FRANKFURT, June 29 (Reuters) – Rothschild & Co (ROTH.PA) said on Thursday it is expanding its investment banking business in Germany and Austria with the hire of Eva Maria Wiecko from competitor Goldman Sachs (GS.N).

Wiecko will join the team from July 1 in the newly created role of Head of Equity Market Solutions (EMS) for Germany and Austria.

Wiecko previously worked at Goldman Sachs for 17 years, most recently as Managing Director and Head of Industrial Technology for EMEA. She brings experience in initial public offerings, capital increases and private placements, having worked on listings including Porsche AG (P911_p.DE), Traton (8TRA.DE) and Innogy.

“Due to the increasing complexity of raising capital, we see a significant increase in demand for integrated and tailored advice on equity financing, market access, positioning and investor dialogue,” said Kai Tschoeke, Rothschild’s co-head of Global Advisory for the DACH region, which comprises Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

The hire comes during a lull in market activity, with Rothschild & Co., whose owners are taking the bank private, expecting net income to more than halve this year due to a sharp fall in dealmaking.

Rothschild & Co equity market solutions provides clients with advice on topics including fundraising and investor dialogue, such as defending against activists and discussing environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.

Over the last three years, Rothschild’s DACH equity advisory team has advised on 13 transactions totalling more than 20 billion euros ($21.74 billion).

($1 = 0.9198 euros)

Reporting by Emma-Victoria Farr, editing by Susan Fenton

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.