After losing the race a couple of years to become the drugmaker’s ceo, Symonds is now leaving his job as cfo to become a managing director at Goldman Sachs. And given that his mandate includes expanding private equity investment in the pharmaceutical sector, might Symonds view his former employer as a likely target for a merger or buyout?

Given his long experience at AstraZeneca, Mr Symonds is expected to spend some time with the bank’s other pharmaceutical clients, The Financial Times reports. “My credibility in the UK market is a feature that is win-win for us both,” he tells the paper.

According to a Goldman memo, he’s expected to concentrate on “enhancing existing and developing new client relationships, particularly in the UK”. And he’s supposed to increase the role of private equity in pharmaceuticals. Buy-out firms have traditionally steered clear of such deals because of the high risks involved in R&D, the paper notes, but with billions of funds to spend on investments, the sector is likely to attract the attention of private equity.

Imagine the money Symonds could make? The firm’s 300-odd partners are allowed to invest their own money alongside the bank’s funds in proprietary deals. Perhaps Dave Brennan may soon have to reach for the chord on his parachute.