Celebrating Our Veterans at Goldman Sachs

18 DEC 2019

At Goldman Sachs, we value veterans’ military experiences and the diversity of perspectives and experiences that they bring. Through initiatives like our Veteran's Summit, we seek to continue creating new pathways to the firm for this incredible pool of talent. 

Given the population of veterans who leave the military to pursue their bachelor’s or advanced degrees, we are increasing efforts to reach veterans on campuses around the country. We recently hosted events in Chicago, Boston and New York to meet veteran first-year MBA candidates to help them learn more about the range of opportunities at the firm and look forward to expanding these events to reach undergraduates in the future. We also identified an opportunity to scale our innovative Veterans Integration Program (VIP) and evolve it from an eight-week internship to an intensive week-long apprenticeship followed by a full-year virtual curriculum. This initiative will enable 5 times more veterans to explore a career in financial services at the firm, and to have access to a digital, curriculum and coaching platform.  If you currently or recently served in the military or know someone looking to join the civilian workforce, applications for the revamped Veterans Integration Program will open in early 2020. We believe these enhancements will help more veterans connect to the civilian workforce and build careers at Goldman Sachs. 
 

Scenes from various veterans initiative and program events in 2019.


From employee resource networks and community outreach to mentorship and resources for families, we believe in fostering an inclusive environment that values and embraces the perspectives of veterans. In honor of Veterans Month this last November, we hosted several celebratory events to engage the broader Goldman Sachs community. Take a look:


Future of the Commercial Space Industry
Gregg Lemkau, co-head of the Investment Banking Division, led a discussion with United States Airforce Major General Nina Armagno, director of Space Programs, and Laetitia Garriott, entrepreneur and space investor, on the current state of space development and their experiences as leading women within the sector. This session was in partnership with Women Veterans on Wall Street.

Veterans Diversity Panel
Adrian Jones, vice chairman in the Merchant Banking Division, moderated a conversation with Goldman Sachs colleagues who are veterans. Networking receptions were also held in New York, Salt Lake City and Dallas.

A Conversation With Former Secretary of State for UK Defense, Penny Mordaunt MP
The Veterans Network in Europe, in collaboration with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Network and the Firmwide Black Network, held a conversation with Penny Mordaunt MP, former UK Secretary of State for Defense. Mordaunt discussed her career, in addition to her thoughts on diversity, resilience and leadership.

Moments that Matter: A Conversation and Networking Reception With Goldman Sachs Veterans
The GS Veterans Network and Diversity Recruiting hosted a conversation with veterans from the firm who discussed important moments in their military and professional careers. A networking reception followed in New York.


A Conversation With Vice Admiral Jan Tighe
Matt Gibson, co-head of Global Investment Banking Client Coverage, hosted a conversation with Vice Admiral Jan Tighe (US Navy, retired), former deputy chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare and director of Naval Intelligence. Tighe, a Goldman Sachs board member, discussed leadership, her career and how to develop mentors. This event was in partnership with the Goldman Sachs Women’s Network.

Annual Holiday Toys for Tots Campaign
Goldman Sachs continues to support the US Marine Corps annual holiday Toys for Tots campaign, which collects new toys for children across the US. Collection boxes are set in our New York and New Jersey offices.

Reservist Roadmap
Goldman Sachs is committed to ensuring that colleagues who continue their service in the reserves, and their managers, are provided with an overview of the policies, benefits and resources available to help manage a career at the firm while fulfilling military service obligations. Our Reservist Toolkit is available to everyone within the firm.

The integration of returning veterans to the workforce represents an opportunity for employers of every size and industry to tap into an extraordinarily skilled, experienced pool of talent. At Goldman Sachs we are pleased – and grateful – to count more and more veterans among the members of our firm.