
(Image source from: Twitter.com/RishiSunak)
Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is preparing to go back to Wall Street as he takes on the position of senior adviser at Goldman Sachs, as reported by the Financial Times on Tuesday. This is Sunak’s first big career step since he resigned as the leader of the Conservative Party after the general election in July 2024. This new job is somewhat of a return for Sunak, who started his professional journey at Goldman Sachs as a summer intern and junior analyst from 2001 to 2004. According to the Financial Times, he will now be providing guidance to the company’s leaders and clients on international relations and economic matters. “I’m thrilled to have Rishi back at Goldman Sachs in his new role as a senior adviser,” said Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon to the Financial Times. “He will collaborate with our executives to support clients on geopolitical and economic topics. He will also engage with our staff globally, enhancing our culture of continuous learning and growth”.
Sunak, who is still the MP for Richmond and Northallerton, has mainly kept a low profile since the Conservative Party’s major defeat in the 2024 general election, where the party's number of seats dropped from 365 in 2019 to only 121—its worst performance in a hundred years. Sunak stepped down as Prime Minister and party leader shortly after the election results were announced. He served as UK prime minister from October 2022 until July 2024, taking over after Liz Truss’s brief time in office and guiding the country through a challenging period filled with economic pressures, labor disputes, and increasing global conflicts. His choice to hold an early election in July 2024 resulted in a major loss, giving Labour an unprecedented win and abruptly ending his time in leadership. Earlier this year, Sunak took on roles at Oxford University and Stanford University but mentioned that he will continue to serve in Parliament from the backbenches for the rest of this term.
According to the Sunday Times Rich List, Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty, have a total wealth of £640 million. Most of their wealth comes from Murty’s share in Infosys, the major Indian technology company co-founded by her father, Narayana Murthy. The Financial Times reported that Sunak will give his salary from Goldman Sachs to the Richmond Project, a charity that he and his wife set up to enhance math skills in the UK. After leaving Goldman Sachs in 2004, Sunak worked for the hedge fund TCI, started by billionaire Chris Hohn, and later at its offshoot, Theleme Partners, before entering politics in 2015.