Rishi Sunak returns to financial roots with Goldman Sachs advisory role

This marks his first significant career move since stepping down as Conservative Party leader following the party’s dramatic loss in the July 2024 general election.

The appointment signals a return to Wall Street for Sunak, who began his career at Goldman Sachs as a summer intern and junior analyst from 2001 to 2004.

Now, in his new advisory capacity, he will guide the firm’s leadership and clients on global economic and political developments.

“I am excited to welcome Rishi back to Goldman Sachs in his new capacity as a senior adviser,” said Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon.

“He will work with Goldman executives to advise clients on geopolitical and economic issues. He will also spend time with our people around the world, contributing to our culture of ongoing learning and development.”

Sunak, who still represents Richmond and Northallerton in Parliament, has largely stayed away from the public spotlight since the Conservative Party's crushing defeat — its worst in over a century — dropping from 365 seats in 2019 to just 121 in 2024. He stepped down as Prime Minister and party leader immediately after the results were announced.

Sunak had served as Prime Minister from October 2022 to July 2024, following Liz Truss’s brief tenure.

His leadership was defined by economic headwinds, labour unrest, and growing global uncertainty.

His decision to call a snap election in July 2024 backfired spectacularly, resulting in a historic Labour victory and ending his premiership.

Despite returning to finance, Sunak has expressed a continued interest in public service and education.

The Financial Times reported that he will donate his earnings from Goldman Sachs to the Richmond Project, a charity he co-founded with wife Akshata Murty to support numeracy education in the UK.

Earlier this year, Sunak also accepted academic roles at Oxford University and Stanford University while committing to serve out his term as a backbencher in Parliament.

With a combined net worth of £640 million, Sunak and Murty rank among the UK’s wealthiest couples, largely due to her stake in Infosys, the Indian IT firm co-founded by her father Narayana Murthy.

After leaving Goldman Sachs in 2004, Sunak joined the hedge fund TCI, founded by Chris Hohn, and later moved to Theleme Partners, a TCI spin-off.

He entered politics in 2015, quickly rising through the Conservative ranks before eventually becoming Chancellor and later Prime Minister.