Barclays has announced the appointment of John Kolz as Global Co-Head of Equity Capital Markets (ECM). He will work alongside Tom Swerling, who has been leading the global ECM franchise since 2023. Kolz will be based in New York and report to Travis Barnes and Tom Johnson, Global Co-Heads of Capital Markets.
Kolz brings over 25 years of experience in equity capital markets to Barclays. His career includes a decade at Credit Suisse, where he was most recently Co-Head of Americas ECM Origination. He also held various roles at Goldman Sachs, including Co-Head of Equity Syndicate. Prior to joining Barclays, he served as Co-Head of Global ECM at RBC Capital Markets.
Barclays aims to grow its share in Equity Capital Markets as part of its strategic priorities for Investment Banking. The bank's income from Investment Banking increased by 12% in 2024 compared to 2023. In the ECM sector specifically, fees rose by 64% in USD, and market share grew by 100 basis points, with notable transactions like National Grid’s £7bn Rights Issue.
Taylor Wright, Global Co-Head of Investment Banking at Barclays, commented on Kolz's appointment: “John will add immense value to our clients, and his partnership with Tom will be instrumental to the next phase of growth in our global ECM franchise. We have been growing our ECM share in recent years and winning lead roles on some of the most high-profile transactions to come to market. The business has great momentum and is well positioned to continue to capitalize on the market opportunity ahead.”
The ambition for Barclays' Investment Banking division is to increase revenue by £700 million by 2026, improve RWA productivity, and rebuild fee share to approximately 4%, aligning with levels seen in 2019. This will be achieved through focusing on three strategic priorities: increasing share in M&A and ECM; implementing Treasury Coverage for more client products; and improving capital stewardship.