NEW YORK, Feb 26 (Reuters) -

Goldman Sachs ( GS ) added its president and chief operating

officer John Waldron to its board of directors a month after he

was given a retention bonus, cementing his position as a

potential successor to CEO David Solomon.

Waldron, 55, joins Solomon, 63, as the second member of

the management committee to have a seat on the board.

"It does appear that firmer succession planning is

underway," said Stephen Biggar, a banking analyst at Argus

Research.

The bonuses, which vest in five years, were awarded to

Solomon and Waldron in an effort by Goldman's board to retain

top leaders, the bank said last month.

Waldron, who has been president and chief operating

officer since October 2018, oversees the leaders of the bank's

three main divisions. He previously served as co-head of

investment banking, a role he assumed in 2014 after joining

Goldman in 2000.

Gary Cohn, a former president of the firm, previously

served as a director alongside Solomon's predecessor, Lloyd

Blankfein.

Cohn left Goldman in late 2016 to join President Donald

Trump's first administration as an economic adviser and lead the

White House National Economic Council.

The bank also announced on Wednesday it added Accenture's ( ACN )

Chief Financial Officer KC McClure as an independent

director of the board.

Goldman Sachs ( GS ) earned its biggest quarterly profit in more

than three years as its investment bankers brought in more deal

fees, while its traders benefited from active markets, the

company said in January.