Goldman Sachs announced that Robert B. Zoellick, former president of the World Bank Group, will serve as chairman of Goldman Sachs’ international advisors. In this role, Mr. Zoellick will advise the firm on global strategic issues and oversee the work of the firms 16 international advisors. He will be based in Washington, DC.
“Bob Zoellick has extraordinary knowledge of the global economy and has devoted himself to helping emerging economies realize more of their potential,” said Lloyd C. Blankfein, Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs. “His experience and judgment will be important to our clients and to our focus on helping them identify growth opportunities around the world.”
”Goldman Sachs is a premier firm, with superb people, and global reach,” said Mr. Zoellick. “I look forward to working with senior management and teams across the firm to help serve clients in a rapidly changing and challenging global context.”
For the past year, Mr. Zoellick has been the distinguished visiting fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and senior fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University.
Mr. Zoellick completed his five-year term as president of the World Bank Group in June 2012. During his tenure, he recapitalized the Bank and expanded financing for developing countries to more than $300 billion during the food, fuel and financial crises. He led special initiatives for states coming out of conflict, infrastructure, women and girls, and conservation and the environment. He also achieved an increased role for the private sector through the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation which, under his leadership, recruited sovereign wealth and pension funds to invest in developing countries, especially in Africa.
Prior to his appointment to the World Bank in 2007, Mr. Zoellick served for a year as vice chairman, international, at Goldman Sachs.
Over the course of the two Bush and Reagan administrations, Mr. Zoellick served as US trade representative, deputy secretary of state, under secretary of state, deputy chief of staff at the White House and counselor to the secretary of the Treasury.
Mr. Zoellick recently joined the board of Temasek Holdings, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, and Congress’s National Endowment for Democracy. He serves on the International Advisory Board of the Rolls-Royce Group.