Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The former Goldman Sachs CEO reflects on leadership, risk, and his rise from public housing to the heights of global finance. For event details and more, visit nypl.org/events/programs/2026/05/04/lloyd-blankfein
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In his new book, Streetwise, Lloyd Blankfein traces his 36-year career at Goldman Sachs, from his upbringing in East New York to helming one of the world’s most powerful financial institutions. Blankfein offers a candid account of his tenure—including navigating the 2008 financial crisis—and examines the pressures of decision-making in moments of uncertainty and the culture that defined the firm. Blending personal history with lessons on leadership, competition, and resilience, Streetwise is a portrait of ambition shaped by trials and experience.
Blankfein speaks with executive leadership coach and author Hortense le Gentil about developing his leadership skills and how his humble beginnings shaped his worldview and ambition.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Lloyd Blankfein was chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs from 2006 to 2018.
Hortense le Gentil is a world-renowned executive leadership coach, speaker, and author. She guides CEOs and senior executives on their journey from hero leaders to human leaders. Guided by 30 years in business, working across industries—including media consulting and advertising—and as an entrepreneur. Hortense was recognized on Inc.’s Top 50 Leadership and Management Experts in 2025, on the inaugural Coaches50 list in 2024, and was a 2023 and 2021 nominee for the Thinkers 50 Coaching and Mentoring Awards. She is a certified Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered™ coach, a member of MG100 Coaches, and has been ranked multiple times on the Global Gurus list by World Management Global Gurus. Author of The Unlocked Leader: Dare to Free Your Own Voice, Lead with Empathy, and Shine Your Light in the World (2023), and Aligned: Connecting Your True Self with the Leader You’re Meant to Be (2019), Hortense is a contributor to Harvard Business Review and ThriveGlobal.com, and has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., and Business Insider. She is based in New York.
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The former Goldman Sachs CEO reflects on leadership, risk, and his rise from public housing to the heights of global finance. For event details and more, visit nypl.org/events/programs/2026/05/04/lloyd-blankfein
READ THE BOOK
NYPL Catalog: borrow.nypl.org/search/card?id=69e796bf-a10c-5773-a32a-5b1614749d80&entityType=FormatGroup
The Library Shop — proceeds benefit The New York Public Library: shop.nypl.org/collections/events-books/products/streetwise
LIVE FROM NYPL
Upcoming Events: nypl.org/live
Sign up for our newsletters: nypl.org/updates
In his new book, Streetwise, Lloyd Blankfein traces his 36-year career at Goldman Sachs, from his upbringing in East New York to helming one of the world’s most powerful financial institutions. Blankfein offers a candid account of his tenure—including navigating the 2008 financial crisis—and examines the pressures of decision-making in moments of uncertainty and the culture that defined the firm. Blending personal history with lessons on leadership, competition, and resilience, Streetwise is a portrait of ambition shaped by trials and experience.
Blankfein speaks with executive leadership coach and author Hortense le Gentil about developing his leadership skills and how his humble beginnings shaped his worldview and ambition.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Lloyd Blankfein was chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs from 2006 to 2018.
Hortense le Gentil is a world-renowned executive leadership coach, speaker, and author. She guides CEOs and senior executives on their journey from hero leaders to human leaders. Guided by 30 years in business, working across industries—including media consulting and advertising—and as an entrepreneur. Hortense was recognized on Inc.’s Top 50 Leadership and Management Experts in 2025, on the inaugural Coaches50 list in 2024, and was a 2023 and 2021 nominee for the Thinkers 50 Coaching and Mentoring Awards. She is a certified Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered™ coach, a member of MG100 Coaches, and has been ranked multiple times on the Global Gurus list by World Management Global Gurus. Author of The Unlocked Leader: Dare to Free Your Own Voice, Lead with Empathy, and Shine Your Light in the World (2023), and Aligned: Connecting Your True Self with the Leader You’re Meant to Be (2019), Hortense is a contributor to Harvard Business Review and ThriveGlobal.com, and has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., and Business Insider. She is based in New York.
The New York Public Library welcomes your comments and invites you to participate in conversations on NYPL social media platforms.
To make the experience better for all of our social media followers, we ask that you keep your comments relevant to the original post. Off-topic comments may be removed to ensure that the conversation remains productive.
