- A top Goldman Sachs exec wrote a series of critical articles about Trump and Spain’s prime minister.
- Bloomberg said Goldman found out about the posts after it brought them to the bank’s attention.
- The banker, who heads Spain and Portugal, is stepping down, an internal memo said.
A top Goldman Sachs executive who reportedly authored op-eds critical of Donald Trump and Spain’s prime minister without the bank’s knowledge is set to depart, according to an internal company memo viewed by Business Insider.
Alvaro del Castano, who joined Goldman in 1993 and was named Goldman’s cohead for Spain and Portugal this year, will exit the bank “in the coming months,” the memo said.
According to Bloomberg, del Castano wrote articles for the Spanish-language news website The Objective containing strong rebukes against Trump and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. In one post, he criticized the president’s “poor manners, his self-centeredness, his apparent lack of scruples, and his morally questionable nature,” Bloomberg reported.
When the publication went to Goldman for comment, the bank said it had not been aware of the articles, which The Objective then deleted.
“Alvaro has had an excellent 30-plus-year career at the firm and has decided to retire from Goldman Sachs,” a spokesperson for the bank said in a statement to Business Insider. “We look forward to continuing to work with him on matters that benefit our clients.”
Del Castano also led the firm’s private wealth management activities on the Iberian Peninsula. He was elevated to the rank of managing director in 2002; he joined the firm about a decade prior as an associate. He did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday afternoon.
The memo announcing his departure thanked del Castano “for his many contributions to the firm.”
“During his time at Goldman Sachs, Alvaro has helped drive strategic initiatives and deepen client relationships throughout the business. In addition to his commercial contributions, Alvaro has served as a valued leader and mentor to several across the firm,” said the memo authored by senior executives Chris French and Rob Mullane.
