Leadership

The importance of principled leadership – from our senior partners and CEOs to our role as drivers of our industry to the thought leadership we champion – is a key to understanding Goldman Sachs.

+ Themes Leadership

Deepening a Commitment to Sustainability, GSAM Acquires a Leading Impact Investing Firm

Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) acquires ESG and impact investing innovator Imprint Capital Advisors in 2015, underscoring its commitment to ESG investing and further broadening the investment opportunities and advice it can offer clients.

Leadership , Clients

GSAM Makes a Commitment to Responsible and Sustainable Living

In 2011, Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) becomes a signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI), a global collaborative of investors established in 2006 in recognition of the increasing relevance of environmental, social and governance issues to the practice of investment management.

Leadership , Clients

David Solomon Is Appointed CEO and Chairman

After the retirement of Lloyd Blankfein in 2018, David Solomon is appointed CEO and chairman of Goldman Sachs.

Leadership

Lloyd Blankfein Assumes Leadership of Goldman Sachs

After the departure of Hank Paulson in 2006, Lloyd Blankfein is named Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, beginning a tenure marked by historic challenge and innovation.

Leadership

Hank Paulson Is Named Chairman and CEO

As the firm transitions from a partnership to a publicly-held company in 1999, Hank Paulson is named Chairman and CEO.

Leadership

Rubin and Friedman Become Co-Heads

Stephen Friedman and Robert Rubin are named co-senior partners of Goldman Sachs after the retirement of John L. Weinberg in 1990.

Leadership

The Sachs Family Helps Shape a Nascent Goldman Sachs, Fortifies the Partnership in the Face of Adversity

Beginning in 1882, generations of the Sachs family provide leadership to the firm for more than a century.

Leadership

Sidney Weinberg Leads the Firm for More than Three Decades

In 1930, Sidney Weinberg becomes senior partner, presiding over the firm’s recovery from the 1929 financial crash and more than three decades of growth and innovation.

Leadership

John Weinberg and John Whitehead Become Co-Heads

John Weinberg and John Whitehead are named co-heads of Goldman Sachs in 1976, presiding over some of the firm’s most significant initiatives and growth during their joint tenure of nearly eight years.

Leadership

John L. Weinberg is Named Sole Senior Partner of Goldman Sachs

In 1984, John L. Weinberg, son of Sidney Weinberg, is named sole senior partner following the retirement of co-senior partner John Whitehead.

Leadership

Henry Goldman Leaves the Firm

As World War I engulfs Europe, a rift develops among the partners of Goldman Sachs as Henry Goldman asserts his allegiance to Germany and his ancestral roots.

Leadership

Goldman Sachs Signs Amicus Brief Supporting Marriage Equality

In 2013, Goldman Sachs joins other business leaders and advocates in signing a friend of the court brief supporting marriage equality.

Leadership , Culture

Sachs Family Legacy Continues as Walter Sachs Becomes Partner

In 1910, Walter Sachs becomes a partner of the firm founded by his grandfather Marcus Goldman, where he works alongside his father and brothers.

Leadership

Sidney Weinberg Serves on War Production Board

Sidney Weinberg takes a leave of absence from the firm to serve on the War Production Board during World War II.

Leadership , Service

Sidney Weinberg Helps Set the Standard for Corporate Directorship in the 20th Century

In 1949, Sidney Weinberg gives a speech on the responsibilities of corporate directors before the Harvard Business School Club in Cleveland. His model for corporate directorship will be widely cited and emulated for decades.

Leadership , Culture

In Governance Milestone, Goldman Sachs Establishes Management Committee

The Management Committee is created in 1965 as a senior governing body responsible for key strategy, policy and management matters across all of Goldman Sachs’ businesses.

Leadership

A Second Generation of Goldmans Enters the Family Business

Marcus Goldman’s youngest son, Henry Goldman, joins the family business in 1885.

Leadership

Gus Levy Appointed Senior Partner

In 1969, Gus Levy becomes Goldman Sachs’ senior partner, launching an era marked by an expanded international focus and an increasing willingness by the firm to take on trading risk.

Leadership

Sidney J. Weinberg Begins Decades-Long Tenure With Business Advisory and Planning Council

Sidney Weinberg helps launch the Business Advisory and Planning Council in 1933, creating an enduring source of insight for CEOs and government.

Leadership , Service

Jon Corzine Named Goldman Sachs’ Senior Partner

In 1994, Jon Corzine is named senior partner of Goldman Sachs.

Leadership

Waddill Catchings Joins the Partnership, Later Becoming the First Non-Family Member to Lead the Firm

After joining in 1918, Waddill Catchings quickly rises to become the firm’s first senior partner who is not part of the Goldman or Sachs families.

Leadership

A New Partner Joins the Family Business

In 1882, Marcus Goldman takes on Samuel Sachs, the husband of his youngest daughter, as a junior partner.

Leadership

Entrepreneurialism and Grit Inspire Marcus Goldman to Launch his Business

In 1869, Marcus Goldman starts a small business buying and selling promissory notes in Lower Manhattan. His strong relationships and reputation as an honest broker form the foundation for a company that will grow to become one of the most influential financial institutions in the world.

Leadership

Family Business Grows, Takes the Name Goldman, Sachs & Co.

The firm adopts the name Goldman, Sachs & Co. to reflect the addition of Ludwig Dreyfuss as partner in 1888.

Leadership

A Future Iconic Leader Begins Work as a Janitor’s Assistant

Sidney J. Weinberg, who would go on to become the firm’s longest-serving senior partner and a defining leader of Wall Street, begins work as a janitor’s assistant at Goldman Sachs in 1907.

Leadership