Influencers Transcript: Asahi Pompey, August 8, 2019

ANDY SERWER: Companies are judged by the money they make. But some influencers, like Asahi Pompey, know that giving can say just as much about a company. Pompey worked as a senior attorney at The Economist and Pfizer before joining Goldman Sachs as a compliance officer in 2006.

This year, Pompey became the bank's global head of corporate engagement and president of the Goldman Sachs Foundation. She's here to talk about her unlikely journey from Guyana to Brooklyn to Goldman, and the role of giving in the corporate landscape.

Hello, everyone. I'm Andy Serwer. Welcome to Influencers, and welcome to our guest, Asahi Pompey, global head of corporate engagement and president of the Goldman Sachs Foundation. Asahi, welcome.

ASAHI POMPEY: Andy, it's great to see you again.

ANDY SERWER: So tell us, first of all, you have two titles, maybe two jobs. What does that entail at Goldman Sachs?

ASAHI POMPEY: So I'm the president of the Goldman Sachs Foundation and also the Global Head of Corporate Engagement. And what does that mean? Well, over the last decade, Goldman Sachs has deployed $2.5 billion across our philanthropic footprint. Through our donor advise fund, Goldman Sachs Gives, we've donated $1.5 billion. A lot of that to needs based financial aid. And so I feel extraordinarily fortunate, Andy, that I can help Goldman Sachs direct those philanthropic dollars in terms of the communities and the areas and individuals who need it most.

ANDY SERWER: So, historically, Asahi, let's face it. I mean, philanthropy was something that a company did sort of in the side door. Yeah, we have to do that. But it seems to me it's become more core to companies like Goldman Sachs. Why is that, and how is it connected to the core business?

ASAHI POMPEY: You're exactly right. It is core to what we do. As we think about Goldman Sachs more generally, we think about Goldman's focus on clients. Goldman's focus on growth. Goldman's focus on impacting the economy and helping businesses and clients grow.

That same rigor and that same lens that we approach our client franchise, we do that across our philanthropic footprint, as well. So my clients, in part, are our 10,000 small businesses that we work with through our Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, as well as our 10,000 Women Program. Those are our two signature programs of the Goldman Sachs Foundation.

And so philanthropy is something that is central to what we do. And if I were to take you to Goldman Sachs this afternoon and we walk into that lobby, what you would see is a huge mural on our ground floor that has the word, "service," on it. And it has photos of individuals who've worked at the firm over the last 150 years. We're actually celebrating the firm's 150 anniversary this year. And it's about that life of service, whether it's Robert Rubin or Hank Paulson, or other individuals, you know, who have contributed over the course of the firm's history. But that life of service and that being core to what we do is absolutely central.

ANDY SERWER: I mean, some people would say, look, I mean, Goldman Sachs is an investment bank. It's all about making money and that, you know, you're helping these people just to make yourselves look good, or that you're sort of getting them into the Goldman Sachs fold. Is that the case, or how does that work?

ASAHI POMPEY: People often ask exactly this, which is, why is Goldman Sachs doing this? Here's what Goldman knows. We know the power of small business, and we've decided to double down on helping small businesses across our country and across the world grow to levels said. Here are a few things. There are 30 million small businesses across the United States. Those 30 million small businesses account for 60 million jobs.

And as you think of Goldman Sachs and if there's one thing that people know and believe about us, is our ability to bring talent and rigor to help things grow. So we decided we wanted to bring that lens to small businesses across the United States. And we launched in 2010 post the financial crisis, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses. We're at 8,200 businesses strong.

You and I, we're talking in Omaha when we were at Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholder meeting, and in particular, Warren Buffett and Mike Bloomberg are co-chairs of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses. And, you know, if you and I would agree that if there are any two visionaries that know a thing or two about small businesses, it's certainly Buffett and Bloomberg.

And so we've brought that lens to small businesses to help them grow. And I have to tell you the results are in, and the results are phenomenal. 99% of individuals who participate and join our Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program graduate. It's a program that's centered around three things-- education, practical education to small businesses, and in particular, underserved small businesses, diverse small businesses. Small businesses on Main Street in America who really need help.

Secondly, they're focused on creating jobs in the communities. As we look at what's the result? Does it matter? Why is Goldman doing this? Because we want to impact the ecosystem of small businesses to help communities grow. And so if you think about small businesses overall, you know-- and you and I both know-- that 50% of small businesses don't make it past the five year mark. And only one in three make it past the 10 year mark.

