The US investment bank Goldman Sachs has promoted Gauri Sikar to the status of the first female partner in India. This promotion comes amid the bank announcing its largest class of partners since 2010.
Gauri Sikar, who previously held the position of Managing Director and Technology Specialist at the renowned American investment bank, has become the first female partner in India. She serves as the global head of Data Product Engineering and the AI Strategy Lead for Data Engineering in the Asia-Pacific region. Sikar has been with the firm for 20 years, holding various roles in data and engineering controls across several global offices, including New York. She began her career at the company in Bengaluru as an analyst.
In addition to Sikar, Goldman Sachs also promoted Ashoke Sharma to partner status in India. Sharma holds the position of Global Head of Operational Engineering within the Global Banking and Markets (GBM) Public division and is the Head of GBM Engineering in India. He has collaborated with the bank for 12 years.
Overall, the bank promoted 109 employees worldwide to partner roles effective January 1st, including 14 Indians. This class of partners is the largest the bank has announced since 2010, surpassing the figure of 95 partners in 2024.
Chairman and CEO David Solomon stated in his announcement that 'the 2026 Partner Class reflects our commitment to advancing leaders who have demonstrated differentiated impact on our global franchise and a consistent focus on effective risk management, while consistently embodying our core values and actively investing in the growth and development of our employees.'
Of the total 109 individuals, 62 representatives were from America, and 20 were from Asia. In India, Goldman has over 8,000 employees in Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, approximately 45 percent of whom are engineers. Last year, the bank promoted 49 people from India to managing director positions in the investment bank, marking the highest number in the country and highlighting the significance of the Bengaluru technology hub for the bank's ecosystem.
