Goldman Sachs appointed Simon Lyons as co-head of UK investment banking, the bank confirmed through a spokesperson. Lyons will become a partner and lead the business alongside Nimesh Khiroya. He will be based in London and is expected to join later in 2026.
Lyons was previously co-head of Europe at advisory firm Ardea Partners and was a founding partner at PJT Partners. Earlier in his career, he served as head of UK mergers and acquisitions at UBS. Ardea’s published profile credits him with more than 25 years of experience and over $450 billion of completed transactions.
A HIRE INTO MARKET STRENGTH
The appointment comes while Goldman holds first place in UK merger-and-acquisition rankings for 2026. LSEG data cited by Reuters put the bank’s year-to-date UK advised deal value at $175 billion across 69 transactions.
Recent UK mandates included advice on combinations involving Unilever Foods and McCormick, Tate & Lyle and Ingredion, and Zurich and Beazley. Lyons also advised NatWest on its acquisition of Evelyn Partners and Mitie on its sale to OCS, Reuters reported.
EUROPEAN LEADERSHIP BUILD-OUT
Goldman has added several senior European bankers in recent years. They include David Benichou in France, Belgium and Luxembourg coverage, Carsten Woehrn in European M&A and Philippe Gallone in healthcare across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Lyons’s arrival date and the allocation of client responsibilities with Khiroya are the next concrete milestones. His appointment adds senior execution capacity as Goldman seeks to convert its current UK league-table position into sustained advisory mandates.