Sagard Expands Private Credit Reach to U.S. Wealth Market, Building on Baird Partnership
$5.9B1 private credit platform expands its reach to registered U.S. advisors and accredited investors
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Sagard, a global alternative asset management firm, today announced its entry into the U.S. wealth market, marking a significant expansion of its private credit business.
The expansion brings the experience and resources of Sagard’s $5.9B1 private credit platform to registered U.S. advisors and accredited investors. It builds on Sagard’s strategic partnership with Baird, announced in September 2025, which includes collaboration on distribution, product innovation and advisor engagement in the U.S. wealth channel. Sagard will develop educational content, private markets insights, and other resources to help financial professionals evaluate the role of private credit in client portfolios.
“Sagard’s entry into the U.S. wealth market represents an important step in the continued growth of our private credit platform,” said Dayna Kleinman, Managing Director and Head of U.S. Wealth at Sagard. “Financial advisors are looking for experienced investment partners, clear education and thoughtful support as private markets become a more meaningful part of client portfolios. Our goal is to bring those capabilities together and help advisors engage with the asset class more confidently.”
A highly selective approach to middle-market lending
Sagard’s institutional direct-lending business dates back to 2016 and focuses on established middle-market businesses across North America. Its approach begins with a company’s ability to repay its obligations and the structural protections available to lenders before capital is invested.
The investment team reviews approximately 1,200 opportunities annually and invests in approximately 1-2% of the opportunities, underscoring the discipline and selectivity at the center of its sourcing and underwriting process.
Sagard’s direct-lending activities generally focus on North American middle-market companies with EBITDA ranging from approximately $10M to $100M. The team specializes in lending to non-sponsored businesses, which are not owned or controlled by private equity firms. Sagard’s direct-lending portfolio has no exposure to software companies, and the strategy does not rely on payment-in-kind interest to generate its current income.1
Identifying and evaluating these opportunities often requires tailored sourcing strategies, rigorous analysis and direct collaboration with company leadership. Across its private credit activities, Sagard emphasizes direct loan origination, disciplined underwriting, rigorous structuring and active portfolio oversight throughout the life of an investment.
“Our approach begins with understanding the business, its ability to repay and the protections available to lenders before we invest,” said Dev Gopalan, Partner and Portfolio Manager at Sagard. “The breadth of opportunities we review allows us to remain highly selective and focus on businesses and structures that meet our investment standards.”
About Sagard
Sagard is a global alternative asset management firm with capabilities across Private Equity, Private Credit, Venture Capital and Real Estate. Sagard manages approximately $47B in assets across 25 strategies and serves more than 550 limited partners through 15 offices and a team of more than 570 employees as of June 30, 2026. For more information, visit sagard.com/uswealth.
About Baird
Established in 1919, Baird has more than 5,400 associates serving the needs of individual, corporate, institutional and municipal clients. Baird has more than $595B in client assets as of Sept. 30, 2026. Committed to being a great place to work, Baird ranked No. 16 on the 2026 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® list – its 23rd consecutive year on the list. Baird is the marketing name of Baird Financial Group. Baird’s principal operating subsidiaries are Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated and Baird Trust Company in the United States and Robert W. Baird Group Ltd. in Europe. Robert W. Baird Limited and Baird Capital Partners Europe Limited are authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. For more information, please visit Baird’s website at www.rwbaird.com.
1As of June 30, 2026.
*All dollar amounts are in U.S. dollars.
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