in Europe and the U.S. Prior to joining Baird in 2007, Peter worked for several years in Bear, Stearns & Co.'s investment banking practice. He holds a Masters degree in Chemistry from Oxford University.

Paul A. C. Bail

Managing Director

Paul joined Baird’s European M&A team in February 2012 where he provides debt advisory expertise gained from over 12 years of lending and advising on leveraged finance transactions. Prior to Baird, Paul was with Investec Bank plc where he ran debt advisory for private equity-based transactions from January 2009.

Previously Paul worked for Barclays Bank plc as a Senior Director in 2005, rising to Head of the Financial Sponsors Leveraged Finance team in 2007. Paul started his career at Hill Samuel as a corporate banker before moving to a head office strategic development role at parent TSB Group and then spent 8 years at Bank of America principally within their European leveraged finance team. Paul has an Economics degree from Cambridge University.

Alex Ballantine

Managing Director

Alex Ballantine is a Managing Director in Baird’s Global Industrial Group and has coverage responsibility for Baird’s activities in the packaging and specialty materials sectors in Europe, as well as broader coverage of the industrial technology sector.  Alex is a dual United States and British national that has spent his entire professional career in investment banking in London. In his career, Alex has worked on a diverse range of transactions spanning public and private mergers and acquisitions, equity capital markets and other strategic advisory assignments for both private equity and corporate clients. Prior to joining Baird, Alex worked for both Hawkpoint Limited and ING Bank in London and has a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University in the United States

Vincenzo Di Nicola

Managing Director

Vincenzo is Managing Director in Baird’s European Investment Banking group in London where he leads the firm’s European Healthcare Investment Banking practice. He has led several high profile deals in the med-tech, pharma and healthcare services spaces. Vincenzo joined Baird in 2015 from DC Advisory where he was Co-Head of UK Healthcare Investment Banking. Before DC Advisory, he was Vice President of Healthcare Investment Banking at RBS/ABN AMRO Corporate Finance and an Associate at Vitale & Associati in Milan. He earned a Masters in Finance from the London Business School, a Masters in International Finance and Management from the University of Business Administration, Vienna and a Bachelor degree from the University of Economics, Naples.

Thomas Fetzer

Managing Director

Thomas Fetzer is Baird’s Head of DACH Investment Banking in Frankfurt where he is responsible for overseeing the firm's global investment banking activities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Prior to joining Baird, Thomas was European Head of Industrials Investment Banking at Jefferies International in Frankfurt where he was responsible for the firm's regional investment banking activities across a broad range of Industrial sectors. He also spent four years as a Managing Director in the Global Industrials Group at UBS Investment Bank in London and six years as Principal at Greenhill & Co. where he was a founding member of the firm's Frankfurt office. Thomas earned a BA in European Business Administration from the European School of Business, Reutlingen (D) and London and an MBA from Harvard Business School in Boston.

Vinay Ghai

Managing Director

Vinay is a Managing Director in Baird's Financial Sponsor Group, focusing on managing relationships with the European sponsor community, as well as a member of Baird's Global Industrial Investment Banking Team. Vinay joined Baird in 2011, bringing extensive experience in acquisitions, disposals and capital raisings for both private equity and public companies across the Consumer, Services, Healthcare and Industrials sectors.

Prior to joining Baird, Vinay spent fourteen years at Hawkpoint, Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank. Vinay has a first class degree from Imperial College in London and is a qualified Chartered Accountant.

Sven Harmsen

Managing Director

Prior to joining Baird's International M&A team, Dr. Sven Harmsen spent several years with Drueker & Co./Leonardo & Co. in their German M&A team. He worked on several international buy-, sell-side and carve-out transactions and gained experience across a wide range of industries, working for blue-chip private equity and corporate clients. Dr. Harmsen graduated with a Diploma in Industrial Engineering and Management from Technical University of Berlin, a Master's Degree in Management Studies from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada and completed his Doctorate degree at Humboldt University, Berlin.

Terry Huffine

Managing Director

Terry Huffine is a Managing Director in Baird’s Global Consumer Investment Banking group in London. With his extensive transaction experience across several Consumer sector verticals, Terry provides in-depth industry advice and seasoned deal execution to Baird’s Consumer clients. Prior to joining Baird in 2015, he was a Managing Director and Head of Consumer at DC Advisory where he established and built out its fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) investment banking business. Prior to DC Advisory, Terry was a senior banker at ABN AMRO/Royal Bank of Scotland where he helped establish and grow the company’s London-based beverage and FMCG practices. Throughout his investment banking career, he has worked on several high profile transactions, including the $2bn enterprise value sale of Aujan to The Coca-Cola Company, SABMiller’s £732m acquisition of the outstanding shares in Kompania Piwowarska, CapVest’s simultaneous acquisition and merger of Cardinal Foods and Kronfågel Group and TowerBrook’s acquisition of Van Geloven.

Martin Luen

Director

Martin joined Baird in May 2013, having previously been an M&A Director at Hawkpoint in London. He has significant experience in executing buyside and sellside M&A transactions for private equity firms, entrepreneurs and public companies, as well as equity and debt deals. He has worked across a variety of sectors, particularly business services and industrials. Prior to joining Hawkpoint, Martin worked at Deloitte and Andersen, where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant. Martin gained a first class degree in Mathematics and Economics from Durham University.

