Finance Division - Planning & Analysis

Finance Division - Planning & Analysis


Goldman Sachs is a leading global investment banking, securities and investment management firm that provides a wide range of services worldwide to a substantial and diversified client base, including corporations, financial institutions, governments and high-net-worth individuals. The firm is headquartered in New York and has offices in London, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Tokyo and other major financial centres around the world.


The Controllers division of Goldman Sachs is responsible for safeguarding the assets of the firm and maintaining the integrity of Goldman Sachs’ finances and expenditure. Through careful consideration and analysis of the firm’s finance, objectives and strategies, Controllers ensures the firm’s businesses continue to be profitable and efficiently run.

This includes:
- measuring the profitability of the firm’s increasingly complex products and services,
-requiring the design and operation of financial systems to identify and manage risk,
allocate revenue and costs, and
-facilitate firmwide planning and forecasting processes.

Controllers also monitor business practices across the firm to ensure that they are in keeping with financial and regulatory requirements worldwide.

Staffed with over 800 professionals, Controllers operates in offices worldwide including all major business centers such as New York, London, Frankfurt, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

The London Planning & Analysis team is responsible for regular reporting and in-depth financial analysis of European performance for senior European Management.


Key responsibilities would include:
• Weekly reporting of European results to senior Management
• Daily reporting of the trading divisions’ performance
• Monthly financial analysis to the European Management Committee
• Metric analysis and business planning
• Working with the Executive Office to prepare presentations and financial support
• Detailed expense review
• Developing a rapport with trading and investment banking divisions to improve reporting and control of European revenue and expenses
• Ad hoc projects


http://www.cityfellowships.com/pdf/planningandanalysis.pdf



Sarah Smith, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer of Goldman Sachs Sarah E. Smith is the controller and chief accounting officer of Goldman Sachs, with responsibility for the 1,300 members of the global controllers department. She serves on several firmwide committees, including the Risk Committee, the Commitments Committee, and the Partnership Committee. She is also co-chair of the Structured Products Committee and has oversight of Operational Risk. Sarah joined Goldman Sachs in 1996 as a vice president in Finance and held various positions prior to becoming controller in 2002. She was named managing director in1998 and partner in 2002. Prior to joining the firm, Sarah worked in the national and audit practices of KPMG in both London and New York, and held several finance positions at Bristol-MyersSquibb. Sarah attended City of London University and is a member of the Instituteof Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. She is former chair of the Securities Industries Association Accounting Policy Committee and a member of theWashington-based Committee for Economic Development and serves on the US Treasury Department's Commission on the Auditing Industry.

February 20, 2008
http://www.hbswany.org/article.html?aid=150