And so we brought out our tools, our apparatus to bear on businesses across the country, and we've been able to change that direction. In particular, as we look at the 8,002 businesses that we've studied, any number of them, upwards of 78% of them, say that they've grown their revenue over 30 months. Compare that benchmark that to a similar group of small businesses, that number is 47%. So our cohort is at 78% growing revenue. Regular cohort 47%.

What about job creation? As we listen to the news, we can't turn it on without hearing about jobs and the importance of jobs and the importance of workforce. Well, that population of 8,000 businesses as we've polled them have over 30 months, 57% of them have created jobs. Small businesses benchmark generally only 25% of them create jobs. So that's the reason Goldman Sachs is doing it.

ANDY SERWER: And you've been at Goldman, Asahi, since 2006, I think, right?

ASAHI POMPEY: Yes.

ANDY SERWER: And you've seen-- you mentioned diversity. I mean, you must have seen a tremendous increase, quite honestly, in diversity and inclusiveness at Goldman Sachs. How do you measure that? And in fact, have you seen that?

ASAHI POMPEY: Yes, I absolutely have seen that. And we measure it-- if there's anything we do at Goldman Sachs is we measure, we track, and we metric. Now, I have to tell you, Andy, on a very personal level, I was part of Goldman Sachs' last partner class. And under the leadership of our CEO David Solomon, Goldman Sachs entered 2019 with the partner class that had the largest number of women, 26%, and the largest number of African-Americans, 6%, in the 150 year history of Goldman Sachs.

Now, we've certainly continuing to work and see those numbers grow, but it certainly speaks to the direction in which the firm is growing and its commitment on a very practical level to diversity and growing diverse talent.

ANDY SERWER: Let's talk about your personal story a little bit, Asahi. You grew up in Brooklyn but came from Guyana, right?

ASAHI POMPEY: That's correct.

ANDY SERWER: Talk to us about that a little bit.

ASAHI POMPEY: Well, Andy, as you know, Guyana is a tiny country in South America. Its population is less than 800,000 individuals. And on October 7, 1981, when I was nine years old, my family of seven came to Brooklyn, New York to Foster Avenue in East Flatbush, and we moved into the Vanderveer Housing Projects. One might argue that's not a very likely path to end up as a Goldman Sachs partner.

But on a personal level, my life has really been marked by opportunity. The opportunity to study in Japan. I started studying Japanese. My name, as you know, means "morning sun" in Japanese, and I found that out when I was 14, just at the time that New York City public schools were increasingly offering Japanese programs. And so the principal of our school went to the top students in the school and said, what about studying Japanese? And I said, absolutely, count me in.

ANDY SERWER: I have the name.

ASAHI POMPEY: There you go. It's meant to happen.

ANDY SERWER: Right.

ASAHI POMPEY: And that would lead to a 10 year of studying Japanese. Living in Japan, I lived with the Japanese family, the Otas in Hachioji for a year and went via uniform on bicycle back and forth to Hachioji Claudio Coco in Hachioji, Japan. And I think that international lens of having lived in Japan, I worked in Germany for over a year working on The Bank of [INAUDIBLE] Bank merger and a number of other transactions, have informed my lens around philanthropy, as well.

ANDY SERWER: That must have been a real experience being an African-American girl in a Japanese school. What was that like?

ASAHI POMPEY: It was really phenomenal in three senses. One is, people were extremely curious about you and curious about America and what you were doing. Two is they were super surprised you could speak Japanese. And in particular, they wanted to figure out ways in which they can explain to you more and unpack more around Japanese culture. And so I did tea ceremony, I did [INAUDIBLE], I did [INAUDIBLE], and really immersed myself in that experience.

And as I think about students who came from my public school, John Dewey High School in Brooklyn, or PS 269 on Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn, to make that transition there, there's the talent that's in those public schools. And there's the hunger that's there. And it's a matter of creating those opportunities. And as I think about Goldman and our philanthropic footprint, we're committed to bringing more of those opportunities to more places across the United States and abroad.

ANDY SERWER: Then you went to Swarthmore and Columbia Law School and became a lawyer for a while.

ASAHI POMPEY: Yes.

ANDY SERWER: What was that thinking about?

ASAHI POMPEY: You know, I always wanted to be a lawyer. I wanted to think about social justice and impacting that. And then I got into working on transactions. So I was an M&A lawyer for a number-- for a number of years. And then when I came to Goldman, I came to Goldman in a legal capacity. And one would think sort of a deal lawyer to head of philanthropy is a bit of an unlikely path. But I would say it says a number of things about Goldman Sachs. It says a number of things about the CEO of Goldman Sachs, as well as about John Rogers, our executive chairman.

