Goldman Sachs is bringing on Simon Lyons as co-head of U.K. investment banking, where he will join as a partner alongside Nimesh Khiroya and is expected to be based in London later this year. Lyons was most recently co-head of Europe at Ardea Partners, a founding partner at PJT Partners and previously head of U.K. mergers and acquisitions at UBS. His recent advisory work included NatWest's purchase of Evelyn Partners and Mitie's sale to outsourcing group OCS. The appointment comes as Goldman Sachs leads U.K. M&A league tables with $175 billion in transaction value across 69 deals, according to LSEG data. The bank advised on the Unilever Foods-McCormick combination, Ingredion's takeover of Tate & Lyle and Zurich's purchase of Beazley. Goldman also recorded its highest EMEA advisory market share in roughly 10 years during the first half of 2026, according to LSEG data cited by Reuters. Its dealmaking strength supported second-quarter investment banking fees of $3.40 billion, up 55% from a year earlier, while the bank advised on more than $1 trillion in announced M&A in the first half. The hire follows other senior European appointments, including David Benichou from Morgan Stanley, Carsten Woehrn from JPMorgan and Philippe Gallone from Moelis.