Goldman Sachs’ former p.r. chieftain, Lucas van Praag, is hanging out his shingle, The Post has learned.
The silver-tongued spokesman — known for his deft handling of the press and delivering withering rebuttals to critics during his 12-year stint at the bank — is launching LvP & Associates in Midtown, according to sources.
The 62-year-old van Praag, who was replaced by former Treasury Secretary adviser Jake Siewert in March, will dole out advice to financial firms and other companies seeking crisis management and help navigating reputational risk.
A former Naval officer and economics graduate of England’s third-oldest college, Durham University, van Praag spent a decade at Bankers Trust in the 1980s before cutting his teeth on p.r. at the Brunswick Group.
During his tenure at Goldman, starting in 2000, van Praag held onto his upper-crust British accent and routinely conjured up terms like “effluent” and “chimera” in sometimes testy exchanges with journalists.
Still, the press rep was highly regarded for his grasp of complex markets as well as for his Goldman pedigree.