BAIN & COMPANY APPOINTS LES BAIRD TO LEAD ITS GLOBAL MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS AND CORPORATE FINANCE PRACTICE

New York – Jan. 29, 2018 – Bain & Company has appointed Les Baird to lead the firm’s global Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) and Corporate Finance practice. His appointment was announced today by Bill Neuenfeldt, regional managing director of Bain’s Americas region. Baird will continue to be based in the firm’s Boston office.

Baird has more than 15 years of experience, working primarily with industrial and healthcare clients on a range of projects including corporate strategy, growth strategy, mergers and acquisition strategy and execution, organization, and performance improvement. He has also led many multi-billion dollar global integration programs and acquired extensive experience in due diligence and commercial valuation.

In his new role, Baird will be responsible for business and client development, as well as the management of the practice’s consultants and professional staff. He will partner with clients to help them build and execute a repeatable M&A model and guide them in deciding where to grow and shed through joint ventures, divestitures and separations. Additionally, Baird will work with companies to help them create competitive advantages through strategic corporate finance.

“We are excited that Les has agreed to take Bain’s market leading capabilities in M&A and corporate finance to the next level,” said Neuenfeldt. “He has been a key partner in the M&A practice for many years and is passionate about the importance of getting merger integration right and the value it can add to clients.”

Baird has deep expertise in merger integration, including organizational and cultural integrations, as well as change management and results delivery. He has also advised clients on portfolio strategy and developed separation and divestiture programs to enable them to achieve full potential in their portfolios. His due diligence and portfolio experience covers assets across an array of industries, including industrial products, healthcare, consumer products, retail, and telecom.

Baird succeeds Laura Miles, who grew the practice by nearly 30 percent in three years. The transition is part of Bain’s regular leadership rotation, which ensures the firm’s partners stay focused on the most important part of the firm’s business – its clients and their results.

“Laura has been a driving force in growing and shaping the practice over the last three years. She has contributed mightily to the results of our clients, while making substantial contributions to the intellectual property of our M&A and Corporate Finance practice.” said Baird. “I look forward to building on her success and working with a truly talented team of consultants to help our clients to become top performers.”

Prior to joining Bain, Baird worked at another global consulting firm, where he specialized on large-scale, global merger integration programs.

He earned his MBA with honors from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Editor's Note: To arrange an interview, contact Dan Pinkney at dan.pinkney@bain.com or +1 646 562 8102

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