Rishi Sunak returns to his financial roots at Goldman Sachs

It’s not often that a former head of government returns to the very institution that gave them their professional start. But Rishi Sunak, former UK Prime Minister and one-time wunderkind of British politics, has just done exactly that. In a move equal parts symbolic and strategic, Sunak has joined Goldman Sachs—the elite Wall Street investment bank where he began his career two decades ago—as a senior advisor.

The role is part-time, yet rich in significance.

Goldman Sachs, in an official statement released earlier this week and cited across outlets including the BBC and The Guardian, said Sunak would bring “unique perspectives and insights” on global politics and the macroeconomic landscape to the bank’s clients and internal teams. Sunak, in turn, is donating his salary to The Richmond Project, an education charity he co-founded with wife Akshata Murty to improve numeracy skills across the UK.

The return to Goldman is more than a professional homecoming—it’s a portrait of a politician actively curating his legacy.

Rebuilding After Defeat

Sunak resigned as Prime Minister in July 2024, following the Conservative Party’s most crushing electoral loss in history. After a brief, turbulent stint in Number 10 that followed the chaotic exit of Liz Truss, Sunak’s leadership never quite regained the political capital he once commanded as Chancellor during the pandemic.

His dramatic exit from frontline politics marked the end of a meteoric rise. But clearly, not the end of ambition.

In the months since, Sunak has taken on roles at two global academic institutions—the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford and the Hoover Institution at Stanford. Both roles are unpaid, focused on public policy and governance. His speaking engagements, however, have fetched him more than £500,000 since April 2025.

Now, by returning to Goldman Sachs—where he once toiled as an analyst from 2001 to 2004—Sunak signals a deliberate pivot: from public office to global influence.

According to David Solomon, Goldman Sachs’ chairman and CEO, “We’re excited to welcome Rishi back. His experience navigating complex global dynamics will be a great asset to our clients.” Solomon added that Sunak would also work with staff worldwide, contributing to the firm’s “culture of ongoing learning and development.”

But Sunak’s return hasn’t gone without scrutiny.

The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba)—the watchdog that regulates post-government employment—flagged potential risks, especially around privileged access to government information. To prevent any conflicts of interest, Sunak is barred from lobbying the UK government, from advising foreign governments or sovereign wealth funds, and from working with clients he directly engaged with during his premiership.

Acoba, however, acknowledged that Sunak's 14-year career in financial services prior to becoming an MP—including stints at hedge funds and founding his own firm—makes the role "in line with his expertise.”

Power, Reinvented

For a former leader who once stood at the helm of a nation—and who had, during the pandemic, achieved rockstar status for policies like furlough and “Eat Out to Help Out”—this new chapter at Goldman is an intriguing pivot. It blurs the line between statesmanship and strategy consulting, between public service and elite finance.

But perhaps it also offers Sunak something rare in modern politics: a second act on his own terms.

Unlike other former prime ministers who fade quietly into the backbenches or step onto the speaker circuit, Sunak seems intent on building institutional relevance beyond politics—within education, global policy, and finance.

It’s not just a job. It’s a brand rebuild.