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Veteran Goldman Sachs banker retires

Charlie Bott, chairman of Goldman’s European financial sponsors group, is regarded as the first private equity-dedicated banker. He is replaced by John Waldron, previously co-head of leveraged finance.

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Charlie Bott, chairman of Goldman Sachs’ financial sponsors group in Europe, is retiring after 22 years at the firm.

During his tenure he developed the bank’s relationship with such firms as Apax Partners, Cinven, BC Partners and Providence Equity Partners, according to an internal memo seen by PEO.

Bott joined Goldman’s corporate finance practice in 1986 and was appointed as head of the European financial sponsors division in 1994. He is credited as being the first banker dedicated to private equity.

In 1999 Bott moved to the bank’s telecoms, media and technology group, where he was co-chief operating officer and responsible for building Goldman’s emerging telecoms franchise. During this period he was made up to partner.

Bott returned the financial sponsors group as co-head in 2002 and became chairman in 2007.

John Waldron, who has been a partner at Goldman since 2002, has now assumed full responsibility for the European financial sponsors and sovereign wealth funds team. Until last year Waldron was co-head of leveraged finance in New York.

In related news, Goldman Sachs this week laid of 3,200 employees worldwide as part of previously reported plans to cull 10 percent of the firm’s workforce, according to a report on Reuters.