W. F. (Rooney) deButts

Managing Director

Rooney is a member of Barings’ Capital Solutions team. He leads Portfolio Company Operations, partnering with investment teams and company management to increase the value of portfolio companies to support due diligence of potential investments. He sits on the Capital Solutions and Private Equity Investment Committees, and the Private Equity Valuation Committee. 

Rooney has served as a Board member for numerous portfolio companies over his career. Currently, he is a Board member of LAFCO, Remington L&W Holdings, Red Lake Ventures, Citree Holdings, and Tamiami Citrus.

Rooney has over thirty-five years of business experience and has worked in the private equity industry since 2009. Prior to joining Barings in 2018, he worked for Sun Capital Partners as a Group Chief Operating Officer. Prior to Sun Capital, he was a Partner at Ernst & Young Consulting and Principal at the Boston Consulting Group. Rooney has also held line positions with U.S. Steel and Corporate Executive Board. He holds a B.A. and an M.B.A from the University of Virginia.