Mark Schwartz
World of Opportunity
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| Schwartz Photo by Steve Boljonis |
Mark Schwartz approaches his position as president and CEO of Soros Fund Management not as a new job but as a second career. It is the switch he sought after 22 years at Goldman Sachs, where he was named partner in 1988, president of the Japan group in 1997, and chairman of Goldman Sachs Asia in 1999.
Schwartz’s enthusiasm for having a role in the global marketplace is palpable. When he started at Goldman in 1979, he says, “I had no notion that I was joining a global firm,” but as the company expanded, Schwartz was given many opportunities, including growing operations in Japan. Under his leadership, Goldman Sachs Japan became the top-ranked practice in Asia and was involved in seven of the region’s eleven largest mergers. “It was an enormously challenging assignment,” admits Schwartz. “I got to turn around a business that had been suffering for many years.”
In 2001, Schwartz was ready for new challenges. Following a yearlong sabbatical, he joined the legendary hedge fund and private equity firm founded by financier and philanthropist George Soros. The firm appeals to Schwartz’s twin interests in fund management and philanthropy, and he will oversee both arms of the business.
With Schwartz’s proven record of long-term relationships — he’s been married for 26 years and joined Goldman after earning his third degree from Harvard — he’s taking his time settling into his new career. Noting that many of the organizations he admires “have sustained excellence over time,” Schwartz hopes do the same at Soros.
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