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

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.

Robert Foster

Managing Director

Robert Foster is a Managing Director on Baird’s Global Consumer Investment Banking team. Based in London, Robert leads Baird’s European Consumer Banking coverage. He joined Baird in 2021 from Jefferies where he was European Head of Consumer & Retail Investment Banking and led dozens of successful transactions in ecommerce, health & wellness, pet care, home, foodservice, consumer services, retail and luxury goods. He was also a member of Jefferies’ Global M&A Review Committee and Global Equity Review and Commitment Committee. Prior to Jefferies, he served as a senior investment banker and EMEA Head of Retail at Morgan Stanley after starting his investment banking career at UBS. Robert received a bachelor’s degree with honors from Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada and a master’s degree from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.

Vinay Ghai

Managing Director

Vinay is a Managing Director in Baird's Financial Sponsor Group, with responsibility for European sponsor coverage and managing the firm’s relationships with a number of leading private equity firms.

Vinay joined Baird in 2011 as a Managing Director in the Global Industrials team, where he worked for five years, and has over twenty years’ experience in executing and advising on private equity and public company transactions across the Consumer, Services, Healthcare and Industrials sectors throughout Europe. Prior to joining Baird, Vinay spent fourteen years at Hawkpoint, Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank in their M&A teams.

Vinay has a first class degree from Imperial College in London and is a qualified Chartered Accountant.

Marco Krass

Managing Director

Marco Krass is a Managing Director in Baird’s Global Technology & Services Investment Banking team. Marco joined Baird in 2020 and leads the firm’s coverage of the Technology & Services sector in the DACH region. Prior to joining Baird, Marco worked in Investment Banking at Macquarie Capital and Lazard. Marco has significant experience in M&A and capital raise transactions, having successfully advised on more than 50 completed sell- and buy-side deals as well as capital raises working for financial sponsors, founders as well as corporate clients. Marco has a Diploma in Business Administration from the University of Bayreuth (Germany).

Martin Luen

Managing 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.

Andrew Nicholson

Managing Director

Andrew Nicholson is a Managing Director in Baird’s Global Healthcare Investment Banking team. Based in London, he leads Baird’s European Healthcare Investment Banking coverage.

Andrew joined Baird in 2020 from KPMG where he spent 14 years working in leadership M&A roles, including UK Head of Healthcare M&A and UK Head of M&A. He founded KPMG’s Healthcare M&A team in 2006 and continues to advise leading healthcare companies. Before KPMG, Andrew held a corporate finance role at Rothschild. He also served as Corporate Development Director at Robinia, a Bridgepoint-backed company that cares for adults with learning disabilities and has set up and sold his own elderly care business. Andrew was recognized by HealthInvestor as “The Most Influential M&A Advisor” in 2012. He is a qualified Chartered Accountant and a graduate of the University of Bristol.

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

Managing Director

John Sun is a Managing 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.

Chelsea Smith

Director

Chelsea Smith is a Director in Baird’s Global Technology & Services team, focused on software and cyber. Chelsea has significant experience in cross-border deals, M&A transactions and capital raises. Prior to joining Baird in 2017, Chelsea was with Pacific Crest Securities, the technology division of KeyBanc Capital Markets, focused on advisory transactions in technology. Her previous experience includes corporate strategy support roles at Align Technology and ServiceSource. Chelsea received her M.B.A. and Masters of Arts in International Development from the Kogod School of Business and the School of International Service at American University. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northeastern University.

Damiaan van Ballegooijen

Director

Damiaan van Ballegooijen is a Director in Baird’s Technology & Services Investment Banking team. Damiaan joined Baird in 2015 and is focused on assisting clients in the Benelux. Prior to joining Baird, Damiaan was an Associate M&A at NIBC Bank in the Netherlands. Damiaan has significant experience in M&A, having successfully advised on both sell- and buy-side transactions working for financial sponsors, founders and corporate clients. Damiaan holds a BSc in International Business Administration and a MSc in Finance & Investments from the Rotterdam School of Management at the Erasmus University in the Netherlands.

Philip Widmann

Managing Director

Philipp Widmann is a Director within Baird’s European Investment Banking Group in Frankfurt and has coverage responsibility for Baird’s activities in the Distribution, Test & Measurement and Automation sectors in Europe. Philipp joined Baird in 2015 as Analyst. Prior to that he gained firsthand experience within Deloitte’s Investment Banking practice, Berenberg Bank and Kepler Chevreux. Philipp has advised public and private clients on more than 20 transactions across a variety of sectors and products / solutions. Philipp holds a BSc in International Finance (HfWU) and graduated first in class with an MSc in Management (Distinction, University of Edinburgh).

Tom Cowap

Director

Tom is a Director in Baird’s European Healthcare Investment Banking team. Tom joined Baird from Alantra where he spent nine years building Alantra’s pharma services coverage effort, providing M&A services for financial sponsors and independently owned, founder backed businesses in the space. Prior to Alantra, Tom worked at PricewaterCoopers in their Financial Due Diligence team. He also served in the British Army (Reserve – 7th Battalion, The Rifles and 4th Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment). Tom is an ACA and had a bachelor’s degree in finance from Durham University. .