And in particular what it says is Goldman has a homing beacon for talent. We care about athletes and we look to grow those athletes through the organization and find ways in which we can get them in seats where they can contribute more to the organization. I certainly benefited from that lens.

ANDY SERWER: Before you're an athlete at Goldman Sachs, though, you worked at Pfizer, you worked at The Economist. How did you decide when to change jobs? And what was your career path thinking all about?

ASAHI POMPEY: You know, it was an unlikely and a bit of a haphazard path, Andy. I wish I could tell you that I thought through every single opportunity. I thought about it on the lens of growing. I have a growth mindset. I've always wanted-- been intellectually curious. And so when the opportunity for The Economist came knocking, my dad read The Economist, that little red logo was in our household, and I thought I really want to take that opportunity.

When Pfizer came knocking, it was a headhunter that called. And I thought that this would be great to sort of understand the pharmaceutical industry and see that grow. When I came to Goldman, that was a very conscious decision. When I worked at Cleary Gottlieb, the-- that was at the time that Cleary was working on the Goldman IPO. And I remembered the excitement around the team working on that IPO and I said, I wonder if I could ever work at Goldman Sachs, and could I swim in that pond, and could I be successful in that pond?

And I remember going to an open house at Goldman and getting the job. And I said, I will take any job at any level. I want to be at Goldman Sachs, and I want to see whether I could play at that level. And certainly, it's worked out so far.

ANDY SERWER: Well, it's funny you say pond. I mean, a lot of people would say there are a lot of sharks at Goldman Sachs. I mean, it's a tough environment, right? I mean, that's what you're thinking about, like, could I swim in that pond? That it's-- it's a very competitive place.

ASAHI POMPEY: Yes.

ANDY SERWER: You have to be super smart. You have to be able to keep up. What has that been like?

ASAHI POMPEY: It has been a extraordinary-- extraordinarily formative experience in my life. One is, my dad would always say if you're the smartest person in the room, leave the room. Well, I never have to leave the room.

But it's also a place that cares and cultivates its people. There's the brand of Goldman Sachs, but there's also thinking about Goldman Sachs as an organization, which is, you know, 35,000 mothers and fathers come to work at Goldman Sachs every day. And figuring out how they can add the most value to the company, as well as the most value to-- to our clients. And so it's been a really rigorous experience. And it's also been the kind of experience where I feel like I've been given the opportunity, and I've seized the opportunity, to grow and contribute to our clients and to our client franchise.

ANDY SERWER: Not long after you came to Goldman, the great recession hit. And all Wall Street firms were impacted, including Goldman Sachs. What was the environment like then during those, frankly, fairly dark days, and what did you see from leadership there?

ASAHI POMPEY: I think what it called upon is for us to be extraordinarily purposeful and extraordinarily decisive about where we would allocate our efforts. And making sure that we've retained our talent during that time period and stay very, very focused on the impact that we would have with our clients and communities.

I think, you know, to the extent that there was any focus on anything that was extraneous, having that kind of crisis happens focuses the effort. And I think you'll see that focus is continued throughout-- throughout the last several years.

ANDY SERWER: What challenges have you had, Asahi, both at Goldman Sachs and on Wall Street, and as a business person being a woman of color? And how have you addressed that and overcome it?

ASAHI POMPEY: Look, some of the challenges are, you know, meeting people's expectations that they-- you know, would you be given a fair shake, right? Would you be given the opportunity to show what it is that you can do?

But as many challenges as I've had, I've also had opportunities as the only woman in the room, or the only black woman in the room, you're certainly noticed. And you can either see that as something that's-- that's problematic, or see it as a chance to seize that opportunity to raise your voice, to speak out of it on an issue, and to really make an impact on the organization.

In particular, I feel like I really wanted to tell my story. And I feel like as a senior woman of color, telling my story, I did grow up in a housing project. I did go to public school. I did have-- was a scholarship kid that went to Swarthmore. I graduated Swarthmore in three years. And people are often impressed by that.

The reason I graduated at Swarthmore in three years, Andy, is because my scholarship was running out. And I wouldn't be able to afford that fourth year of school. So I know-- knew that I had to compress the education into that three year period. So what, you know, some can see as a badge of honor is a badge of necessity.

But I'm not unusual, you know. My story is the story of so many Americans, so many young people across the country of various backgrounds where it's about that tenacity, and it's about that hunger and desire for an opportunity to really show and-- what they can do and contribute.

ANDY SERWER: You talked about the progress that Goldman Sachs has made when it comes to diversity inclusiveness. And you also said there is more work to do. What can Goldman Sachs and Wall Street do to become more inclusive, to become more diverse? Is it a matter of setting more benchmarks, doing the numbers? What can they do?

ASAHI POMPEY: I think the numbers certainly help. Look, we do what we track, you know. Science shows that-- the evidence has shown that. So I think certainly tracking it and being very thoughtful around that is particularly important.

But I would say two other things. One is casting a wide net, you know. Casting a wide net to beyond those top schools that usually go to-- to broader group of liberal arts institutions, to a broader group of historically black colleges and universities, to international students, as well. Sort of casting that broad net, I think, is another thing that's particularly important.

But I think the third part is when you have those stars, keep them. When you have those individuals, cultivate them and give them opportunities throughout the organization. Because that has a catalytic impact where you see that snowball, as Warren Buffett talks about, sort of building, where you have a critical mass and then others are attracted to that critical mass. And one thing I have to say our CEO David Solomon not only knows that but is doing all of those things.

ANDY SERWER: Right. Millennials, they're different. They care about different things. Maybe some of these things, like diversity inclusiveness and climate change, more than baby boomers. How are you guys managing that cohort at Goldman?

ASAHI POMPEY: Well, 76% of Goldman Sachs are millennial and Gen Z, right? Not a lot of people know that. And that impacts exactly right, Andy, the way in which we do our business and certainly in the way in which I think about our philanthropic efforts. We did something four years ago that has been phenomenally successful to that population that I want to tell you about. It's called The Analyst Impact Fund.

Now, if you dial back the lens in philanthropy, years ago decisions around philanthropic efforts were really run by the C-suite. You know, a CEO and a small group of individuals, they made those decisions. Goldman Sachs decided to go in a different direction. Certainly, we have our foundation. But we also said what about democratizing that? What about allowing a broader group of individuals to be able to direct those philanthropic dollars?

We've certainly done that through Goldman Sachs Gives, our Donor Advised Partner Fund. But four years ago, we launched The Analysts Impact Fund. Any company, any organization around the country and around the world, frankly, can do this, as well. And what does it do? It goes out to your organization and says, is there a charity, is there any organization that you know about that, frankly, may never come to the attention to senior individuals at Goldman Sachs that's doing fantastic work? Whether it's dealing with battered wives, it's dealing with the opioid crisis that's gripped our nation, whether it's dealing with water purity in various jurisdictions?

You know about those organizations. Bring them to the fore, and we will give them funding. And it's a competition where our partnership committee, our CEO David Solomon, judges The Analysts Presentations, and then we award funds to these organizations upwards of $150,000 to organizations. And their prizes across that suite. Over 1,000 Analysts have participated in the program, and it's one of the most exciting things that's really galvanized our millennials and Gen Z around a purpose driven aspect of Goldman Sachs.

ANDY SERWER: Really bottoms up driven, it sounds like.

ASAHI POMPEY: Yes.

ANDY SERWER: Is it also global?

ASAHI POMPEY: It is also global. The winning team actually was-- last year it was actually a UK based team.

ANDY SERWER: Oh, that's cool. What about income and wealth inequality in this country, and how is that playing out at Goldman Sachs? I mean, you have support staff, and then you have people who are what used to be called masters of the universe, the people in the C-suite at Goldman Sachs. And there are all these statistics that point to, you know, the difference between the CEO, what the CEO makes and the lowest paid people, or the average person at the firm, and David Solomon had to go and testify before Congress.

I talked to him about that recently. Is that something that you guys are very cognizant of? And how do you address that?

ASAHI POMPEY: Look, we're certainly focused on the development of our people across sectors. So we give opportunities to individuals wherever they sit. And as I said, it's a very athlete driven culture. So what we look for is talent where it sits and give the opportunity of that talent to be able to move through the organization. Certainly, there will always be differences in compensation at different levels of any corporation across America.

But the point is to see, are you giving individuals the opportunity, if they shine and they deliver, it's our obligation to-- our obligation to give them the chance to be able to move through the organization to be able to attain greater wealth creation for themselves and their family. And we're certainly doing that, and we find opportunities to do that for our people.

ANDY SERWER: And one last question there. When you see these democratic candidates-- I know you might not want to wade into politics. But you see, you know, and particularly here in New York, say AOC and people like her that are sort of raising the temperature level when it comes to the haves and the have nots. And, you know, the banks could be in the crosshairs. Is that something you guys consider and are really looking at when it comes to running the organization?

ASAHI POMPEY: Look, we think about bringing more people along throughout. And I think our 10,000 Women Program where we have helped women entrepreneurs in 56 countries around the world. And I have to say, Andy, it's beyond 10,000 women. We launched that program in 2008. By 2014, we'd achieved the goal of 10,000 women--

ANDY SERWER: You have to change the name.

ASAHI POMPEY: We do.

ANDY SERWER: Right.

ASAHI POMPEY: You have to give us some ideas on changing the name. And we-- we decided to set a new goal, which is 100,000 women. And through a partnership with the IFC, we have a $1.2 billion facility. We've now helped 53,000 women around the world.

So in terms of helping with the haves and the have nots, helping small businesses internationally and in the US is going to be the way in which we can do that. And our programs have proven that they do that. So we're going to double-- continue double down on those efforts.

ANDY SERWER: I think you maybe addressed this, but I want to ask you just sort of front and center. What is the goal of philanthropy when it comes to Goldman Sachs? What is Goldman Sachs looking to achieve with philanthropy?

ASAHI POMPEY: We always care about measurable results. We're not in the check writing business. So what we care about is having measurable results in the communities in which we work and live. And that is helping businesses grow, creating jobs in our economy, more generally.

I'll give you one example. There's an entrepreneur named Holly Shook and she runs CUPs Coffee in Baltimore. And Holly said, I wanted to hire a number of individuals for my coffee shop. And she put together a little flyer, Andy. And it said, you know, how much people would make, and this is the phone number that she should-- they should call. But she added something else. She said, it's OK if you've had contact with the justice system. And she pasted that poster around. And people said, I'm not sure you're going to get very many people, Holly. I'm not sure that you're going to find people who want to work.

Well, within 48 hours, over 100 people had responded to that ad, right? Now, that sounds like a great story but, in fact, it's not, because she only had four people that she could actually hire. So the desire is certainly there to create jobs, move the needle on that, and Goldman is a part of that.

ANDY SERWER: So what is the commitment to your endeavors when it comes to the fluctuating P&L of Goldman Sachs? In other words, when the company does well, do they increase your budget? Does poorly, we're going to cut Asahi way back because she's a cost center?

ASAHI POMPEY: Sure. We do not do that. This is core-- you do that when it's not core to what you do, right? So you think about, you know, you're not going to cut your core. You're going to cut things that you perceive to be on the edges. Our corporate engagement and our philanthropic footprint is core to what we do back to that culture of service of Goldman Sachs. And so that is not happening.

If anything, we figure out ways in which we can be even more efficient and double down on those efforts, because we know those are the efforts where we're helping Main Street. Those are the efforts where we're helping entrepreneurs in all 50 states that our 8,200 entrepreneurs come from.

ANDY SERWER: This may be John-- John Rogers purview, but you can tell him you're answering it for him. When it has to do with immigration and visas, and is that part of what you look at? In other words, you-- do you have this global footprint you're trying to get people to work here? You're trying to have a global workforce through a lot of regulatory changes, which I know is not what you do. But you are looking at a holistic workforce. How do you guys approach that and try to plan the business when you have all these changes?

ASAHI POMPEY: Look, we certainly have our legal team and others that are very rigorous in terms of our hiring process around visa and otherwise. But the ways in which I interact with that is around our 10,000 Women Program. And helping entrepreneurs, certainly, in India, some of them who-- one of them, Madu, who came to the United States several weeks ago. She's one of the first women to have her art feature at a temple-- at a temple in India.

And so as we think about our entrepreneurs, generally, they come from all around the world and some of them come to the United States and certainly get visas to come here. But it's about that development of entrepreneurs.

ANDY SERWER: What is the most rewarding part of your job?

ASAHI POMPEY: It has to be the people. It has to be dealing, working with the entrepreneurs, working with the people on a daily basis. When I hear about-- you know, I was just in Columbus, Ohio last week where we launched Statewide Ohio. We invested an additional $15 million to entrepreneurship in Ohio.

