Key Takeaways
- • Brevan Howard continues aggressive hiring from top-tier financial institutions and rival funds in December 2021, recruiting James Newman from NatWest Markets' FX and fixed income sales team to join its principal investments fund alongside prior hires from McKinsey, BCG, and alternative energy firms.
- • The hedge fund is expanding systematically across multiple business lines: John Lantz joined from MUFG as a portfolio manager in New York, Kalyan Rokkam from Junova Capital as a fixed income PM in London, and November arrivals included Jonathan Teyssandier (BNP Paribas) as head of systematic macro risk and Bilal Atie from JPMorgan to the systematic business.
- • Brevan Howard is building a dedicated digital assets division led by Colleen Sullivan (joined from CMT Capital Markets Trading in September), signaling institutional commitment to crypto and decentralized finance alongside its traditional macro strategies, with both founder Alan Howard and principal investments head Gautam Sharma noted as enthusiastic about the sector.
- • The fund maintains competitive compensation practices: London operations had £18 million available for distribution among three finance, legal, and compliance partners in the prior year, and graduate recruit salaries have increased from £90,000 to £150,000, supporting its ability to attract talent mid-year before bonus announcements.
- • Brevan Howard operates a decentralized talent acquisition model, avoiding public job postings and instead relying on unsolicited CVs, yet demonstrates sustained hiring momentum across London, New York, and Hong Kong despite operating in a competitive talent market.
Summary
Brevan Howard is maintaining robust hiring momentum across multiple geographic locations and business units through December 2021, pulling experienced professionals from established banks, consulting firms, and rival investment managers. The recruitment pattern reflects strategic expansion in both traditional macro investing and emerging digital asset capabilities.
In London, the principal investments fund—established in January 2021 under former McKinsey associate partner Gautam Sharma—added James Newman from NatWest Markets' FX, fixed income, and emerging markets sales team. This fund previously recruited Giulio Vietti from Boston Consulting Group in May and Jonathan Cheung from alternative energy investor Sun Hung Kai & Co in Hong Kong in November. The leadership's acknowledged focus on decentralized finance suggests the team's investment thesis is increasingly weighted toward cryptocurrency and blockchain-related opportunities.
The U.S. expansion continues with John Lantz joining as a portfolio manager in New York from MUFG's agency trading business. Simultaneously, Brevan Howard hired Kalyan Rokkam from Junova Capital as a fixed income portfolio manager in London. November brought several significant arrivals: Jonathan Teyssandier joined as head of systematic macro risk from BNP Paribas, Mathew Smith as head of quantitative development from a machine learning and data company, and Bilal Atie to the systematic business from JPMorgan. Brandon Shih also joined as a fixed income portfolio manager in New York from Citadel.
The fund established a dedicated digital assets division led by Colleen Sullivan, who joined in September from CMT Capital Markets Trading. This structural addition underscores Brevan Howard's institutional positioning in the crypto sector beyond opportunistic exposure. The hedge fund's ability to attract senior talent mid-cycle—typically before year-end bonuses are announced—reflects its reputation for competitive compensation. The firm had £18 million available for distribution among three partners in finance, legal, and compliance roles in London the prior year, and graduate recruits have seen salary increases from £90,000 to £150,000. Brevan Howard notably operates without public job advertisements, maintaining a selective recruitment model that relies on unsolicited candidate submissions while continuing to execute a broad hiring mandate across investment, technology, risk, and compliance functions.
In London, the principal investments fund—established in January 2021 under former McKinsey associate partner Gautam Sharma—added James Newman from NatWest Markets' FX, fixed income, and emerging markets sales team. This fund previously recruited Giulio Vietti from Boston Consulting Group in May and Jonathan Cheung from alternative energy investor Sun Hung Kai & Co in Hong Kong in November. The leadership's acknowledged focus on decentralized finance suggests the team's investment thesis is increasingly weighted toward cryptocurrency and blockchain-related opportunities.
The U.S. expansion continues with John Lantz joining as a portfolio manager in New York from MUFG's agency trading business. Simultaneously, Brevan Howard hired Kalyan Rokkam from Junova Capital as a fixed income portfolio manager in London. November brought several significant arrivals: Jonathan Teyssandier joined as head of systematic macro risk from BNP Paribas, Mathew Smith as head of quantitative development from a machine learning and data company, and Bilal Atie to the systematic business from JPMorgan. Brandon Shih also joined as a fixed income portfolio manager in New York from Citadel.
The fund established a dedicated digital assets division led by Colleen Sullivan, who joined in September from CMT Capital Markets Trading. This structural addition underscores Brevan Howard's institutional positioning in the crypto sector beyond opportunistic exposure. The hedge fund's ability to attract senior talent mid-cycle—typically before year-end bonuses are announced—reflects its reputation for competitive compensation. The firm had £18 million available for distribution among three partners in finance, legal, and compliance roles in London the prior year, and graduate recruits have seen salary increases from £90,000 to £150,000. Brevan Howard notably operates without public job advertisements, maintaining a selective recruitment model that relies on unsolicited candidate submissions while continuing to execute a broad hiring mandate across investment, technology, risk, and compliance functions.
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