Bailard Deepens Private Markets Bench for Ultra-High-Net-Worth Clients with Senior Hire
Simon Smundak, CFA, joins as Senior Vice President, Private Markets & Solutions, adding depth to a UHNW practice CNBC
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Bailard, Inc., an independent wealth and asset management firm, today announced that Simon Smundak, CFA, has joined the firm as Senior Vice President, Private Markets & Solutions. Smundak will lead sourcing, evaluation, and monitoring of private investment opportunities for Bailard’s ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) clients, at a time when individual investors are gaining more direct access to private markets. That work is part of the firm’s broader effort to help families navigate liquidity events, concentrated stock positions, estate coordination, and multigenerational transitions. He brings more than 25 years of industry experience to Bailard’s UHNW practice.
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Simon Smundak, CFA, joins as Senior Vice President, Private Markets & Solutions, adding depth to a UHNW practice CNBC recently named among its first 25 Elite Advisors
“A lot of people can source investments. Simon has spent his career understanding which ones to avoid,” said Mike Faust, CFA, President of Wealth Management, Bailard. “That kind of judgment is rare, and now there’s more of it on the team.”
Bailard has spent years building its capabilities for UHNW families. Smundak’s arrival extends that work, adding depth to a bench developed specifically to help these families and their advisors evaluate and access private investments.
Smundak began his career at Cadogan Management, a hedge fund-of-funds where he was employee number twelve as assets grew from $400 million to $2 billion in about four years, before moving to Wetherby Asset Management, later Laird Norton Wetherby. Over 17 years there, he built the firm’s approach to private investments across private equity, real estate, real assets, hedge funds, and impact investing.
“Much of this work is protecting clients from being sold something that sounds sophisticated but doesn’t actually fit their situation, especially when it comes to how much of their money they can really afford to lock up,” said Smundak. “Being able to explain that clearly, so a client can make a decision they’re confident in, is what makes the work worthwhile. That discipline is what drew me to Bailard. It’s a firm that already thinks this way, not one I needed to convince.”
That kind of discipline is easier to hold onto within Bailard’s ownership structure. The firm is majority-owned by current and former employees, with no parent company and no private equity ownership. Bailard runs its own private strategies, including private real estate, and uses them the same way it uses any outside manager: based on whether a strategy fits a specific family’s plan, not on a quota to fill. Bailard is also a Certified B Corporation®, a designation that ties its obligations to more than its shareholders.
Smundak earned a BA in Economics with a minor in Fine Arts from New York University and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation. He is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of San Francisco.
About CNBC Elite Advisors
Bailard was named to CNBC’s inaugural Elite Advisors list in June 2026, which recognized 25 U.S. registered investment advisors with a demonstrated record of serving UHNW clients across the full range of services those clients require. The list was built with AccuPoint Solutions and Cerulli Associates, evaluating firms on UHNW assets under management, breadth and sophistication of services, professional credentials, and client retention and tenure.
This achievement does not evaluate the quality of services provided to clients and is not indicative of Bailard’s future performance. There was no cost to participate.
About Bailard, Inc.
Bailard is an independent firm that has served individuals, families, and institutions since 1969 with comprehensive wealth management and disciplined, in-house asset management. The firm provides financial and wealth planning, portfolio management, and investment strategies spanning domestic and international equities, fixed income, sustainable and responsible investing, private real estate, and customized mandates. Bailard manages more than $8.4 billion in assets as of June 30, 2026. The firm is guided by six core values: accountability, compassion, courage, excellence, fairness, and independence. It is a Certified B Corporation® and a signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investing.
Learn more at bailard.com.
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