• Newly created senior leadership position for the firm
• Will drive growth and new client solutions across equity, fixed income, currency and sustainable strategies

CHICAGO, December 8, 2020 – Mesirow (the “firm”), an independent and employee-owned financial services firm, announced today that Erik Barefield rejoined the firm as Senior Managing Director and Head of Traditional Investment Management. During his prior tenure at Mesirow, Mr. Barefield served as Senior Managing Director and Head of the Mesirow Advanced Strategies Global Client Relationship Team. He will report directly to Richard S. Price, Mesirow Chairman and CEO.

In this newly created position, Mr. Barefield will oversee the firm’s traditional investment management businesses and serve as a senior leader at Mesirow. In aggregate, the firm’s traditional investment management teams comprise approximately 55 professionals across five different portfolio management teams that manage roughly $10 billion in fixed income, equity, and sustainable strategies; and $90 billion in currency assets.

Mr. Barefield will also be responsible for expanding the investment teams’ collective capabilities and enhancing its lineup through internal product development, potential acquisitions, lift-ins of external investment teams and strategies, and for driving asset under management growth and profitability.

“Erik’s collaborative nature, energy, distribution expertise, in-depth industry knowledge, and strong affinity for the firm made him a stand-out candidate throughout the executive search process for this position,” said Richard S. Price, CEO and Chairman at Mesirow. “Moreover, his deep organizational knowledge, market insight, and strong client relationships will enable him to articulate and further differentiate Mesirow and our traditional investment strategies in the marketplace. On behalf of the firm, I am pleased to welcome Erik back to the firm and look forward to his future contributions.”

“It is with great enthusiasm that I return to Mesirow,” said Erik Barefield, Senior Managing Director and Head of Traditional Investment Management. “I believe Mesirow has distinguished itself in the financial services industry by leveraging its employee-owned structure to focus on delivering value and a truly client-centric approach. The firm also feeds its vibrant culture with exciting opportunities for its employees and executes its dedication to being an engaged citizen in the community. 

Before rejoining Mesirow, Mr. Barefield was a Managing Director at Lighthouse Investment Partners, LLC. Previously he was Vice President, Fixed Income at Morgan Stanley from April 1994 to June 2005. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree in finance and marketing from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

About Mesirow

Mesirow is an independent, employee-owned financial services firm founded in 1937. Headquartered in Chicago with offices around the world, we serve clients through a personal, custom approach to reaching financial goals and acting as a force for social good. With capabilities spanning Global Investment Management, Capital Markets & Investment Banking, and Advisory Services, we invest in what matters: our clients, our communities, and our culture. To learn more, visit mesirow.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Mesirow was recently named one of the Best Places to Work in Chicago by the Chicago Tribune and one of the Top Places to Work by Crain’s Chicago Business.