And I sat around the table, Andy, with 15 entrepreneurs who were talking about the challenges of running their business, talking about cashing out their 401(k) to fund their business, talking about, you know, getting access to capital and going to the bank and filling out the paperwork. And sort of hoping and praying that you're going to get the funding that you need to move the needle in terms of the lives of each of those individuals and their businesses. And knowing the blast radius of the daughter, the sister, the son that's helped as a result of that.

That is extraordinarily rewarding. And it motivates me as I think about my two sons, Maximilian and Sebastian, and their lives and their trajectory that one entrepreneur that you help, there's this whole ecosystem of individuals that you're helping, and a community that you're uplifting, as well.

ANDY SERWER: And you told me those guys are going to public school like you did, right--

ASAHI POMPEY: They are.

ANDY SERWER: --in New York City?

ASAHI POMPEY: They are. They go to PS 9 on the Upper West Side, yeah.

ANDY SERWER: Let me ask you a little bit about your cohort and your colleagues at other Wall Street firms, say, at Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, maybe Wells, Citi. Do you get together with them and share strategies in terms of how to achieve say, things when it comes to diversity and inclusiveness on Wall Street?

ASAHI POMPEY: Yes, we do. We certainly meet with individuals at other firms and think about what strategies are they employing. We also, frankly, know each other. It's a relatively small network of individuals. And so we see each other at the events and the like, and we're friends. And we all care about rising the tide of individuals of color, women across Wall Street. And our CEO David Solomon is absolutely committed to that.

ANDY SERWER: And what about, if I may ask, your personal commitment to philanthropy? I mean, it must be so daunting in that you see so many worthwhile organizations, then you do it every day. I mean, how does someone like yourself look at philanthropy, Asahi?

ASAHI POMPEY: It's hard, because there are so many amazing organizations that are across the country. And they come to me. And so my email is often flooded. And I was just at a conference on Saturday, and after I spoke at the conference, I had a long line of individuals telling me about their various organizations. And they're doing fantastic, fantastic work.

Look, you have to be discerning about where you give your dollars. You have to think about what the impact is going to be of your giving in that particular area. And sustained giving, you don't want to sort of dip in and dip out, but have a real purpose-driven commitment. And we've certainly done that through our hallmark programs.

ANDY SERWER: Right. And when you have this transition from Lloyd Blankfein to David Solomon, what is that like with someone like yourself? Do you-- new CEO said, OK, I'm committed to what you're doing and want to take it to another place? Or is there sort of a handoff when it comes to responsibilities for you when the CEO changes like that?

ASAHI POMPEY: Sure. So when the CEO changed, I had a meeting with David Solomon. And he said, look, we're excited that you're in this seat, Asahi. And what he said to me is, bring me your ideas. I want to know where you think our philanthropic footprint needs to go. I want you to think about our 76% Gen X and millennials. I want you to think about my commitment to diversity, to advancing women. And I want you to come back with your ideas in the direction you think we should take it.

And it's that kind of not only commitment, but autonomy, that employees are given in terms of directing and really impacting the course of the firm, that I think is one of our key differentiators, Andy.

ANDY SERWER: Is it tougher to have this job with-- during this administration in Washington, or does that not matter?

ASAHI POMPEY: You know, I think that, you know, it's very mission driven. So whatever the administration is, they're certainly going to be-- there's certainly going to be challenges. If anything, it's extraordinarily motivating. There's a fire in my belly around making sure that we're making an impact in the communities in which we work and live. And so I see it as fuel.

ANDY SERWER: Right. And finally, Asahi, this show is called Influencers. And so I have to ask you, how do you see using your influence on the world?

ASAHI POMPEY: You know, I want to use my influence in being in this seat to really figure out the key communities in which we can make an impact and move the needle in a relatively short period of time. We're doing that with entrepreneurs. We're doing that with women. We're also going to have a summit on the opioid epidemic.

But there are other areas, as well, in which we can really move the needle. And so to me, that's where my influence is going to be. And when I look back on my tenure as President of the Goldman Sachs Foundation, is seeing exactly where we've moved the needle on women, on entrepreneurs, and the key issues of our day.

ANDY SERWER: Lot of work ahead of you.

ASAHI POMPEY: Absolutely. But I'm up to the task.

ANDY SERWER: Great. Asahi Pompey, Global Head of Corporate Engagement and President of the Goldman Sachs Foundation. Thanks so much for joining us.

ASAHI POMPEY: Andy, great-- great being here. Thank you.

ANDY SERWER: You've been watching Influencers. I'm Andy Serwer. We'll see you next time.