Key Takeaways
- • Gautam Sharma, chief executive officer of the digital investment unit of Brevan Howard Asset Management, has left the hedge fund firm after almost five years, according to Bloomberg citing people with knowledge of the matter.
- • Sharma went on leave earlier this year and will not return to the role.
- • Brevan Howard does not plan to fill the CEO position, one of the sources said.
- • The unit, BH Digital, is the firm's crypto asset management division, described as a multi-manager, multi-strategy crypto hedge fund.
- • Chris Rayner-Cook has reportedly been named chief investment officer of the unit, per a publisher summary, alongside the spinout of Nova, a hedge fund run by Kevin Hu.
Summary
Brevan Howard does not plan to fill the role, one of the people said. The unit, BH Digital, is the firm's dedicated crypto division, which Sharma led as CEO and chief investment officer. Sources cited in coverage of the departure describe it as a multi-manager, multi-strategy crypto hedge fund.
Sharma's exit ends roughly three years at the helm of BH Digital, which he joined as CEO in 2022. Before that, he led the principal investments team at Brevan Howard and worked with founder Alan Howard overseeing portfolio matters. Coverage of the departure also reported that Chris Rayner-Cook has become chief investment officer of the unit, and that the firm is spinning out Nova, a hedge fund run by Kevin Hu.
The departure represents a significant leadership change for the firm's digital asset business at a time when the broader hedge fund industry continues to expand its exposure to crypto strategies.
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