Michael “Mike” Baird is a former political who served as the 44th Premier of New South Wales from 2014 to 2017. He is a member of the Liberal Party and represented the electoral district of Manly in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 2007 to 2017. Since leaving politics in 2017, Mr. Baird has worked as the Chief Customer Office for the National Australia Bank and as the CEO of HammondCare.
Mr. Baird was born in Melbourne in 1968. He was educated at The King's School, Parramatta and graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Arts with majors in economics and government in 1989. Prior to entering politics, Mr. Baird was engaged in investment banking, having previously worked for both National Australia Bank and HSBC. Mr. Baird was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 2007. He was appointed Treasurer in 2011. In 2014, he became Premier following the resignation of Barry O'Farrell.
In October of 2021 Mr. Baird gave evidence to the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) regarding his former deputy, Gladys Berejiklian, and her relationship with Liberal MP Daryl Maguire. Mr. Baird stated that he was "incredulous" upon learning that his “close friend and colleague,” Ms. Berejiklian, had a a 5-year relationship with Mr. Maguire.
“Casino Mike”
During his time in office, Mr. Baird started to be labelled with the nickname "Casino Mike." The "Casino Mike" nickname stuck with Baird throughout his time as Premier of NSW, despite the fact that he introduced a number of measures aimed at reducing the social harm caused by gambling, including the ban on greyhound racing and the introduction of stricter regulations on poker machines.