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Gary Cohn

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This article is about the business executive. For others, see Gary Cohn (disambiguation).

Gary Cohn
11th Director of the National Economic Council
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 20, 2017
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byJeffrey Zients
Personal details
Born (1960-08-27) August 27, 1960 (age 64)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseLisa Pevaroff
Children3
EducationAmerican University (BA)

Gary David Cohn (born August 27, 1960) is an American investment banker and political figure. He is the chief economic advisor to President Donald Trump and Director of the National Economic Council.[1][2] He was formerly the president and chief operating officer of Goldman Sachs from 2006 to 2017. Cohn is a registered Democrat, but has donated extensively to Republican politicians as well.[3][4][5]

Cohn is considered one of the most influential voices in the Trump administration.[6]

Early life

Gary Cohn was born to an Eastern European Jewish family,[7][8] the son of Victor and Ellen Cohn;[9] and was raised in Shaker Heights, Ohio. His father was an electrician who later became a real estate developer.[10] Cohn was diagnosed with dyslexia at a young age and attended four schools by the time he reached the sixth grade.[11] Cohn studied at Gilmour Academy, and received his bachelor's degree from American University's Kogod School of Business.[10]

Business career

Cohn started his career at the U.S. Steel home products division in Cleveland, Ohio.[12] After a few months, he left U.S. Steel and started his career as an options dealer in the New York Mercantile Exchange.[12] He taught himself the basics of options by reading about it in the days between meeting the hiring manager and joining the New York Mercantile Exchange.[13]

Goldman Sachs

Cohn at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in 2010

Cohn was recruited by Goldman Sachs in 1990.[14] In 1996, he was named head of the commodities department and in 2002, he was named the head of the entire Fixed Income, Currency and Commodities Division (FICC) division. In 2003, he was named co-head of Equities and in January 2004, Cohn was named the co-head of global securities businesses .[15] He became President and Co-Chief Operating Officer and director in June 2006.[16]

In late 2009, Cohn led a delegation from Goldman Sachs to meetings with the government of Greece, which included proposals (that were not adopted) to push debt-due dates far into the future, "much as when strapped homeowners take out second mortgages to pay off their credit cards."[17] Goldman Sachs had been scrutinized for creating or pitching products used by Greece to "obscure billions in debt from the budget overseers in Brussels".[17]

In 2010, Cohn testified to Congress on the role of Goldman Sachs in the 2007-2008 financial crisis.[18] Cohn testified: "During the two years of the financial crisis, Goldman Sachs lost $1.2 billion in its residential mortgage-related business. We did not 'bet against our clients,' and the numbers underscore this fact."[19]

In February 2015, Cohn hosted the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference in San Francisco. As host, Cohn asked questions of Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc., while Cook was on stage.[20]

Compensation

Cohn's salary at Goldman Sachs was US$22 million in 2014.[21] He received $21 million in 2015.[22]

He received a severance package worth around $285 million – mostly in stock – from Goldman Sachs upon leaving to join the administration of Donald Trump.[23] In the administration he took a salary of $30 thousand.[24][25][26]

National Economic Council director

Main article: National Economic Council (United States)

On January 20, 2017 Cohn took office as Director of the National Economic Council (NEC) in President Donald Trump's administration, a position which did not require Congressional confirmation. By February 11, 2017, The Wall Street Journal described Cohn as an "economic-policy powerhouse"[27][28] and The New York Times called him Trump's "go-to figure on matters related to jobs, business and growth".[29] With the confirmation of Trump's December 12, 2016 nominee for Secretary of Treasury, Steven Mnuchin, being held back by Congressional hearings, Cohn filled in the "personnel vacuum" and pushed "ahead on taxes, infrastructure, financial regulation and replacing health-care law".[27] Had Cohn stayed at Goldman Sachs, some believed he would have become CEO when Lloyd Blankfein vacated that office.[27] His severance package at Goldman Sachs amounted to $285 million.[23] Additionally, Cohn sold a stake valued at $16 million in the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the world's largest bank as of 2017.[30]

Cohn supports reinstating the Glass-Steagall legislation, which would separate commercial and investment banking.[31][32]

Under the Trump administration Cohn has been cited by the press as a supporter of globalism and has been given nicknames such as "Globalist Gary" and "Carbon Tax Cohn".[33] Along with Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump and Dina Powell they have been referred to by opponents as the "Wall Street-wing" of the Trump administration.[33] He is stated as being at odds with the populist faction led by Steven Bannon.[33][34]

Personality and work style

Critics of Cohn attribute to him an arrogant, aggressive, abrasive and risk-prone work style. They see his "6-foot 3-inch & 220lbs" as intimidating, as he might "sometimes hike up one leg, plant his foot on a trader's desk, his thigh close to the employee's face and ask how markets were doing."[14] According to former Bear Stearns Asset Management CEO Richard Marin, Cohn's arrogance is at the root of the problem.

