Head of Financial Sponsors Group 

Leslie Cheek is the Head of Baird’s Global Financial Sponsors Group and is a member of the firm’s Investment Banking Management Committee. Les joined Baird in 2005 as a Managing Director to open Baird's Boston office. In this role, Les has assisted numerous private equity firms in acquiring new platform companies as well as pursuing liquidity events either through public offerings or merger transactions. Les also works with Baird's Business Services team on transactions in the BPO/CRM Services sector. Les is also a member of the firm's Fairness Committee.  Prior to joining Baird, Les spent almost six years at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, most recently as a Managing Director in the Business and Technology Services Group. Prior to his time at SunTrust, Les worked as an investment banker at Tucker Anthony Incorporated (now part of RBC Securities) in Boston for seven years.  He received a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College.