Peter Orszag is one of the most recognizable names in American public policy and global finance. He has led two major federal agencies, advised a sitting president, and now runs one of the world’s oldest investment banks. Because he moves between government, media, and Wall Street, people search for him from very different angles: some want his policy record, others want to know his current net worth or who he is married to.
This guide pulls together verified facts from Lazard’s official records, U.S. government archives, and SEC filings to answer the most common questions about Peter Orszag in one place.
Who Is Peter Orszag? Quick Profile
| Detail | Information |
| Full Name | Peter Richard Orszag |
| Date of Birth | December 16, 1968 |
| Birthplace | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Age (2026) | 57 |
| Current Role | CEO and Chairman, Lazard Inc. |
| Former Roles | Director, Office of Management and Budget (2009–2010); Director, Congressional Budget Office (2007–2008) |
| Education | Phillips Exeter Academy; Princeton University (BA, summa cum laude); London School of Economics (MSc, PhD) |
| Spouse | Bianna Golodryga (married 2010) |
| Previous Spouse | Cameron Hamill (married 1997, divorced 2006) |
| Children | 5 |
| Nationality | American |
| Political Affiliation | Democratic Party |
Peter Orszag Bio / Wiki
Peter Orszag built a career that spans three distinct worlds: academic economics, federal government, and investment banking. He first gained national attention as a fiscal policy expert during the Clinton administration, then rose to head two of the most influential budget offices in the U.S. government before moving into finance.
His path is unusual for a Wall Street executive. Most bank CEOs climb through banking divisions for decades. Orszag instead spent his first fifteen years shaping national economic policy, which is part of why he is frequently quoted in financial and political media alike.
Today, as CEO and Chairman of Lazard, he oversees a firm with roots going back to 1848, advising governments and corporations on financial strategy, mergers, and restructuring around the world.
Early Life and Education
Orszag was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 16, 1968. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy, a prestigious New Hampshire prep school known for producing future policymakers and executives.
He went on to Princeton University, where he graduated summa cum laude, the highest academic honor Princeton awards. He then pursued graduate study at the London School of Economics, earning both a Master of Science and a PhD in economics. His doctoral thesis examined dynamic economic regime shifts, with applications to hyperinflation and privatization, a foundation that later shaped his work on federal budget forecasting.
This academic grounding is a key reason he was tapped for senior economic roles early in his career, well before most peers his age reached similar positions.
See Also: Bert Girigorie
Peter Orszag Career Journey
Rise to Fame
Orszag’s public profile began building during the Clinton administration, where he served on the Council of Economic Advisers and later as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy. This early government experience gave him direct exposure to how fiscal policy decisions get made at the highest level.
His national reputation solidified in 2007, when he was appointed the 7th Director of the Congressional Budget Office. In that role, he became a trusted, nonpartisan voice on federal spending, healthcare costs, and long-term deficit projections during a period of intense debate over the U.S. budget.
That reputation led President Barack Obama to name him the 37th Director of the Office of Management and Budget in January 2009. Orszag held the post through the depths of the 2008–2009 financial crisis and the passage of the Affordable Care Act, making him one of the most influential economic officials of that administration.
Major Achievements
- Directed the CBO (2007–2008), shaping how Congress evaluated the cost of major legislation
- Served as OMB Director (2009–2010) during the financial crisis and the drafting of the Affordable Care Act
- Joined Citigroup in 2011 as Vice Chairman of Corporate and Investment Banking, later chairing its Financial Strategy and Solutions Group
- Joined Lazard in May 2016 as Vice Chairman of Investment Banking
- Became Global Co-Head of Healthcare and Head of North American M&A at Lazard (2018–2019)
- Named CEO of Lazard’s Financial Advisory division in 2019, overseeing advisory work including Argentina’s 2020 sovereign debt restructuring, one of the largest in history
- Appointed CEO and Board Director of Lazard in October 2023
- Named Chairman of the Board in addition to CEO, effective January 1, 2025
- Member of the National Academy of Medicine and the Council on Foreign Relations
- Serves on the boards of the Institute for Advanced Study, the Peterson Institute for International Economics, and Mount Sinai Hospital
Peter Orszag Net Worth in 2026
Peter Orszag has not disclosed a personal net worth figure, and no public filing states one directly. What is publicly known, through SEC disclosures, is his annual compensation as CEO of a publicly traded company, along with a smaller direct equity stake in Lazard stock.
