Logo
BusinessBusiness

Goldman Sachs boss David Solomon is planning a massive reshuffle of the Wall Street giant that will consolidate its key businesses into a few units — and place the company’s investment banking and trading operations under a single roof, according to a report.

The new mega-unit — which combines two key divisions long seen as rivals, with former CEO Lloyd Blankfein having risen from the trading unit and his successor Solomon hailing from investment banking — will be helmed by Dan Dees, Jim Esposito and Ashok Varadhan, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited unnamed sources.

The corporate rejiggering — the third restructuring effort chief executive Solomon has made in the last four years — has some insiders speculating that Solomon aims to put bankers in leadership roles above traders. Pairing Dees and Esposito — who are co-heads of the investment bank — with Varadhan who is co-head of global markets means the bankers will gain majority influence over the new division.

Likewise, Goldman’s legion of traders — who note that Goldman has historically been a “trading shop” — are worried this could hurt their chances of rising up the ranks and that bankers will be favored over them. 


  David Solomon last reorganized the bank just two years ago. AFP via Getty Images David Solomon last reorganized the bank just two years ago. AFP via Getty Images

“These kind of restructuring aren’t meant to happen as quickly as they’re happening,” a source close to Goldman said. “But it seems like David Solomon is implementing something that solidifies his vision… It’s a signal he doesn’t see himself going anywhere.” 

The new grouping also raises regulatory questions about who will have access to material non-public information gathered by bankers during dealmaking, a source adds. Another concern is that putting all of Goldman’s revenue drivers under one roof will mean the other businesses are orphans.

“There’s always been a narrative that Goldman is overly reliant on banking and trading revenues… putting both businesses in one division doesn’t help,” a source close to the situation said.


  Goldman’s legion of traders — who note that Goldman has historically been a “trading shop” — are worried the restructuring could hurt their chances of rising up the ranks and that bankers will be favored over them. Reuters Goldman’s legion of traders — who note that Goldman has historically been a “trading shop” — are worried the restructuring could hurt their chances of rising up the ranks and that bankers will be favored over them. Reuters

Asset and wealth management, meanwhile, will be combined with the troubled consumer lending bank Marcus under another umbrella, Bloomberg reported separately. It’s unclear who will lead the new group. Stephanie Cohen, who has co-headed Consumer and Wealth Management will be put in charge of a breakout unit of the consumer bank called Platform Solutions which will work with the bank’s corporate partners, Bloomberg reported.

The changes are expected to be announced as soon as this week. Goldman Sachs is slated to report quarterly earnings on Tuesday.

The move to combine Marcus with other more profitable businesses comes after years of the consumer lender missing profit expectations and failing to bring in revenue executives had hoped for, sources told The Post.

Sources told The Post Marcus could be the key reason for the reshuffling. The consumer bank, which has been losing as much as a billion a year according to reports, has failed to generate the revenue or the buzz that leadership had hoped for. 


  The new grouping also raises regulatory questions about who will have access to material non-public information gathered by bankers during dealmaking, a source adds. Bloomberg via Getty Images The new grouping also raises regulatory questions about who will have access to material non-public information gathered by bankers during dealmaking, a source adds. Bloomberg via Getty Images

 “Marcus is a complete failure… and they’re going to try and hide the pieces of the retail banking disaster with this reorganization,” a source adds.

A spokesperson at Goldman Sachs would neither confirm nor comment on the news.

Luke Sarsfield and Julian Salisbury, who have been running asset management, will lose their titles. Salisbury will be named chief investment officer, according to Bloomberg, and Sarsfield will return to a sales role in asset management.

The third business will put transaction banking, the company’s financial-technology ventures like its deals with Apple and General Motors in the same division. Marc Nachmann, who is co-head of trading, will run this division, according to Bloomberg.


  Goldman Sachs is planning to reorganize its business units. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett Goldman Sachs is planning to reorganize its business units. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett

The move unwinds the banks last restructuring effort David Solomon completed in 2020 and is an effort to emphasize the bank’s most profitable businesses, Bloomberg reported.

The Wall Street Journal was first to report news of the company’s reorganization; Bloomberg was first to report the company may combine the asset, wealth and consumer business.

As Goldman unveils grand new plans, insiders suggest Goldman may be trying to beef up its numbers with investors — especially given the company’s shares trade at just 0.9 times book value, according to FactSet.

That number is far less than the 1.4 times book value Morgan Stanley shares trade at and the 1.3 times book value at which JPMorgan shares trade.

News of the reorganization comes as many at the bank are already on tenterhooks about looming layoffs.

“A new reorganization increases intensity for management and employees to produce…this gives wiggle room to cull a few more,” Mike Mayo, banking analyst at Wells Fargo told The Post. “They could be deciding which people are redundant.”

Comments
anonymous profile image
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy