Administrator

Ed Forst

Administrator

General Services Administration

Edward C. Forst is the 24th Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration. He oversees about 8,000 people who handle the federal government’s buildings, purchasing, and technology.

Before being nominated by President Donald J. Trump, Ed spent more than 40 years in finance, real estate, academia, government, and senior management. He ran large organizations, made tough calls in difficult markets, kept costs under control, and invested with discipline. Over time, he came to believe that clear accountability, efficiency, and strong risk management are what drive results.

Ed was a General Partner at Goldman Sachs and served on the firm’s Management Committee. Working out of New York and London, he was Co-CEO of Goldman, Sachs & Co. Asset Management, which managed over $1 trillion at the time. He also served as the firm’s Chief Administrative Officer, overseeing operations, real estate, risk, and technology, and chaired the Global Capital Commitments Committee. He sat on the board of GS Bank and was Chairman of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.

During the financial crisis, Ed left Goldman, Sachs & Co. to help his alma mater, Harvard University, serving as Executive Vice President and Principal Operating Officer. Reporting directly to the university president, he oversaw finance, operations, and real estate, and served on the board of the Harvard Management Company, which manages the university’s endowment. During this period, he also worked with the U.S. Treasury Department as an advisor on the creation of the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

After retiring from Goldman Sachs in 2011, Ed continued in leadership and investment roles. He served as President and CEO of Cushman & Wakefield, running the global commercial real estate firm across more than 60 countries and leading its sale for its private-equity owner. He later became Chairman and a member of the Investment Committee at Lion Capital, a London-based private equity firm that has invested more than $8 billion in consumer brands.

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