Based on his disclosed pay history since joining Lazard in 2016, his compensation as a bank vice chairman, and his current equity holdings, third-party financial estimates place his net worth in the range of roughly 10 million to 35 million dollars. This is a private-wealth estimate, not a confirmed figure, since executives typically hold additional assets that are not required to be disclosed publicly.
Net Worth and Income Sources
His income is drawn from several confirmed channels:
- Lazard CEO compensation: salary, cash bonus, and long-term equity awards, disclosed annually in SEC proxy filings
- Direct equity ownership: he holds a stake in Lazard stock, which fluctuates in value with the share price
- Prior Citigroup compensation: earned as Vice Chairman of Corporate and Investment Banking from 2011 to 2016
- Publishing and commentary: he has written on fiscal and healthcare policy for major outlets and has authored books on Social Security and healthcare economics
- Board and advisory roles: nonprofit and institutional board positions, which are typically unpaid or modestly compensated.
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Peter Orszag Salary at Lazard
Lazard’s SEC filings give the clearest picture of Orszag’s actual pay. For fiscal year 2025, Lazard’s Compensation Committee awarded him total compensation of 15 million dollars.
| Component | 2025 Amount |
| Base Salary | $900,000 |
| Cash Bonus | $3.9 million |
| Long-Term Incentive Award | $10.2 million |
| Total Compensation | $15 million |
The long-term incentive portion was split evenly between performance-linked restricted stock units and total-shareholder-return-linked units, tying half of his equity award directly to Lazard’s stock performance relative to the market. Lazard’s proxy statement noted his 2025 pay was flat compared to 2024 and below the midpoint of the firm’s executive compensation benchmark range, even as the company reported a 74 percent total shareholder return during his tenure as CEO through the end of 2025.
Peter Orszag’s Wife: Bianna Golodryga
Peter Orszag married journalist Bianna Golodryga in 2010. Golodryga is a senior global affairs analyst and correspondent for CNN and previously worked as a co-anchor on ABC’s Good Morning America. She has built her own independent career in broadcast journalism, separate from her husband’s work in finance and government.
The couple resides in New York City. Golodryga occasionally references her family life in interviews, but neither she nor Orszag maintains a highly public personal social media presence, and detailed day-to-day family information is not something either has widely disclosed.
Peter Orszag’s First Marriage
Before marrying Golodryga, Orszag was married to Cameron Hamill. The couple married in 1997 and divorced in 2006, according to public biographical records. Limited additional detail about this earlier marriage has been made public, which is consistent with how most executives and former officials handle earlier personal relationships in public records.
How Many Children Does Peter Orszag Have?
Public biographical records list Peter Orszag as having five children in total across his two marriages. Beyond that confirmed number, detailed information about each child, including names, ages, or current activities, has not been made public, and speculating on those details would not be responsible or accurate reporting.
Peter Orszag’s Personal Life
Outside of his professional roles, Orszag has kept a relatively low personal profile compared to his public policy and business visibility. He is known for:
- Writing regularly on fiscal policy, healthcare economics, and public finance
- Publishing books on Social Security reform and healthcare policy
- Participating in institutional boards focused on medicine, economic research, and public policy
- Appearing frequently as a commentator on business and economic television programming
His public commentary tends to focus on policy substance rather than personal life, which is a notable pattern across nearly two decades of public visibility.
Peter Orszag vs Other Wall Street CEOs: A Comparison
| Executive | Current Role | Background Before Finance | Est. Annual CEO Compensation |
| Peter Orszag | CEO & Chairman, Lazard | U.S. government (CBO, OMB) | ~$15 million (FY2025) |
| Jamie Dimon | CEO, JPMorgan Chase | Career banker | ~$36 million (FY2025 disclosed range) |
| David Solomon | CEO, Goldman Sachs | Career banker | ~$35 million (FY2025 disclosed range) |
| Jane Fraser | CEO, Citigroup | Career banker/consultant | ~$34.5 million (FY2025 disclosed range) |
Figures reflect the most recently disclosed annual compensation as reported in each company’s proxy statements and are subject to change with new filings.
