Goldman Sachs names Simon Lyons U.K. investment banking co-head

Goldman Sachs names Simon Lyons U.K. investment banking co-head

Tue, September 22, 2026 at 4:46 PM GMT+3 2 min read

Goldman Sachs is bringing on Simon Lyons as co-head of U.K. investment banking, a bank spokesperson confirmed Tuesday. Lyons will join as a partner alongside co-head Nimesh Khiroya and is expected to be based in London later this year.

Lyons was most recently co-head of Europe at Ardea Partners and was a founding partner at PJT Partners. Earlier in his career he served as head of U.K. mergers and acquisitions at UBS.

Reuters noted that his recent deal sheet includes advising NatWest on its Evelyn Partners purchase and acting for U.K.-listed Mitie when it was sold to outsourcing group OCS.

The hire comes as Goldman Sachs has extended its lead in U.K. dealmaking. LSEG data show the bank leading U.K. M&A league tables year-to-date, with $175 billion in transaction value spread across 69 deals. On the advisory side, recent U.K. mandates have covered the Unilever Foods–McCormick combination, Ingredion's takeover of Tate & Lyle, and Zurich's purchase of Beazley.

LSEG data cited by Reuters showed that heading into summer, Goldman had expanded its EMEA advisory footprint enough to claim its highest regional market share in roughly ten years during the first half of 2026.

Goldman's broader dealmaking strength has been a driver of the bank's financial performance. The bank posted second-quarter investment banking fees of $3.40 billion, a 55% year-over-year increase, and advised on more than $1 trillion in announced M&A in the first half of 2026.

The Lyons appointment is part of a broader pattern of senior hires Goldman has made across Europe. Those additions include David Benichou, a 2026 recruit who came over from Morgan Stanley to lead investment banking coverage across France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. In 2024, it brought in Carsten Woehrn from JPMorgan as co-head of European M&A and Philippe Gallone from Moelis as head of healthcare for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.