When you become arrogant, in a trading sense, you begin to think that everybody's a counterparty, not a customer, not a client.[14]

Cohn's supporters see these qualities as advantages. Michael Ovitz, co-founder and former chairman of Creative Artists Agency and former president of The Walt Disney Company, stated that he is impressed with Cohn. Ovitz said:

"He's a trader. He has that whole feel in his body and brain and fingertips."[14]

Ovitz sees Cohn's toughness as a "positive" value, explaining that a high-ranking executive can't be "all peaches and cream."[10][14]

Donna Redel, who was Chairman of the Board of the New York Mercantile Exchange when Cohn worked there as a silver trader, remembers Cohn as "firm," "strategic" and "driven." Martin Greenberg, her predecessor, said Cohn "was tough," and added that "Gary got in with the right people, worked his ass off and used his head."[14]

Personal life

Cohn is married to Lisa A Pevaroff-Cohn.[35][36] They have three daughters and reside in New York City.[9][12]

Philanthropy

Cohn and his wife are founding board members of the New York University Child Study Center. The couple funded the Pevaroff Cohn Professorship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine in 1999. He financed the Gary D. Cohn Endowed Research Professorship in Finance at American University, his alma mater.[37]

In 2009, the Hillel International building at Kent State University was named the Cohn Jewish Student Center in recognition of a gift from Cohn and his wife.[38] It is the first Hillel building built directly on the campus of a state university.[39]

Cohn has been a supporter of Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities and has supported Harlem RBI since 2011. At that time, Harlem RBI was given the chance to build its own charter school. Mark Teixeira of the New York Yankees and Harlem RBI director Rich Berlin asked Cohn if he could help them raise the capital they needed to build the school.[40]

In December 2012, Cohn attended the 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief which raised money for the Robin Hood Relief fund to help victims of Hurricane Sandy.[41]

Cohn is active as a trustee of his alma mater, American University, and of his school, Gilmour Academy.[42]

In 2010, the Hospital for Joint Diseases at NYU Langone Medical Center named Cohn the chairman of the HJD Advisory Board.[43]

On June 17, 2013, Cohn was honored at the annual "Bid for Kids" gala in order to raise funds for Harlem RBI and the DREAM charter school. Cohn said in an interview that Harlem RBI is a project that is "very near and dear to his heart."[40]

Published works

Cohn has written editorials in several popular finance newspapers, websites, and blogs.[citation needed] In March 2014, he wrote an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal, discussing "The Responsible Way to Rein in Super-Fast Trading."[44]

In a June 2015 Financial Times op-ed, Cohn argued that illiquid assets could make clearing houses "part of the problem" in a liquidity crisis.[45]

Memberships

Cohn is a member of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County.[46]

Cohn is a member of the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.[47]