What sets Orszag apart in this group is his path into finance. Every other executive in this comparison built a career inside banking from the start. Orszag instead spent over a decade in government economic policy roles before ever joining a bank, which shapes how he is perceived by clients, journalists, and policymakers alike.
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Awards and Recognition
- Member, National Academy of Medicine
- Member, Council on Foreign Relations
- Member, Aspen Economic Strategy Group
- Board Director, Institute for Advanced Study
- Board Director, Peterson Institute for International Economics
- Board Director, Mount Sinai Hospital
- Recognized as one of the youngest CBO Directors in the agency’s history at the time of his 2007 appointment
Hobbies and Public Engagement
Orszag is best known publicly for his written commentary rather than personal hobbies. His notable public-facing work includes:
- Regular opinion writing on fiscal policy and healthcare economics for major financial and news outlets
- Co-authoring “Saving Social Security: A Balanced Approach,” a policy book on Social Security reform
- Speaking engagements at major economic and policy conferences, including CERAWeek
- Frequent television and print commentary on U.S. fiscal policy, banking, and macroeconomics
Known Facts About Peter Orszag
- He was the 7th Director of the Congressional Budget Office and the 37th Director of the Office of Management and Budget
- He led OMB during the drafting of the Affordable Care Act
- He joined Lazard in 2016 after five years at Citigroup
- He became Lazard’s global CEO in October 2023 and added the Chairman title in January 2025
- He holds a PhD in economics from the London School of Economics
- He is married to CNN journalist Bianna Golodryga
- He has five children across two marriages
- Lazard’s total shareholder return reached 74 percent during his tenure as CEO through the end of 2025, according to the company’s own proxy disclosures
What’s Next for Peter Orszag?
As CEO and Chairman of Lazard, Orszag has publicly committed the firm to its “Lazard 2030” growth strategy, which focuses on expanding the firm’s financial advisory and asset management businesses globally. Recent public statements from Lazard indicate continued investment in senior hires across sectors like energy and healthcare advisory, and a stated goal of outperforming broader market benchmarks through the end of the decade.
Given his history of moving between public service and private finance, some policy observers have speculated about a possible return to a government economic role in the future, though Orszag has made no public statement indicating such a move is planned.
FAQ’s
What is Peter Orszag’s current job?
He is the CEO and Chairman of Lazard, a position he has held since October 2023 and January 2025 respectively.
Who is Peter Orszag married to?
He is married to CNN journalist Bianna Golodryga; they married in 2010.
How many children does Peter Orszag have?
Public records list five children across his two marriages.
What was Peter Orszag’s role in the Obama administration?
He served as the 37th Director of the Office of Management and Budget from 2009 to 2010.
What is Peter Orszag’s net worth?
Third-party estimates place it roughly between 10 million and 35 million dollars, based on disclosed compensation and equity, though no official figure has been confirmed.
How much does Peter Orszag earn as Lazard’s CEO?
Lazard’s 2025 SEC proxy filing disclosed total compensation of 15 million dollars, including a 900,000 dollar base salary.
Where did Peter Orszag go to school?
He attended Phillips Exeter Academy, graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University, and earned his MSc and PhD from the London School of Economics.
Final Thoughts
Peter Orszag’s career is a rare blend of academic economics, high-level government service, and Wall Street leadership. From directing the Congressional Budget Office and the Office of Management and Budget to now leading Lazard as CEO and Chairman, his trajectory reflects a consistent focus on fiscal policy and financial strategy at the highest levels.
While public curiosity often centers on his compensation and personal life, the more substantive story is his influence on U.S. budget policy during two critical periods and his current role steering a 175-year-old global financial institution. As Lazard continues executing its 2030 growth strategy, Orszag’s leadership will likely remain a point of interest for both financial and policy audiences alike.
Daniel Wilson is the admin of Meaning Lexi, a website focused on the meanings of words, names, phrases, and symbols. He is dedicated to providing clear, accurate, and easy-to-understand content for readers.
