By Elizabeth Dilts
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) Inc'sN> global head of the investment bank's consumer and retail group, Rob Sweeney, will step down at the end of April, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters.
Stephan Feldgoise, currently co-head of mergers and acquisitions in the Americas, will replace Sweeney as head of the investment banking team that advises consumer facing-companies.
Sweeney is leaving to join a private equity firm, according to a source familiar with his plans. The name of the firm was not immediately known.
Under Sweeney's leadership, Goldman's consumer and retail group ranked No. 1 in several global league tables last year.
Feldgoise, who will maintain his current duties as co-head of mergers and acquisitions in the Americas, will be tasked with maintaining the group's top rank, making deeper client relationships and developing a global team, according to the memo signed by the heads of the investment bank Gregg Lemkau, Dan Dees and Marc Nachmann.
Feldgoise, who joined Goldman Sachs as a mergers and acquisitions associate in 1997, was previously a senior member of the consumer retail group. In this new role, Feldgoise will also join the investment banking division's executive committee.