Russell Horwitz, Goldman Sachs' outgoing chief of staff, opposed chief executive David Solomon's stance in backing chief legal officer Kathryn Ruemmler, the Financial Times reported on 9 June.
Ruemmler said in February that she would leave the bank after a US Justice Department release of emails and other documents exposed the extent of her ties to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Her departure is scheduled for 30 June. Bloomberg reported on 5 June that Solomon had pressed Ruemmler to remain at Goldman beyond that date and that she had agreed to stay on as an adviser.
Solomon has described Ruemmler as "a mentor and friend to many of our people". She chairs Goldman's conduct committee and is co-vice chair of its reputational risk committee. Her compensation rose 11.1% to $25 million for 2025.
DEPARTURE ANNOUNCED IN MAY
Horwitz's own exit had been announced before the FT report. Goldman said in an internal memo on 26 May that he would leave the chief of staff role at the end of June and become an advisory director at the bank.
In the memo, Solomon said: "We have benefitted greatly from his incisive perspectives and thoughtful counsel on a wide range of consequential issues for Goldman Sachs, our clients, and our people around the world." Horwitz said: "I'm very proud of what the broader executive office has accomplished, as a team, over the last few years."
Horwitz joined Goldman in 2004 as a speechwriter for then chief executive Hank Paulson and later served as chief of staff under Paulson's successor, Lloyd Blankfein. He left the bank in 2020 as deputy chief of staff and returned as chief of staff in 2023, overseeing the executive office, including corporate communications, government and regulatory affairs and corporate engagement. He previously worked at Citadel as chief global affairs officer.
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