Two credit researchers have recently left Goldman Sachs in London, including Ewan Kirk, partner and head of fixed-income, currency and commodities research. The changes come as Goldman reorganizes its European fixed-income research model and has integrated equity and credit research under the umbrella of a single fundamental strategies group.
Kirk, who did not return calls, has retired, according to Rebecca Nelson, spokeswoman. In fact, Goldman no longer publishes fixed-income research in Europe and has not done so since last spring, she said, to meet Financial Services Authority rules which prohibit publishing analysts from communicating with salesman or traders. Instead, the various strands of research in Europe--credit, equity, structured finance--are being folded into a newly formed fundamental strategies team, which is run by Sandy Rattray, managing director in London. This group will communicate with investors but will not publish research. While the London office no longer publishes, Goldman still maintains a global head of credit research role, which is held by New York-based Paula Dominick. Rattray was on vacation and could not be reached. Dominick did not return calls by press time.
The other credit researcher to leave recently is Andrzej Skiba, associate in European investment-grade research focusing on industrials and the technology-media-telecommunications sector. He has started at BlueBay Asset Management in London in a newly created position as credit analyst and reports to Raphael Robelin and Dipankar Shewaram, both senior portfolio managers for the investment-grade team. Calls to Skiba, Robelin and Dipankar were referred to Sara Stacey, BlueBay spokeswoman, who said the hire was made to increase the team's resources but declined to elaborate further.