Intrepid Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan bankers embark on charity mission in inappropriate footwear

It was the shoes and the socks that gave it away. Richard Cormack (pictured right) and Nicholas Hall (pictured left) were not intrepid members of the SAS liberating a sculpture nor cleaners giving it a polish, but bankers hanging 200ft in the air for charity.

Hall is JPMorgan's head of UK equity capital markets; Cormack is co-head of equity capital markets at Goldman Sachs. The two men were among over 20 bankers from 18 firms to descend over 200 foot from the UK's ArcelorMittal Orbit sculpture in London yesterday. Wearing purple suits with their polished shoes (Hall) and stripey socks (Cormack), they were accompanied by people from Credit Suisse, Deutsche, Lazard, Morgan Stanley, BlackRock, Jefferies, RBC, HSBC and UBS.

The event was the UK's highest freefall abseil. It raised almost £250K in support of a new cancer facility at the Royal Marsden Hospital.  

Cormac confessed to a fear of heights before it started. The photographs below track the two men's progress. Both looked distinctly pleased to put their shoes on the ground again. Donations are being accepted until October on a JustGiving page.

The event is one of several on the City's charity calendar. In September, Morgan Stanley is organising a 24 hour London to Paris bike ride for 300 staff in support of the teenage cancer trust. 

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