Degrees of Hank Paulson
If it sometimes seems that Wall Street is a small world, well, it is. For all its global reach, and for all the bitter conflict in recent months, where, for example, Lehman Brothers was left to tumble into bankruptcy while American International Group was bailed out, these are people who know each other, often well. Nowhere are the ties more evident than with U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. Many of the CEOs of companies touched by the financial crisis have links to him. Some, such as Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, have direct connections via that company, which Paulson used to head. Others connect through a network of fellow CEOs.
This graphic shows where those CEOs fit into Paulson's network starting as recently as in 2003. Connections include employment at the same company or a position on the same board of directors, but not necessarily at the same time. We did not include every company at which these CEOs have worked â just those within this network. We also omitted ties to community and social organizations as well as instances in which CEOs simultaneously held other positions at a company such as board chairman.
Sources: Leadership Directories, Inc.; Marquis Who's Who; Biography Resource Center; Securities and Exchange Commission; company annual reports, Web sites and press releases
