Key Takeaways
- • Brevan Howard hired Carlos Licon, a Goldman Sachs vice president with nearly six years at the bank, as a portfolio manager in its New York office to strengthen emerging-markets macro capabilities.
- • Licon's departure from Goldman occurred at a career inflection point, shortly before he could have potentially been promoted to managing director, underscoring the competitive talent acquisition environment between banks and hedge funds.
- • The hire reflects Brevan Howard's strategic expansion beyond its traditional macro foundations since 2018, with intentional investment in emerging-markets specialists and regional expertise across Latin America.
- • Brevan Howard's emerging-markets team, overseen by London-based partner Claire McCathie, has systematically built bench strength by recruiting specialized talent including economist Arturo Charleston and Juan Pablo Solorzano Margain, formerly head of Latin American research at Schonfeld.
- • The move exemplifies a broader trend of experienced trading talent migrating from investment banks to hedge funds, particularly among professionals with specialized expertise in emerging-markets macro strategies.
Summary
Brevan Howard has bolstered its emerging-markets macro capabilities by recruiting Carlos Licon, a vice president from Goldman Sachs, as a portfolio manager based in New York. Licon spent nearly six years at Goldman Sachs, where he developed deep expertise in emerging-markets macro trading across multiple geographic bases, including prior stints in Mexico City and New York. His move to the hedge fund represents a transition to a more senior investment role within the fund.
The timing of Licon's departure is noteworthy, as he was approaching a potential promotion threshold to managing director at Goldman—a juncture at which senior bank talent often faces strategic career decisions regarding advancement within traditional banking hierarchies versus lateral moves offering greater investment responsibility at alternative asset managers. Licon characterized his Goldman experience as an "amazing journey" that facilitated extensive learning and relationship-building across the organization.
Brevan Howard has deliberately expanded its investment footprint beyond its historical macro-focused mandate, broadening its strategy mix beginning in 2018 while maintaining concentrated attention on emerging-markets opportunities. Claire McCathie, a London-based partner at the firm, oversees the emerging-markets fund and has led a targeted hiring initiative to deepen regional and sectoral expertise. Recent additions to this group include economist Arturo Charleston and Juan Pablo Solorzano Margain, who previously headed Latin American research at Schonfeld, positioning the team with concentrated Latin America-focused talent.
The Licon hire reflects the persistent competitive dynamics between institutional investment banks and hedge funds for specialist trading talent, particularly among professionals commanding expertise in non-developed market macroeconomic strategies. This flow of experienced professionals into the hedge fund sector underscores the ongoing arms race for differentiated alpha-generating capabilities in alternative asset management.
The timing of Licon's departure is noteworthy, as he was approaching a potential promotion threshold to managing director at Goldman—a juncture at which senior bank talent often faces strategic career decisions regarding advancement within traditional banking hierarchies versus lateral moves offering greater investment responsibility at alternative asset managers. Licon characterized his Goldman experience as an "amazing journey" that facilitated extensive learning and relationship-building across the organization.
Brevan Howard has deliberately expanded its investment footprint beyond its historical macro-focused mandate, broadening its strategy mix beginning in 2018 while maintaining concentrated attention on emerging-markets opportunities. Claire McCathie, a London-based partner at the firm, oversees the emerging-markets fund and has led a targeted hiring initiative to deepen regional and sectoral expertise. Recent additions to this group include economist Arturo Charleston and Juan Pablo Solorzano Margain, who previously headed Latin American research at Schonfeld, positioning the team with concentrated Latin America-focused talent.
The Licon hire reflects the persistent competitive dynamics between institutional investment banks and hedge funds for specialist trading talent, particularly among professionals commanding expertise in non-developed market macroeconomic strategies. This flow of experienced professionals into the hedge fund sector underscores the ongoing arms race for differentiated alpha-generating capabilities in alternative asset management.
Go deeper than the headline
Research every firm in this story, track the ones that matter and get the daily briefing — free for 7 days.