Lazard has appointed Tom Tuft as chairman, global capital markets advisory, and a vice chairman, US investment banking.

Tuft, based in New York, will join Lazard from Goldman Sachs where he most recently served as chairman of its equity capital markets group.

'Tom is one of the most highly regarded professionals on Wall Street and we are excited that he has decided to join Lazard as a senior member of the team,' says Bruce Wasserstein, chairman and chief executive of Lazard. 'Advising clients regarding capital structure and financing needs is a key growth area for the firm. We are delighted to have one of the most experienced bankers in equity capital markets join us in continuing to build this important business.'

'I have great respect for Lazard and its people, many of whom I know well, and I consider the firm to have great potential for growth in the capital markets advisory area,' says Tuft. 'I am deeply grateful for my career at Goldman Sachs and look forward to joining Lazard, and to the challenges and opportunities of my new position.'

Tuft joined Goldman Sachs in 1976 as a vice president in institutional sales and co-founded its equity capital markets business in 1985. He became head of that business in 1998, and was named chairman in 2004.

Tuft is chairman of the Roundabout Theatre Company, a vice president of the board of trustees of the Whitney Museum of American Art and on the board of directors of Boys & Girls Harbor and the Cancer Research Institute.

Lazard's US equity capital markets business provides advice to corporations with respect to all forms of public and private equity, and equity-linked financings, including initial public offerings, follow-on and convertible financings and private placements.