Lloyd Blankfein, chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs

Lloyd Blankfein, born on September 20, 1954, in the Bronx, New York, is an influential American business executive renowned for his role as chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. during the early 21st century. His leadership was often scrutinized due to his controversial remarks and substantial executive compensation amid a global economic crisis.

Raised in Brooklyn, New York City, Blankfein's family background shaped his work ethic; his father served as a U.S. Postal Service clerk while his mother worked as a receptionist. He graduated as valedictorian from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1971 and went on to Harvard University on an academic scholarship, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1975 and subsequently a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1978.

Blankfein began his career as a corporate tax lawyer at the law firm Donovan, Leisure, Newton Irvine before transitioning to J. Aron Co., a commodities-trading firm, as a precious-metals trader in 1981. That same year, Goldman Sachs acquired J. Aron, allowing it to function as a subsidiary.

Blankfein became a partner at Goldman Sachs in 1988 and was appointed cohead of the J. Aron subsidiary in 1994. By 2002, he had risen to lead all sales and trading operations. In 2004, he was named president and chief operating officer of Goldman Sachs, and two years later, he succeeded Henry Paulson as chairman and CEO after Paulson was appointed secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury under President George W. Bush.