Mirror Review
July 9, 2025
Summary:
- Rishi Sunak, the former UK Prime Minister, has accepted a position as a Senior Advisor at the investment bank Goldman Sachs.
- This is a return to the company where he began his professional journey as a summer intern and junior analyst.
- Rishi Sunak is expected to take up the role in 2025, following his departure from frontline politics and alongside academic fellowships.
What does a former Prime Minister do after stepping away from the country’s top job?
For Rishi Sunak, the answer involves a return to his very first employer!
Goldman Sachs recently announced that Sunak will return as a Senior Advisor in 2025—a full-circle moment, considering it’s the firm where he began as an intern and junior analyst two decades ago.
The Two Worlds of Rishi Sunak’s Jobs: Finance and Politics
To understand Rishi’s recent decision, let’s look at the two distinct but interconnected paths of his professional life.
His journey wasn’t a straight line but a clear progression through two demanding sectors.
- Rishi Sunak’s Early Finance Career
Even before his name was known in Westminster, Sunak was building a solid resume in finance.
Here is a timeline of where Rishi Sunak previously worked in the financial industry:
- 2000: Summer Intern, Investment Banking, Goldman Sachs
- 2001-2004: Junior Analyst, Goldman Sachs
- 2004-2009: Analyst/Partner, The Children’s Investment Fund Management (TCI)
- 2010-2013: Co-founder/Partner, Theleme Partners
- 2013-2015: Director, Catamaran Ventures (his father-in-law’s investment firm)
- Rishi Sunak’s Political Roles
In 2014, Sunak pivoted towards politics. He quickly rose through the ranks of the Conservative Party to eventually hold the highest office in the land.
- 2014: Head of the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Research Unit at the Policy Exchange think tank.
- 2015-present: Member of Parliament (MP) for Richmond (Yorks), later renamed Richmond and Northallerton.
– Member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee (2015-2017)
– Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (June 2017 – January 2018)
- January 2018 – July 2019: Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
- July 2019 – February 2020: Chief Secretary to the Treasury
- February 2020 – July 2022: Chancellor of the Exchequer
- October 2022 – July 2024: Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
– Also served concurrently as First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union during his premiership.
- October 2022 – November 2024: Leader of the Conservative Party
- July 2024 – November 2024: Leader of the Opposition
- Other Roles (Post-Premiership):
- 2025: Academic Fellowships at Oxford and Stanford Universities
- 2025: Returned as Senior Advisor at Goldman Sachs
The ‘Revolving Door’: A Common Path That’s Questioned
Rishi Sunak’s move is a classic example of the “revolving door” phenomenon. Here, senior politicians and public servants take up profitable roles in the private sector after leaving office.
This practice is common and often defended as a way for experienced leaders to contribute their expertise to the business world. However, it frequently attracts criticism.
Observers often raise questions about potential conflicts of interest and whether former ministers might use their government contacts and inside knowledge for private gain.
While rules and advisory committees govern such appointments, the debate around the ethics of this career path continues.
What This Return Says About Rishi Sunak’s Career?
Rishi Sunak’s return to Goldman Sachs isn’t just about going back to finance. It shows how his career has always been a blend of public duty and private enterprise.
With planned academic fellowships in 2025, he seems to be shaping a post-premiership life focused on finance and academia rather than a continued frontline political battle.
In many ways, his path reflects a growing trend where politics and finance are more interconnected than ever.
And for Rishi Sunak’s Career, it seems, the door between the two never really closed.
