Goldman Sachs' equity-markets banker, Tom Tuft, is joining Bruce Wasserstein's Lazard, a sign that Lazard is expecting a fresh round of corporate public offerings in the years ahead.

The 62-year-old Tuft built a reputation on a number of high-profile initial public offerings of shares during the 1990s, including those of Estee Lauder and RJR Nabisco. In 2005, he helped Wasserstein settle a contentious succession battle that resulted in Lazard's own public offering.