Top 20 Goldman Sachs execs set to share £400m in one of Wall Street's biggest paydays

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Key takeaways

Around 20 top Goldman Sachs executives are set to share equity payouts exceeding half a billion dollars.
Chief executive David Solomon is expected to receive the largest share at $100 million.
The payouts stem from special awards granted in 2021 during a pandemic-era dealmaking boom.

Top bosses at Goldman Sachs are in line for bonus payouts totalling more than half a billion dollars in one of Wall Street’s biggest bonanzas.

The equity payouts, equivalent to nearly £400m, are expected to be finalised later this month and go to around 20 executives.

Chief executive David Solomon will be the biggest winner with $100m (£75m), with others set to include the bank’s president John Waldron – Solomon’s likely successor.

Details of the bonus awards

Details of the payouts, drawn from public filings, were first revealed by Bloomberg News – ahead of third quarter results due to be published next week.

They stem from special awards granted in 2021.

At the time Wall Street banks, bouncing back after the pandemic, were cashing in on a frenzy of dealmaking and a boom in so-called ‘blank cheque’ listings – stock market vehicles that raised funds even before they had acquired an operating business.

And while Goldman’s shares have been flat this year they have returned about 150pc over the past five years, when reinvested dividends are included.

As with other banks, the idea of such payouts is to bring bosses’ pay into line with the long-term performance of the company and to hold onto its top people.

When first announced in 2021 the bonus awards were worth a combined $50m for Solomon and Waldron. They were described as part of a ‘war for talent’, a description said to have annoyed some staff. The scheme was then broadened to a wider group of recipients.

Company defense and past controversies

The Board created these awards to achieve three principal objectives: align compensation with rigorous performance thresholds, ensure leadership continuity, and enhance retention of our top talent in an increasingly competitive market. It’s no secret our firm has performed exceptionally well in the years since.

Solomon, who has led the investment bank since 2018, was paid $47m (£36m) last year, up by a fifth on 2024.

But his tenure has not been without controversy, with the first half of his reign marked by an ill-fated and loss-making push into consumer banking, which has since been ditched.

In 2021, he was given a $10m (£7.6m) pay cut as a result of the bank’s involvement in the corruption scandal at the Malaysian government’s 1MDB investment fund.

And two years later, it was revealed that Solomon had given up his sideline as a DJ – known as D-SOL – reportedly amid pressure from board members.

He has admitted to frustration at some of the criticism he has received, notably a headline in New York Magazine which ran ‘Is David Solomon Too Big a Jerk to Run Goldman Sachs?’.