Key Takeaways
- • Brevan Howard has appointed four senior business development executives across North America, Europe, and Asia, signaling an aggressive expansion of its global infrastructure and portfolio management capabilities.
- • The firm, which manages approximately $10 billion in investor assets across six offices globally, recruited Peter Hornick (head of business development for Brevan Howard Alpha Strategies US), David Abbou (head of trading for Alpha Strategies Europe), Natalie Smith (head of strategy), and Jonathan Candy (co-CEO of the Singapore business unit), with candidates sourced from Exodus Point Capital Management, Bluecrest Capital Management, Commonwealth Asset Management, and Graticule Asset Management.
- • The Brevan Howard Master Fund has delivered 24.5% year-to-date returns as of the announcement date, with an August return of 0.88%, positioning the firm competitively within the macro hedge fund space.
- • The hiring push reflects strategic positioning to capitalize on anticipated volatility and market dislocations, a playbook the firm executed successfully during turbulent market conditions in 2020.
Summary
Brevan Howard, the London-based global macro hedge fund founded by Alan Howard, has undertaken a significant strengthening of its business development apparatus through the appointment of four senior-level executives positioned across major financial centers. The moves underscore the firm's commitment to expanding its directional and relative-value macro investing franchises while building out regional portfolio management teams to serve its growing institutional client base.
Natalie Smith has been installed as head of strategy in the New York office, bringing an investor-focused mandate concentrated on directional and relative value macro investing. Smith transitions to Brevan Howard from Commonwealth Asset Management. In parallel, Peter Hornick, previously with Exodus Point Capital Management and Millennium Management, assumes the role of head of business development for Brevan Howard Alpha Strategies (US) in New York, with explicit responsibility for building out the portfolio management team for this strategy across North America.
The European expansion centers on David Abbou, formerly of Bluecrest Capital Management, who joins the Geneva office as head of trading for Brevan Howard Alpha Strategies (Europe). Abbou will oversee the management and development of the firm's European portfolio management team across multiple strategies. Meanwhile, Jonathan Candy, with prior experience at both Graticule Asset Management and Bluecrest Capital Management, joins as co-CEO of the local business unit in Singapore, tasked with overseeing client service and portfolio manager operations across the Asian region.
Brevan Howard currently manages approximately $10 billion in investor assets across six global offices. Performance metrics underscore the firm's competitive positioning: the Brevan Howard Master Fund posted year-to-date returns of 24.5% as of the announcement date, with August delivering a 0.88% return. The firm has publicly indicated strategic positioning for anticipated volatility and market dislocations in the coming months, leveraging operational competencies honed during successful navigation of turbulent market conditions in 2020.
Natalie Smith has been installed as head of strategy in the New York office, bringing an investor-focused mandate concentrated on directional and relative value macro investing. Smith transitions to Brevan Howard from Commonwealth Asset Management. In parallel, Peter Hornick, previously with Exodus Point Capital Management and Millennium Management, assumes the role of head of business development for Brevan Howard Alpha Strategies (US) in New York, with explicit responsibility for building out the portfolio management team for this strategy across North America.
The European expansion centers on David Abbou, formerly of Bluecrest Capital Management, who joins the Geneva office as head of trading for Brevan Howard Alpha Strategies (Europe). Abbou will oversee the management and development of the firm's European portfolio management team across multiple strategies. Meanwhile, Jonathan Candy, with prior experience at both Graticule Asset Management and Bluecrest Capital Management, joins as co-CEO of the local business unit in Singapore, tasked with overseeing client service and portfolio manager operations across the Asian region.
Brevan Howard currently manages approximately $10 billion in investor assets across six global offices. Performance metrics underscore the firm's competitive positioning: the Brevan Howard Master Fund posted year-to-date returns of 24.5% as of the announcement date, with August delivering a 0.88% return. The firm has publicly indicated strategic positioning for anticipated volatility and market dislocations in the coming months, leveraging operational competencies honed during successful navigation of turbulent market conditions in 2020.
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