Baird Capital Elevates Talent Across Investment Team
LONDON/CHICAGO (January 22, 2026) – Baird Capital, the global private equity and venture capital arm of Baird, today announced key leadership promotions across its global team. Becca Schlagenhauf has been promoted to Partner; Katie Schoen has been named Global Head of Capital Formation; Erin Jelenchick has been named Global Head of Finance and Operations. Sam Baker-Pollard has been promoted to Investment Manager and John McInerney to Associate.
Schlagenhauf will focus on the Pharma Services and Industrial Tech & Sustainability investment franchises. She is currently a board member of Cleanwater1 and Blue Matter and was involved in the investment in Newmarket. She led Cleanwater1’s acquisitions of VeloDyne, IMS, ICS, and PureAir Filtration, as well as Blue Matter’s acquisition of Sam Brown. Before joining Baird Capital in 2021, Schlagenhauf was a director at Northwestern Mutual Capital and received her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern.
In Schoen’s expanded role, she will manage LP relations, fundraising, co-investor, and strategic opportunities across the platform. She will collaborate with the investment team on capital formation opportunities, business development initiatives and lead marketing efforts. She most recently served as Baird Capital’s Global Head of Investor Relations and spent 12 years within Baird’s Private Wealth Management Research team, before joining Baird Capital in 2020.
Jelenchick will take on the added responsibilities of business operations and strategy to go along with her existing oversight of Baird Capital’s finance and administrative activities. She previously served as Baird Capital’s Global Head of Finance. Prior to joining Baird Capital in 2024, she held several roles within Baird’s Finance department, including overseeing the back office for Baird Capital and serving on the senior leadership team.
Baker-Pollard has been promoted to Investment Manager and previously served as an Investment Associate on Baird Capital’s Global Private Equity team. Based in the firm’s London office, he contributed to the investment in Newmarket, EvoluteIQ and ecube.
McInerney will partner with the Investment, Portfolio Operations, and Finance teams to drive value across the investment lifecycle. His focus will include business analytics, value creation planning, and strategic initiatives.
The promotions within our team reflect the depth of talent we are fortunate to have across Baird Capital. Becca, Katie, Erin, Sam, and John have all demonstrated exceptional leadership, expertise, and commitment to our investors and portfolio companies. As our business evolves, their expanded responsibilities position us well to continue delivering meaningful long-term value to our investors. I’m incredibly proud of their accomplishments and excited for the impact they will have in their new roles.
Gordon Pan, President of Baird Capital
About Baird Capital
Baird Capital manages two investment platforms: Global Private Equity and U.S. Venture Capital and makes investments in B2B technology & services-focused companies based in North America and the UK. Baird Capital partners with entrepreneurs and, leveraging its executive networks, strives to build exceptional companies. Baird Capital provides operational support to its portfolio companies, a proactive portfolio operations team and a deep network of relationships, which together strive to deliver enhanced shareholder value. Baird Capital is the direct private investment arm of Robert W. Baird & Co. Committed to being a great place to work, Baird ranked No. 13 on the 2025 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® list – its 22nd consecutive year on the list. For more information, please visit BairdCapital.com.
Baird Capital Partners Europe Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
For More Information
Baird Public Relations
publicrelations@rwbaird.com
+1-414-765-7250
