LONDON – A veteran UBS banker, Simon Warshaw, is leaving the bank after 27 years. The move comes less than a month after the he helped his client Vodafone seal a $130 billion deal, one of the largest in history.
Mr. Warshaw, 47, who joined UBS as a graduate trainee, resigned “to embark on a new chapter in his career,” Andrea Orcel, the chief executive of UBS’s investment banking unit, wrote in an internal e-mail obtained by DealBook.
Mr. Warshaw led the team advising Vodafone, the British telecommunications company, to sell its stake in Verizon Wireless to its longtime partner Verizon Communications. The deal, which has been discussed for years, was finally announced this month, pushing UBS high on the rankings of advisers to mergers and acquisitions.
The banker, whose been focusing on advising clients in the media and telecommunications sector, was named global co-head of investment banking at UBS in 2011. A year later, he stepped back from the role to focus more on working with clients.
Mr. Warshaw “has been a manager, mentor and good friend to many of our bankers throughout his long career,” Mr. Orcel wrote. He plans to continue to work with UBS on certain projects, Mr. Orcel said.
The memo from Andrea Orcel, chief executive of investment banking at UBS:
Dear colleagues,
After 27 years with the firm, Simon Warshaw has decided to leave UBS to embark on a new chapter in his career. Simon has made a major contribution to UBS over this period, having started as a Graduate Trainee with S.G. Warburg in 1986 and becoming Joint Global Head of Investment Banking in 2011. Simon is currently one of our most senior client bankers, and most recently was a core part of the team for the USD 130bn realization by Vodafone of its interest in Verizon Wireless.
Over his many years at the bank, Simon has played a key role in building and developing relationships with some of our key clients, alongside his varied roles in running our Media, UK, European and Global investment banking businesses. He has been a manager, mentor and good friend to many of our bankers throughout his long career.
Simon will maintain a close relationship with the firm and will continue to work with UBS on a number of key clients and projects with which he is already closely involved. Although we are sorry to see Simon leaving, we wish him continued success and look forward to working with him in the future.
Andrea