Edward Forst

Edward Codd Forst (born December 11, 1960) is an American businessman.

Forst graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor's degree in economics in 1982, later attending the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He began working for Bankers Trust in 1982 as a managing director. In 1994, Forst joined Goldman Sachs, becoming a managing director in 1996 and a partner in 1998. In 2004, he was appointed as the company's chief administrative officer, and in 2007, he became the co-head of Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Forst temporarily left Goldman Sachs in 2008 to serve as Harvard's executive vice president and to advise secretary of the treasury Henry Paulson amid a financial crisis.

Forst returned to Goldman Sachs in September 2009 as the firm's senior strategy officer. In February 2010, he was appointed head of Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Amid complications involving his leadership style and weeks after he did not appear at a critical meeting in Europe, Forst was removed from Goldman Sachs in December 2010. Forst began serving as Cushman & Wakefield's president and chief executive in January 2014. He led a strategy to return Cushman & Wakefield to New York City's real estate market, but was forced to leave the company after its acquisition by DTZ in May 2015.

In July 2025, president Donald Trump nominated Forst to serve as the administrator of the General Services Administration.

Edward Codd Forst^[1] was born on December 11,^[2] 1960, in Chicago, Illinois.^[3] Forst was the son of Eleanore Ann Thole (née Codd)^[4] and Donald S. Forst.^[1] His stepfather, Jack Thole, was a chemistry teacher at St. Ignatius College Prep. The younger Forst attended St. Ignatius.^[5] He graduated cum laude from Harvard University^[1] in 1982 with a bachelor's degree in economics^[6] and from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a master of business administration^[7] in 1988.^[6]

Forst began working for Bankers Trust in 1982 as a managing director.^[6] By 1993, he was the head of United States loan sales and trading. That year, he married Susan Kelly Ryan, a vice president at Bankers Trust.^[1]

Forst began working for Goldman Sachs in 1994.^[8] Within four years, he became co-head of capital markets, chief of staff of the equities and fixed income instruments, currencies, and commodities divisions, and co-head of global credit businesses. Forst became a managing director in 1996. Additionally, he served as chair of the Firmwide Capital Committee.^[9] In October 1998, Goldman Sachs named Forst as a partner.^[10] In 2004, he was appointed as the company's chief administrative officer. Goldman Sachs moved to relocate Forst to London in February 2007 to oversee business operations in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.^[11] In September, Forst was appointed co-head of Goldman Sachs Asset Management.^[8] He left Goldman Sachs in June 2008 to serve as Harvard University's first executive vice president.^[12] Amid a financial crisis, secretary of the treasury Henry Paulson named Forst as an advisor for his US$700 billion recovery plan.^[13] Forst helped establish the Office of Financial Stability.^[14] He returned to Harvard in October.^[15]

In September 2009, Goldman Sachs rehired Forst as the firm's senior strategy officer.^[9] He succeeded Marc Spilker as head of Goldman Sachs Asset Management in February 2010.^[16] Forst was a sponsor for the Firmwide Black Network and the Firmwide Hispanic/Latin Network. In addition, he was a member of Goldman Sach's executive committee. According to The New York Times, Forst was a "controversial figure" within Goldman Sachs as a "difficult manager" who often conflicted with employees. In November 2011, he failed to appear at a critical meeting in Europe. Weeks later, in December, Goldman Sachs announced that Forst was retiring. According to the Times, the move was an ouster that was met by praise by some employees, particularly those within the firm's investment management division.^[17] After leaving Goldman Sachs, Forst was an advisor to Fenway Partners.^[18]

In December 2013, Cushman & Wakefield announced that Forst would serve as the company's president and chief executive. He began his position the following month.^[18] Forst's strategy involved reasserting Cushman & Wakefield in the New York City real estate market; most prominently, he led the company's acquisition of Massey Knakal in December 2014. Forst sought to leverage Massey Knakal's contacts and Cushman & Wakefield's global network.^[19] By February 2015, he had led the strategic review committee examining a potential sale of the company.^[20] According to The Wall Street Journal, Forst sought to find a replacement for Exor, Cushman & Wakefield's parent company, that would provide the capital necessary for expansion, rather than sell the company to a competitor.^[21] In May, DTZ agreed to acquire Cushman & Wakefield; after the acquisition completed, Forst left the company.^[22]

Forst served as the vice chairman and later chairman of the Bond Market Association beginning in 2004 and the co-chairman and later chairman of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association beginning in 2006.^[9] By 2011, he was a trustee of Carnegie Hall and held several positions within Harvard University, including serving as co-chair of the university's Taskforce on Balanced Philanthropy and its 30th Reunion campaign, in addition to being a board member of Harvard's Stem Cell Science Advisory Board.^[17] As treasurer of Carnegie Hall, Forst was responsible for ousting Ronald Perelman, its chairman, in a private dispute.^[23]

In June 2013, Forst attended a summit in Utah hosted by Mitt Romney, who outlined his political future.^[24] He met with Romney again in January 2015 at an event in which Romney stated he was considering running for president in the 2016 election.^[25]

On July 31, 2025, president Donald Trump nominated Forst to serve as the administrator of the General Services Administration.^[26]