Paul Purcell

Paul Purcell, chairman of the board and former president and CEO of Robert W. Baird & Co., died Feb. 28 2020 in Sarasota, Fla., of complications from cancer, a Baird spokeswoman confirmed. He was 73. Mr. Purcell joined Baird in 1994 and became president and chief operating officer in 1998, taking on the CEO role two years later. From 2006 until 2014, he served as chairman, president and CEO before relinquishing the president title and served as chairman and CEO before Steve Booth became CEO in 2016. Paul E. Purcell is Chairman & Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of Baird Financial Group and affiliated entities including Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated. Paul joined Baird in 1994 and served in a variety of capacities, including Chief Operating Officer, before becoming President & Chief Executive Officer in 2000. He added the title of Chairman in 2006. Prior to joining Baird, he spent 22 years with Kidder, Peabody & Co., where he was a Managing Director and head of the Midwest Investment Banking Group. In addition to his duties at Baird, Paul is co-chair of the board of Teach for America – Milwaukee and chair of the University of Notre Dame Mendoza School of Business Advisory Council. He serves on the Alverno College board of trustees, the University of Chicago Booth School of Business Advisory Council, the Cristo Rey Network board of trustees, the Greater Milwaukee Committee board and executive committee, the board of Discovery World, the United Performing Arts Fund board, the Junior Achievement of Chicago board of directors, the United Way of Greater Milwaukee’s board and the board of directors of RiverFront Investment Group, LLC. He is a member of the board of directors of Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association and former vice chairman, as well as the former chairman of the board of directors at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School. He received an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business (1971) and is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (1969).