- Goldman Sachs last week promoted 95 people to partner — its largest class under CEO David Solomon.
- Partners from Goldman's banking and markets and asset management units shared how they got the news.
First came the calls. Then came the Champagne.
Wall Street may be known for its long hours — but last week, 95 of Goldman Sachs' top executives pressed pause (briefly) to revel in a professional milestone: making partner.
The role — Goldman's top designation outside the C-suite — represents a zenith at the prestigious Wall Street bank. Goldman Sachs is a leading investment bank for corporate dealmaking and trading, and its partners represent less than 1% of roughly 46,000 employees. On average, Goldman's newest partners have spent 16 years rising in the ranks, the bank said last week.
Business Insider spoke to nine partners from the 2024 class about their big day, including how they celebrated with their families and teams. For some, the day raced by in a blur after getting the call from top bosses CEO David Solomon or President and COO John Waldron. Many described an outpouring of support from inside the halls of Goldman Sachs, including balloons, congratulatory notes, applause from staff, and toasts with fellow members of their partner class.
One trader told BI he sat in his office quietly to digest the news and not disturb the work of others, while another executive told BI she shouted across the trading floor, "We did it, team! We did it!" to hugs and applause. "It's like a wedding and birthday wrapped up in one amazing moment that you keep reliving," one new partner said.
Here's a glimpse inside the big day of nine of Wall Street's up-and-coming executives, including what they did to mark the occasion. Answers have been edited for length and clarity and are ordered alphabetically by last name.
Rob Barlick, region head for Florida and Latin America private wealth management
David called me on my cell at 8:54 a.m. My team sits outside my office so they knew what had happened. They all rushed in to offer their congratulations, and we had a celebratory dinner later in the evening.
One of the most remarkable things about being named partner is the flood of emails, texts, and calls you get after the announcement. I received literally hundreds of messages from colleagues, clients, alumni, and friends. It's a joyful rush of congratulations that's deeply moving.
Lyla Bibi, head of the US healthcare equity-capital-markets group within investment banking
As someone who spent most of her professional career at GS, getting "the call" from John Waldron was a moment I imagined for decades (and was still woefully underprepared for it!).
I called my husband first (and by extension my two youngest kids). My parents were my second call.
I'd love to say it was a full day of celebrating, but there was a day job in between the incredible outpouring of congratulatory calls, hugs, visits, texts, and emails.
There were some wonderful celebrations and tributes across the healthcare team — various women's groups as well as an intimate dinner hosted by the financing group partners with our spouses and partners. And coming home to flowers, Champagne, and cards — it's like a wedding and birthday wrapped up in one amazing moment that you keep reliving.
Bracha Cohen, managing director in engineering within Goldman Sachs Asset Management, global head of client servicing and public portfolio servicing
I first got a call from John Waldron and then received a second call from our chief information officer, Marco Argenti. When my assistant saw who had called, she ran into my office to give me a hug. The first person I called was my husband, who told me he never doubted me for a minute.
We had three celebrations at work over cake and Champagne – first for the teams I manage and work most closely with, then with all of the engineering managing directors in New York, and then with all of the existing and new asset-and-wealth-management partners. My husband took me to dinner and I suspect he's scheduling a "surprise" party with our seven children for this weekend.
One of the things that made it possible for me to get to this point is the incredible support the firm provides to employees to enable them to grow their families. For example, I felt incredibly supported to be on leave for several months when I had triplets just two years after joining the firm, and on top of that got promoted to vice president in my first year of eligibility.
Additionally, as an Orthodox Jew, I've never felt anything other than respect and understanding for my commitment to religion, including being unreachable over the Jewish Sabbath and holidays.
Matt Doherty, head of alternative capital markets, Americas
It's interesting that David ended up calling me because I haven't interacted as much with David. That was actually our first conversation, which was nice.
My team and I went to drinks with Kristin Olsen, the asset-and-wealth-management partner who leads the group, and a whole bunch of other folks at around 4 o'clock.
Marc Nachmann runs our division — he put together an event for the current partners in AWM and the new partners at 200 West. I got to meet all my new partners, which was really fun.
I didn't manage to see my kids before they went to bed, but I saw my wife, which was fun. We had a nice dinner together.
The next morning, my 3-and-a-half-year-old and 1-and-a-half-year-old had made me breakfast and a card, which was really cute. The card said, "Congrats, Dada."
I don't think day to day it will change my role too much, although I think this is a step up at the leadership level, being involved in helping weigh in on broader cultural issues or how we should evolve and change our practices as a firm.
Shane Lee, natural gas trader
I got the call from John Waldron around 7 a.m. local time. Though it was a very exciting call, more than anything, I felt overwhelmingly humbled — almost embarrassed. I kept myself locked in my office away from the trading floor for a couple hours out of respect for the fact many others in the process were nervously awaiting their own news, and my teammates were at their busy peak of the day. I told my wife of 23 years and my parents, and then contemplated how I would break the news to the office without interrupting their days too much.