References

  1. ^ Ruben, Greg. "Inside Trump World". Axios.
  2. ^ "Trump to name Goldman Sachs veteran, Gary Cohn, to head National Economic Council". The Washington Post. December 9, 2016.
  3. ^ Soergel, Andrew (December 9, 2016). "Goldman Sachs President Offered Top National Economic Council Job". US News. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  4. ^ Campbell, Dakin; Jacobs, Jennifer (November 29, 2016). "Trump Meets With Goldman's Cohn as Dinner Set With Romney". Bloomberg.com. (see 3rd+4th paragraph after sub-headline "Goldman Carrier"). Archived from the original on November 29, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  5. ^ "Gary Cohn - $68,642 in Political Contributions for 2016". www.campaignmoney.com. (2016 cycle selected by default, other campaign cycles choosable). Retrieved April 20, 2017. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  6. ^ Paletta, Damian (April 13, 2017). "Within Trump's inner circle, a moderate voice captures the president's ear". The Washington Post.
  7. ^ Jewish Business News: "Watch: Goldman Sachs CEO Gary Cohn Says Mark Cuban Is Wrong On Bursting Tech Bubble, But Is He?" March 12, 2015
  8. ^ "Hillel at Kent State Dedicates New Cohn Jewish Student Center". Hillel International. September 15, 2009. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  9. ^ a b Hillel News (November 15, 2010). "Goldman Sachs Pres. Cohn Addresses Capital Friends of Hillel". Hillel International. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  10. ^ a b c "Why Gary Cohn May Not Be Goldman's Next CEO". Bloomberg. July 28, 2011. Retrieved July 16, 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
  11. ^ La Roche, Julia (June 1, 2015). "Goldman Sachs' 2nd-most-powerful executive pulled an audacious move to get his 1st job on Wall Street". Business Insider.
  12. ^ a b c "Gary Cohn, Kogod School of Business Commencement Speaker" American University.
  13. ^ David and Goliath (book)
  14. ^ a b c d e f "Succeeding Blankfein at Goldman May Be Hurdle Too High for Cohn". Bloomberg L.P. July 24, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
  15. ^ "Gary Cohn". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  16. ^ "Gary D. Cohn" Goldman Sachs.
  17. ^ a b "Wall St. Helped to Mask Debt Fueling Europe's Crisis". New York Times. February 13, 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
  18. ^ Susanne Craig (June 30, 2010). "Goldman's Cohn Is Next on Hot Seat". Wall Street Journal.
  19. ^ Michael Corkery (June 30, 2010). "Gary Cohn Testimony: Goldman Didn't Bet Against Clients". Wall Street Journal.
  20. ^ Colt, Sam (February 10, 2015). "Tim Cook talks about Apple's astonishing success". Business Insider. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  21. ^ Cohan, William D. (April 2015). "Wall Street Executives from the Financial Crisis of 2008: Where Are They Now?". Vanity Fair. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  22. ^ Portia Crowe (January 22, 2016). "Here's how much Goldman Sachs' most senior execs were paid last year". Business Insider.
  23. ^ a b Egan, Matt (January 27, 2017). "Trump adviser Gary Cohn's $285 million Goldman Sachs exit raises eyebrows". CNN Money. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  24. ^ Morrell (June 30, 2017). "Gary Cohn's White House salary is below nearly every other high ranking staffer". Business Insider. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ Olorunnipa, Toluse; McCormick, John (June 30, 2017). "Gary Cohn Earns $30,000 a Year on Trump's Staff of Millionaires". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ Bindrim, Kira (July 1, 2017). "All of Donald Trump's White House staffers, ranked by salary". Quartz. Archived from the original on July 2, 2017. Retrieved July 2, 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ a b c Gary Cohn Has Emerged as an Economic-Policy Powerhouse in Trump Administration, Washington: The Wall Street Journal, February 11, 2017, retrieved February 12, 2017 {{citation}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
  28. ^ Gary Cohn Is Leaving Goldman Sachs To Chair Donald Trump's National, December 12, 2016, retrieved February 12, 2017
  29. ^ Kate Kelly (February 11, 2017), Trump's Economic Cabinet Is Mostly Bare. This Man Fills the Void, The New York Times, retrieved February 12, 2017, With crucial posts still vacant, Gary Cohn, a longtime Goldman Sachs executive, has become the president's go-to figure on matters related to jobs, business and growth. {{citation}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  30. ^ Kate Kelly and Steve Eder (March 16, 2017). "Trump Adviser Gary Cohn to Sell Stake in Chinese Bank Giant". = The New York Times.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  31. ^ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-06/cohn-said-to-back-wall-street-split-of-lending-investment-banks
  32. ^ "American banks think they are over-regulated". The Economist. May 4, 2017. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  33. ^ a b c Nathan-Kazis, Josh (April 17, 2017). "How Gary Cohn Became The Hated Jewish 'Globalist' In Trump's Cabinet". Forward. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  34. ^ Blake, Aaron (April 17, 2017). "The derogatory internal nicknames of the Trump White House, ranked". Washington Post. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  35. ^ Emily Smith and Carlos Greer (August 8, 2016). "Bethenny hurls her drink when she can't see Coldplay". Page Six.
  36. ^ Cleveland Jewish News: "SANFORD PEVAROFF" August 2, 2010
  37. ^ Professor Jeffrey Harris Becomes First Gary D. Cohn Goldman Sachs Chair
  38. ^ "Hillel at Kent State Dedicates New Cohn Jewish Student Center". Hillel International. September 15, 2009. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  39. ^ Kent State University News: "Dedication of the New Cohn Jewish Student Center" October 12, 2009
  40. ^ a b La Roche, Julia (June 17, 2013). "What Goldman's COO Gary Cohn Is Doing About Our 'Unfair' World". Business Insider. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  41. ^ Gordon, Amanda (December 13, 2012). "Springsteen, Gary Cohn, Clapton, Jagger, Joel: Scene". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  42. ^ Gary D. Cohn at nndb.com.
  43. ^ "2010 Hospital for Joint Diseases' Founders Gala Raises over $1.7 Million". NYU School of Medicine. November 10, 2010. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  44. ^ Cohn, Gary (March 20, 2014). "The Responsible Way to Rein in Super-Fast Trading". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  45. ^ https://www.ft.com/content/974c2c48-16a5-11e5-b07f-00144feabdc0
  46. ^ Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County Annual Report 2013
  47. ^ "Goldman Sachs Group Inc-Bdr-Gary D Cohn". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
Political offices
Preceded by Director of the National Economic Council
2017–present 		Incumbent
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