Goldman equities co-head Paul Russo leaving the bank

Goldman’s Paul Russo.Goldman Sachs

Goldman Sachs’ equities chief Paul Russo is leaving the bank, according to a source familiar with the matter, as incoming CEO David Solomon looks to put his own leadership team at the top of the Wall Street firm. 

Russo, who has worked at Goldman his entire career, exits as the firm’s equities division has lagged peers and the bank has given up market share to rival firms like Morgan Stanley.

During the second quarter, most big banks showed strong results in equities but Goldman posted a flat performance relative to the prior year. The business represents one of the biggest challenges facing Solomon.

Once Russo departs, Goldman is likely to elevate trading executives including Brian Levine, Jeff Nedelman and Phil Berlinski to help manage the stock trading team alongside Russo’s counterpart Michael Daffey, the source said. 

A Goldman spokesman declined to comment on Russo’s departure. 

The equities business broadly is under pressure as structural changes over the last few years like the rise of electronic trading have shaved off around around $15 billion from the equities fee pool, according to a report from Morgan Stanley and management consulting firm Oliver Wyman.

Electronic trading has dramatically boosted trading volumes, while making the cost of trading much cheaper.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier on Russo’s departure. 

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