Baird hires strategy expert

Employee-owned private equity firm Baird has recruited Said DeSaque to join the firm as director of institutional sales and investment strategy.

Based in London, DeSaque will be responsible for investment strategy reports on the US and global economies to Baird’s institutional clients in Europe, the Far East and Middle East.

Joining from Chicago-based investment firm William Blair International, he has spent the past 23 years analysing the US economy and capital markets. Prior to William Blair, DeSaque was senior vice-president at PaineWebber and was responsible for economic and investment analysis for its institutional client base.

Despite the economic downturn Baird’s institutional equity services’ business posted its 14th consecutive year of revenue in 2008 and the firm has spent much of the past year recruiting.

In Europe, the team recently added former Lehman Brothers executive Steve Holt as managing director and Michael Mortensen as director to its European institutional equity services team.