Goldman Sachs FinTech Head Stephanie Cohen Taking Leave of Absence

The head of Goldman Sachs Group’s FinTech unit is taking a leave of absence.

Stephanie Cohen, global head of the firm’s Platform Solutions unit and a management committee member, is doing so for family reasons, according to two company memos shared with PYMNTS.

In one, Cohen told coworkers that the past year has brought challenges for her family and that she is now taking time away from work to focus on family.

Cohen added that the support of Goldman Sachs has allowed her to do this; that Goldman Sachs Bank USA CEO Philip Berlinski and Chief Administrative Officer Ericka Leslie will partner with the Platform Solutions leadership team to manage day-to-day operations; and that she looks forward to coming back full time.

“I know there is a tremendous amount going on across our business at the moment, and I wouldn’t be able to do this if I didn’t have complete confidence that you all will continue to deliver for our clients, partners and customers as we execute on our path to profitability,” Cohen wrote in her memo.

In a second memo, Goldman Chairman CEO David Solomon and President and Chief Operating Officer John Waldron shared Cohen’s memo and told employees that colleagues have stepped up to manage day-to-day operations while Cohen is away during the coming months.

“We look forward to welcoming Stephanie back, when she is ready,” they wrote.

Cohen was named global head of the Platform Solutions segment when Goldman Sachs created it as one of its three new operating segments.

Platform Solutions is dedicated to embedding digital platforms in the ecosystems of Goldman Sachs clients, the firm said when launching the segments.

Before that appointment, Cohen was the global co-head of consumer and wealth management and a member of the management committee. She joined Goldman Sachs as an analyst in 1999, was named managing director in 2008 and was named partner in 2014.

“In her almost 25 years at Goldman Sachs, Stephanie has worked across a number of our businesses, always devoting herself to her teams unconditionally and approaching everything she does with the utmost care and commitment,” Solomon and Waldron said in their memo.