Global professional services firm Aon has announced the appointment of Sarah E. Smith, a former member of the Management Committee of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., to its Board of Directors.
Lester B. Knight, chair of Aon’s board, has praised Smith’s experience and the skills she has gained through her career, and welcomed her to the Board.
Knight said: “Her past roles as a chief accounting officer and chief compliance officer will enhance our Board’s financial and regulatory expertise. Combined with her deep knowledge of financial services and professional services, she will be able to offer essential insights across Aon’s business as the firm continues to deliver innovative solutions to help clients make better, more-informed decisions in an increasingly complex environment.”
Commenting on her appointment, Smith said: “I am excited to join Aon’s board at a time when there is significant opportunity to help organisations make better decisions as they face heightened volatility and interconnected risks in every facet of their operations.
“I look forward to working with my fellow Board members as Aon helps address these emerging risks and accelerate innovation on behalf of clients globally.”
Smith joined Goldman Sachs in 1996 and was named managing director in 1998 and partner in 2002. During her tenure, she served as the controller and chief accounting officer of the firm until 2017 and subsequently as the chief compliance officer from 2017 to 2020. She then served as senior advisor to Goldman Sachs from 2020 until her retirement in 2021.
She also served on several governing committees of the firm, including the Firmwide Risk Committee, the Commitments Committee and the Firmwide Investment Committee. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Smith worked in the National and Audit practices of KPMG in both London and New York and held several finance positions at Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Aon’s new Board member – as of April 25, 2023 – is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Financial Accounting Foundation, the parent organisation of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) since September 2020.
Additionally, Smith is a trustee of the Nuveen Churchill Private Capital Income Fund and also serves as a board member for three private companies: Klarna Bank A.B., Via Transportation and 98point6.
