Goldman Sachs & Co. (Europe)

ABOUT THIS COMPANY:

First among many

Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs provides a wide range of investment banking, securities, and investment management services to a substantial and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments, and high-net-worth individuals. Widely considered the most prestigious name in investment banking, Goldman is headquartered in New York, and maintains offices in London, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and other major financial centers around the world. In fact, London was the site of the firm’s first international office, which opened in 1970. In 1986, Goldman became the first American bank to rank in the top 10 in M&A volume in the U.K. The venerable bank also has many “firsts” to its credit. Goldman played a major role in establishing the IPO markets in the early 1900s; five decades later, it was the first firm to focus on the institutional sales market. Goldman was also the first investment bank to create a dedicated M&A group, negotiate a trade on the New York Stock Exchange, and use emerging computer technology to distribute its research reports electronically. More recently, the bank has been known for some allegedly dubious dealings, and has received scores of less than stellar press, including one of its employees publicly announcing his resignation in The Opinion Pages of The New York Times. Even so, Goldman is still the top dealmaker on Wall Street. The firm ranked No. 1 in worldwide announced M&A deal volume for 2011, and worked on five of the 10 largest deals during the year. The firm is currently led by Lloyd Blankfein, its chairman and CEO, and employs 32,400 people worldwide.