We kept things tame at the office — brought in some lunch at work, and then I took the team out for a couple of drinks. I wanted to make sure I could get in some family time before the end of the night, and take the time to individually thank everyone who had reached out.
My wife and I agreed we would celebrate by taking some nice formal family pictures soon. We haven't done that for many years. I know that sounds super boring, but the little family things are important to me. These days it's not easy to get my kids to spend time with me, so this will be a good excuse!
I think I made it to partner because my teammates propelled me there. They need to want to work for you, and that's what I spend time on. I try and operate every day with empathy and humility and a healthy dose of fear of the market.
Vishaal Rana, cross markets consumer retail investment banker
David Solomon called me. The call was short but one of the most consequential I've had over the years. It was surreal and, honestly, still has not completely sunk in.
The first person I told was my wife, who was standing right next to me. She was so happy for me, and I could not have done this without her support over the years.
I celebrated in a low-key way at home with my family. We had dinner and my wife and I enjoyed a toast. I even still did the dishes. I think that we will probably do a bigger celebration at some point in the future with family and friends, but I don't have one currently planned. This may be superstitious, but it felt like bad karma to plan a celebration too early.
Joining the partnership represents the culmination of long-term persistence, being nimble throughout my career, always looking at opportunities and challenges through the lens of what's best for the firm, and the flexibility to work with founders at high-growth companies to boards of large-cap companies.
Aaron Siegel, global head of entertainment investment banking
I joined GS over 20 years ago, just days after meeting my wife, Hayley, while moving to New York City. John Waldron was the first person I met at 85 Broad Street — it was a meaningful, full-circle moment to get the partnership call from him. I called Hayley right after to share the moment – and to reflect on how many colleagues, mentors, and clients have become like family.
I happened to be stepping into a meeting with the Arthur Miller Foundation — an amazing nonprofit that supports theater teachers in schools across NYC and beyond — just as John called. I spent the rest of the day appreciating the transformative impact of great teachers and mentors and had the opportunity to thank many of mine throughout the day.
I did celebrate with my wife and two sons – making sure my youngest stayed up well past his bedtime for us to all be together.
Craig Smart, healthcare banker covering healthcare services and technology companies
I was on my way to the office after walking my daughter to school. My phone rang while I was on the subway. I quickly decided to get off the train and answer the call, having a feeling for what it might be about. There was a nervousness at the beginning of the call as John began speaking, which transformed into pure bliss and excitement once he delivered the news.
I took the rest of my commute to process the magnitude of the moment. As soon as I got above ground, I called my wife, Kristin. It was the pinnacle of my professional career to date and a moment I'll never forget.
The excitement and energy at the office was palpable. All day was filled with heartfelt congratulatory remarks from several members of the partnership and colleagues from across the firm. Marshall Smith, global head of healthcare, gathered the entire healthcare team and hosted a celebration for us on the 42nd floor, where he spoke about each of the newly promoted partners from our group individually and toasted the seven of us who are part of the 2024 class.
After work, I went to an early dinner with Kristin and our three girls. It was a school night and my children are young, so we were home early, but we plan to find some time to celebrate properly with family and friends over the holiday season — specific plans still TBD.
Sylvia Yeh, cohead of Goldman Sachs Asset Management's municipal fixed-income business
I sit with my team on an open trading floor and we're known to be a bit of a fun and outspoken bunch. Not on Thursday, however – you could hear a pin drop even after people hit the desk. We were all just waiting, hoping, for that call to come in.
Around 9:40 a.m., our turrets lit up – John Waldron was calling! I felt my heart just stop. And a montage of the last 25 years I've spent at the firm quickly flashed. I took a moment to just shake it off (literally) in my chair before picking up the line. All eyes were on me.
John said, "Good morning." We exchanged "how are you's," and then I asked if he was calling because he wanted to open up a Muni Account. We laughed and he said that he was calling to welcome me to the partnership.
When our call ended, I did another quick little happy dance, this time swung my chair around, and shouted, "We did it, team! We did it!" knowing that I could not have gotten here without the strong bench I have on my team. The rest is a bit of a blur — applause, cheers, confetti, streamers, balloons, and hugs.
It felt like we celebrated all day. Asset-and-wealth divisional management hosted a new partner reception. It was such a wonderful opportunity to connect with current partners and raise a glass to my classmates — an extraordinary group of individuals. And, unbeknownst to me, my husband reserved a location for us to celebrate later that evening and coordinated with my team to make sure that all of my people were there.
The only way to celebrate this achievement was to do it with the people who helped make it happen — my team.
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