Glenn Earle, the Goldman Sachs banker who is stepping up to be chief operating officer of the American bank’s European businesses, has a hard act to follow.
The prodigious talents of Paul Deighton, the previous chief operating officer, led him to being chosen to head London’s Olympic Games Organising Committee.
Mr Earle, like many at the top of Goldman Sachs is a veteran of the firm, having worked his way to the top in Europe over a period of 18 years.
Mr Earle, now 48, was one of just six British partners from a total of 190 when the firm floated on the New York Stock Exchange in 1999. The float made him an instant multimillionaire — partners were granted on average shares worth £25 million. Then, Mr Earle, a graduate of Cambridge and Harvard Business School, worked on expanding the bank’s reach in the emerging markets. It is an area that the bank is putting increasing emphasis on today.
Mr Earle has also worked in mergers and acquisitions, helping Unilever to buy Best Foods. In addition to becoming chief operating officer, Mr Earle will join the firm’s European management committee and its risk and business practices committees.