Key Takeaways
- • Ishaan Sethi, former macro sales managing director at Goldman Sachs London, is joining Citadel Securities in early autumn 2026 after a stint at hedge fund Marshall Wace, where he departed June 26th.
- • Nohshad Shah, Goldman's former co-head of EMEA rates sales, joined Citadel Securities in January 2025 as head of fixed income sales for EMEA and is actively recruiting former Goldman colleagues, including Sethi, Frank Flight, and top rates trader Nikhil Choraria (expected end of summer).
- • Citadel Securities is executing a deliberate talent acquisition strategy targeting senior fixed income and macro talent from Goldman Sachs, leveraging existing relationships and prior working partnerships to build out its London operations.
- • Sethi and Shah have a multi-year professional relationship spanning Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs, with Shah having hired Sethi twice—establishing a pattern of trusted talent mobility into Citadel Securities.
Summary
Citadel Securities is consolidating talent from Goldman Sachs' London office through a coordinated hiring campaign led by Nohshad Shah, the electronic trading firm's head of fixed income sales for EMEA. Shah, who joined Citadel in January 2025, is recruiting former colleagues with whom he built strong working relationships at Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank, signaling a strategic focus on bolstering the firm's fixed income capabilities in Europe.
Ishaan Sethi, who departed Marshall Wace on June 26th, 2026, will join Citadel Securities in early autumn, marking his second hire by Shah. Sethi spent time as a macro sales managing director at Goldman Sachs London until late 2023, where he worked closely with Shah on EMEA rates sales. The two professionals previously collaborated at Deutsche Bank before Shah recruited Sethi to his team at Goldman Sachs. Neither Sethi nor Citadel Securities responded to requests for comment, and Marshall Wace similarly declined to discuss the departure.
Beyond Sethi, Shah's recruitment drive has already brought Frank Flight to Citadel Securities, and the firm is also hiring Nikhil Choraria, a top Goldman rates trader expected to arrive by end of summer 2026. This pattern of relationship-driven hiring—spanning prior employers and recreating teams across institutions—underscores how senior talent networks function in fixed income markets. Shah's ability to retain relationships and hire repeatedly suggests Citadel Securities is prioritizing continuity and operational familiarity as it expands its London-based fixed income operations, particularly in macro sales and electronic trading execution.
Ishaan Sethi, who departed Marshall Wace on June 26th, 2026, will join Citadel Securities in early autumn, marking his second hire by Shah. Sethi spent time as a macro sales managing director at Goldman Sachs London until late 2023, where he worked closely with Shah on EMEA rates sales. The two professionals previously collaborated at Deutsche Bank before Shah recruited Sethi to his team at Goldman Sachs. Neither Sethi nor Citadel Securities responded to requests for comment, and Marshall Wace similarly declined to discuss the departure.
Beyond Sethi, Shah's recruitment drive has already brought Frank Flight to Citadel Securities, and the firm is also hiring Nikhil Choraria, a top Goldman rates trader expected to arrive by end of summer 2026. This pattern of relationship-driven hiring—spanning prior employers and recreating teams across institutions—underscores how senior talent networks function in fixed income markets. Shah's ability to retain relationships and hire repeatedly suggests Citadel Securities is prioritizing continuity and operational familiarity as it expands its London-based fixed income operations, particularly in macro sales and electronic trading execution.
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