John L. Thornton

John Lawson Thornton (born January 2, 1954) is an American businessman and professor and director of the Global Leadership Program at Tsinghua University in Beijing. He is also executive chairman of Barrick Gold Corporation and non-executive chairman of PineBridge Investments. Thornton stepped down as co-president of Goldman Sachs in 2003. Early life and education Thornton is the son of John V. Thornton, former vice chairman of the Consolidated Edison Company, and Edna Lawson Thornton, a lawyer. He attended the Hotchkiss School, and later served as President of the school's Board of Trustees. Thornton received a Bachelor of Arts in history from Harvard College in 1976, a Bachelor of Arts in jurisprudence (promoted by seniority to Master of Arts) from St John's College, Oxford in 1978, which qualified him as a lawyer, and a master's degree in public and private management (MPPM) from the Yale School of Management in 1980. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Bank Street College of Education in 2003. Thornton was fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2007 and an honorary fellow of St. John's College, Oxford University in 2009. Career Thornton joined Goldman Sachs in 1980. In 1983, he founded Goldman Sachs' European mergers and acquisitions business. He served as co-CEO of Goldman Sachs International in London from 1995 to 1996. Thornton was Chairman of Goldman Sachs Asia from 1996 to 1998, where he expanded the firm's regional franchise during the Asian financial crisis. He became co-president of Goldman Sachs in 1999. When then-CEO Henry Paulson delayed his retirement and Thornton's expected promotion, Thornton left Goldman Sachs in 2003 and became a professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Thornton is the first non-Chinese full professor at Tsinghua University since 1949. Thornton did not speak any Chinese languages at the time of his appointment. The New York Times reported that Thornton's Goldman exit “was not met with resistance from senior management”.