Industry talent war
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Inside the string of recruiting executive departures at Ken Griffin's $69 billion Citadel
Business Insiderยท 2025-11-04 11:11
Core Insights - The hedge fund industry, valued at $5 trillion, is experiencing a talent war, with top recruiters becoming highly sought after and commanding multimillion-dollar compensation packages [1][16] Company-Specific Developments - Citadel, a major player in the hedge fund space with $69 billion in assets, has seen significant turnover in its business development (BD) ranks over the past year, including the recent resignation of Ansh Kalra, head of BD in the Global Quantitative Services division, who is moving to Balyasny Asset Management [2][3][4] - Citadel has made strategic hires to bolster its BD team, including Laura Sterner as head of BD for the Global Equities unit and Justas Povilenas as head of BD in Europe for the Global Fixed Income division [4][5] - The firm has experienced a series of senior departures, including Mark Hansen and Alex Topkins, indicating a trend of churn within its BD ranks [7][12] Industry Trends - The competition for top talent in the hedge fund industry has led to increased compensation for business development professionals, with some now receiving seven-figure pay packages [16][17] - The pressure and demands of the BD role at Citadel are significant, with executives evaluated based on the performance of candidates they introduce [13][15] - The turnover in talent is partly attributed to the arrival of new executives, such as chief people officer Sjoerd Gehring, although it remains unclear if his presence directly influenced the recent departures [14][15]