Six new Goldman partners recall the calls, celebrations and challenges

For Sung Cho, a New York-based partner in Asset & Wealth Management, David Solomon’s call came during what he described as the year’s most volatile trading session. Cho said his colleagues on the third floor stood and applauded after he hung up. He called his wife first, then his parents, whose sacrifices as immigrants, he said, had helped make his career possible. He celebrated with his investment team at Le District near Goldman’s headquarters.

Other promotions brought their own scenes of surprise. Inna Swenson, of The Core, nearly missed Solomon’s call because her phone was on silent. She celebrated first with her Corporate Treasury team, then with her family. Bengaluru-based engineer Gowri Sekar played music in her office to distract herself while waiting. After the call, she hugged her team and thanked mentors and colleagues who had shaped her 20-year career at the firm. The promotion came during Diwali weekend in India.

Mark Romanczuk, a Global Banking & Markets partner, received a call from John Waldron. He turned to find hundreds of colleagues applauding, then called his wife, Jennifer. The couple plan to celebrate at Gigino Trattoria in New York, a restaurant tied to the news of each of their five expected children. Romanczuk said his four years as a professional baseball player gave him team and competitive instincts, but he had a steep learning curve in finance. Colleagues’ guidance helped him adjust, he said.

Global Banking & Markets partner Kristin Kramer heard cheers for other new partners before realizing her own phone was ringing. She began at Goldman as an intern and celebrated that evening at her team’s alumni reunion. Kramer recalled how the pandemic forced her business to replace planned Capital Introduction conferences with virtual events; the format helped clients maintain investor relationships and remains part of the offering. Paris-based Pavlos Syrimis, also in Global Banking & Markets, called his wife first and was surprised by London colleagues who came to Paris to celebrate.

The six described different leadership lessons. Cho said prolonged investment drawdowns taught him to seek contrary views, limit emotional decision-making and manage concentration risk. Swenson said moving from supporting leaders to owning an agenda taught her not to wait for permission to lead. Sekar emphasized connecting enterprise goals with employees’ career paths, while Romanczuk pointed to coaching junior colleagues. Kramer said feedback should be treated as a gift, and Syrimis said leaders need to hire strong people, empower them and avoid micromanaging. Their emailed responses were lightly edited and condensed by Business Insider.