????據(jù)稱高盛（Goldman Sachs）首席執(zhí)行官勞埃德?布蘭克費恩可能最早于今夏離任，現(xiàn)任高盛總裁兼首席運營官的蓋瑞?科恩是接替他的第一人選，消息來源是高盛一位高管以及一位接近該公司的消息人士。

????高盛一位新聞發(fā)言人拒絕置評。

????當(dāng)然，接下來的幾個月里什么事情都有可能發(fā)生，57歲的布蘭克費恩的離任也并不確定。布蘭克費恩本人是否愿意下臺也是個未知數(shù)。布蘭克費恩與他人共擔(dān)首席執(zhí)行官一職也并非沒有可能。高盛過去就有過不少這樣的先例，前聯(lián)席首席執(zhí)行官包括約翰?溫伯格和約翰?懷特黑德、羅伯特?魯賓和史蒂芬?弗里德曼以及喬恩?科賽和亨利?鮑爾森。

????但公司治理專家強(qiáng)調(diào)，美國大型金融機(jī)構(gòu)的管理層變更非常有助于這些公司度過金融危機(jī)帶來的諸多問題，尤其是聲譽(yù)受損問題。精力充沛、行事果斷的布蘭克費恩是一名郵政工人的兒子，在紐約布魯克林長大，是少數(shù)幾個在金融危機(jī)之后仍成功留任的大銀行首席執(zhí)行官之一。另一位是摩根大通（JPMorgan Chase）的首席執(zhí)行官杰米?戴蒙。

????蓋瑞?科恩接替布蘭克費恩的概率看起來越來越大了。在高盛，科恩是和布蘭克費恩一起從交易員升上來的高管，但在過去約17年的時間里，他已經(jīng)成為公司的頂級高管。高盛所有重要部門的負(fù)責(zé)人都向科恩匯報。他還是高盛的全球大使。最近一次露面是在今年的達(dá)沃斯世界經(jīng)濟(jì)論壇（World Economic Forum）上，科恩主辦了一場晚宴，款待商界和政壇的精英。

????據(jù)多位消息人士稱，現(xiàn)年51歲的科恩是當(dāng)前高盛董事會的首選，盡管去年夏季有猜測稱，科恩可能不會入選，因為他有時脾氣暴躁，而且與布蘭克費恩關(guān)系密切。這些消息人士還說，高盛成長市場全球負(fù)責(zé)人邁克?埃文斯一度極力將自己打造為接替布蘭克費恩的人選。埃文斯曾推動高盛降低對交易收入的依賴、將重點放在投資銀行業(yè)務(wù)上，但他本人并沒有贏得董事會的支持。目前，埃文斯負(fù)責(zé)實施由高盛商業(yè)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)委員會提出的種種改革；但消息人士稱，如果科恩上臺，埃文斯在高盛的位置將岌岌可危。

????至于誰將接替科恩，有猜測認(rèn)為是高盛投資銀行部門聯(lián)席主管戴維?所羅門和證券部門聯(lián)席主管哈維?施瓦茨。眼下，公司正在培養(yǎng)他們擔(dān)任更重要的職位，其中可能就包括首席運營官一職。

????Lloyd Blankfein may step down as chief executive of Goldman Sachs as early as this summer; and president and chief operating officer Gary Cohn is the lead candidate to replace him, according to a Goldman executive and a source close to the firm.

????A Goldman spokesman declined to comment.

????To be sure, anything can happen over the course of the next few months and the departure of Blankfein, 57, is not certain. It is still up in the air whether Blankfein wants to step down. It would also not be unheard of for Blankfein to share the role of CEO, as so many others at Goldman have in the past. Former co-heads include John Weinberg and John Whitehead; Robert Rubin and Stephen Friedman; and Jon Corzine and Henry Paulson.

????But corporate governance experts have emphasized that leadership changes at the nation's largest financial institutions go a long way toward helping those firms move past the troubles - particularly the reputational damages – wrought by the financial crisis. The feisty Blankfein, the son of a postal worker who grew up in Brooklyn, is one of the only big bank CEOs to have kept his job after the financial crisis. The other is Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase (JPM).

????It seems increasingly certain that Gary Cohn would replace Blankfein. Cohn rose through the ranks at the firm as a trader, along with Blankfein; but over the last 17 years or so he has become a top manager. All of the firm's key business heads report to Cohn. He has also emerged as a global ambassador for the bank. Most recently Cohn hosted a dinner at this year's World Economic Forum in Davos, which was attended by corporate leaders and politicians.

????Cohn, 51, is currently the board's top choice, according to sources, despite speculation last summer that Cohn would be passed over due to a sometimes testy demeanor and his close ties with Blankfein. These sources add that J. Michael Evans, the global head of growth markets, tried to position himself to succeed Blankfein. Evans, who pushed for Goldman (GS) to become less dependent on trading revenue and to focus on investment banking, has not won the support of the board. He is currently overseeing implementation of changes created by the firm's business standards committee; but sources say that his position at the firm would be very precarious if Cohn were to become CEO.

????As for who would replace Cohn, there is speculation that David Solomon, co-head of the investment bank, and Harvey Schwartz, co-head of the securities division, are being groomed for bigger positions at the firm, possibly including the role of chief operating officer.