Oliver Meyer

Managing Director

Oliver is a Managing Director in Baird’s European Investment Banking and Global Financial Sponsor group with more than 20 years of investment banking experience. Based in Frankfurt, Oliver works with senior bankers across Baird’s global platform to serve corporate, private equity and family office clients in the DACH region. Oliver joined Baird in 2018 from Société Générale, where he was Head of Financial Sponsors Coverage for Germany & Austria and developed deep relationships with private equity funds, family offices and other financial sponsors in the region. Prior to Société Générale, he spent ten years at Rothschild and four years at Close Brothers Group in M&A banking roles. Oliver has an MBA (Finance) from The American University in Washington, DC.

Zach Mueller

Director

Zach Mueller joined Baird in 2018 and is a Vice President within Baird’s Global Investment Banking group in London leading execution support on European and Transatlantic transactions. Prior to joining Baird, Zach spent just over 3 years at Phoenix Equity Partners, a UK mid-market private equity investor, covering the Business Services and Industrial sectors. He initially qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Deloitte in 2010, before joining the London office of Harris Williams in 2012. Zach holds a BSc Hons degree in Politics from the University of Bristol.

Alex Murrill

Director

Alex is a Director in Baird’s Global Industrial Investment Banking Group, based in London. He has ten years of experience of public and private mergers and acquisitions and equity offerings, primarily within the industrial technology, process and flow control and energy equipment sectors. Prior to joining Baird in 2016, Alex spent five years with Harris Williams & Co. as part of the Industrials Group, focused on middle-market sell-side transactions for private equity clients. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG, and previously spent four years as part of ING’s European Corporate Finance team. Alex has a first class BA Hons degree in Economics with French from the University of Nottingham.

Boris Partin

Director

Boris Partin joined Baird in July 2011, and is a member of Baird’s Europe Consumer Investment Banking group in London. Boris has significant experience in executing buyside and sellside M&A transactions across Europe, having worked with clients in the UK, Italy, Spain, the Nordics, and the Netherlands. During his time at Baird, Boris has worked across a variety of sectors, with a particular focus on Consumer, where he advised clients across several Consumer sector verticals. Boris holds an MBA degree from University of Cambridge (with honours) and a Bachelor degree from Southern Methodist University (with honours). Prior to Baird, Boris spent time in the US in the M&A advisory and PE roles.

Simon Pearson

Managing Director

Simon is a Managing Director on Baird’s Global Technology and Services team, focusing on the TMT space. Pearson has extensive experience leading software M&A, fundraising and other corporate finance advisory transactions. He has advised on many leading technology transactions in Europe that involved software applications across a range of verticals, including oil & gas, gaming, healthcare, image processing insurance, HR, procurement, payments, hosting, cloud cyber and digital infrastructure. Prior to his role at EY, he was a director at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he helped establish the firm’s business in Central Europe. He holds a degree in Economics from the University of Exeter.

Justin Prichard

Managing Director

Justin is a Managing Director on Baird’s Global Technology and Services team, focusing on the TMT space. Prichard has led transactions across many areas of the TMT space, including news/research/analysis & data in agriculture, automotive, CGR (compliance, governance & risk), financial markets, insurance, pharmaceuticals & life sciences and property. He also has extensive experience in telecoms infrastructure, payments software, and technology and services in the broadcast and media industry. Prior to his role at EY, he was the director of corporate development at a venture-backed technology start-up company and also held various investment banking roles at EY and Macquarie Bank. He earned an MBA from Cass Business School, as well as a bachelor of commerce degree from the University of Otago.

Nicholas R. Sealy

Co-Head of European Investment Banking, Managing Director

Nicholas qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Peat Marwick in South Africa. He spent 10 years at Barings in domestic and international corporate finance (North America and South Africa) and capital markets. Nicholas joined Baird in 1996, became a Director in 1998, a Managing Director in 2003 and co-head of European investment banking in 2004. He has wide experience in company sales and acquisitions, public offers, bid defences and capital raisings. Nicholas focuses on consumer and industrial mergers and acquisitions, working with both North American and European clients.

Tahs Siddique

Director

Tahseen Siddique joined Baird in 2005. He is responsible for M&A research across Baird’s sector verticals, providing content based research to corporate and private equity clients. Tahseen has worked on over 15 transactions across the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain, advising on the sale of companies to European, North American and Asian buyers. Prior to joining Baird, he graduated with a B.Sc. in Economics from University College London (UCL) and completed an internship at UBS.

John Sun

Director

John Sun is a Director in Baird’s European Technology and Services Investment Banking team. Prior to joining Baird in 2010, John was an Associate with Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the Multi-Industries Investment Banking team. John started his career as an Investment Banking Analyst at a Canadian investment bank in Toronto. John received his MBA from INSEAD.

Ralph von Selzam

Managing Director

Ralph is a senior member of Baird’s European Investment Banking, focusing on the DACH region. He joined Baird in 2018 from Goldman Sachs where he served as Executive Director in their Global Industrials Team and Global M&A Group. While Ralph held a variety of roles at Goldman Sachs in his nearly 15 years with the firm, he most recently was responsible for the coverage of building materials and construction companies, as well as executing Industrial M&A transactions across EMEA. Ralph earned a Master of Arts in Economics and Social Sciences from Université de Fribourg in Switzerland.