Milwaukee-based Baird, an employee-owned wealth management, capital markets, private equity and asset management firm, has appointed Smith Barney veterans Charles (Chuck) Singer and James Carideo to lead its wealth management offices in Indianapolis, Indiana and Tampa, Florida.

Both men were formerly branch managers for Smith Barney – Mr Singer formerly managed the firm’s Indianapolis branch, along with two satellite offices in Indiana, while Mr Carideo oversaw the Los Angeles office. The former amassed 25 years at Smith Barney in a variety of roles, and the latter had an 18-year career at the firm during which he held numerous positions, including that of head of Smith Barney Australia.

“With their deep industry knowledge and appreciation for Baird’s unique culture, they are well suited to lead our wealth management offices in Indianapolis, Tampa and throughout Florida, and help us recruit top talent in those markets,” said Michael Schroeder, president of Baird Private Wealth Management.

Baird has been aggressively hiring over the past year to support its country-wide expansion plans, and in October appointed Karen Ogard - formerly a managing director and investment officer at Wells Fargo Advisors - as a senior vice president for its new private wealth management business in Denver, Colorado.

Baird hired close to 100 advisors last year and can be expected to keep up a rapid rate of recruitment as it has outlined plans to open new wealth management offices in San Francisco and Nevada.