Company: BDT & MSD Partners
Title:Â Vice Chairman, President & Global Head of Client Services
Industry: Financials
Hometown:Â Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Notable in 2023: Left Goldman Sachs to become Vice Chair at BDT & MSD Partners and boosted efforts to invest in women-run businesses.
Dina Powell McCormick understands the worlds of business and geopolitics in a way few people do. She has been at the forefront of a prolific career over two decades that has spanned the highest levels of public and private service.
Powell McCormick served in the U.S. government for more than a dozen years, under two presidents and in national security and diplomatic roles, rising from White House staffer early in her career to Deputy National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump in 2017, advising the presidential cabinet on issues including the Middle East.
After returning to Wall Street, Powell McCormick left Goldman Sachs last year to join merchant bank BDT & MSD Partners, backed by Michael Dell and started by, among others, former Goldman bankers Byron Trott and Gregg Lemkau, who rose to prominence advising clients including Warren Buffett, the Pritzker and Walton families, Elon Musk and several Silicon Valley giants.
She had spent a total 16 years of her career at Goldman and most recently served as global head of sovereign business, working with some of the world's biggest investors. While at Goldman, she also spearheaded programs focused on gender, including the bank's 10,000 Women program, which elevated and supported female entrepreneurs.
I’ve had the opportunity to work with women from all around the world facing unimaginable adversity. Their perseverance really puts my own challenges into perspective.Dina Powell McCormickVice Chairman, President & Global Head of Client Services, BDT & MSD Partners
In a sign of her expertise in both foreign affairs and global business, ExxonMobil named Powell McCormick to its board of directors last November, effective at the beginning of 2024. The energy giant also cited her work at Goldman leading sustainability efforts, which included overseeing a $750 billion investment fund focused on new sources of energy and economic development.
Powell McCormick is also one half of a power couple that spans both finance and politics, with her husband, David McCormick, a former top executive at Bridgewater Associates, who now has his eyes on a Senate seat in Pennsylvania.
Changemakers is an annual list spotlighting women whose accomplishments have left an indelible mark on the business world. Click here to view the full list and continuing coverage.
