American-born Edward Eisler is hot. He is one of the smartest people you’ll ever meet, according to those who’ve met him. He retired from Goldman Sachs aged 42 and describes himself as an investor and philanthropist. He’s a trustee of the Tate. He has a gigantic house in London’s Holland Park, where he’s trying to build a basement to house his extensive art collection. And now he’s opening the hottest new hedge fund in London.
The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that Eisler has already assembled a team of 12 people to work for Eisler Capital, his new $1bn macro hedge fund which is due to launch early in 2016. The identity of the new employees remains unknown: Eisler Capital isn’t yet registered with the Financial Conduct Authority and the incorporation documents at the UK’s Companies House list just one director: Eisler himself.
Before rushing to send in your CV, however, it’s worth bearing in mind that not everything Eisler touches turns to gold. Since leaving Goldman Sachs in February 2012, he hasn’t just been collecting art and playing golf. In December 2012 Eisler helped set up DMC Partners, a high profile emerging markets private equity fund which was planning to raise $2bn to invest in Sub-Saharan Africa but gave up as sentiment on emerging markets turned sour last year. Employees at DMC were only conclusively terminated in June this year according to a filing with Companies House.
So, where are they now? Philippe Costeletos, co-founder of DMC, is now running the international business of Colony Capital, a US real estate investment fund. Sam Wisnia, an ex-Goldman partner who spent 20 months at DMC joined Deutsche Bank in a senior fixed income and analytics role in January. Nana Sao, an ex-Goldman Partner who spent 18 months at DMC has formed his own fund, Sao Capital Management. Markus Gloel, a former vice president at DMC, has gone back to TPG Capital, the private equity fund he worked for previously. And DMC’s general counsel, Matthew Gerber, has gone off to become general counsel at hedge fund TowerBrook Capital Partners.
Only one ex-DMC employee, Charlie Power, ex-DMC CFO, does not appear to back in full-time employment. Power is now offering his services as a consultant, which is likely to be a matter of choice rather than necessity.
Eisler has chosen a difficult time to venture into macro trading. Macro hedge funds have not been performing well with conditions so tough at the start of the year that veteran macro manager Paul Tudor closed a fund. In the event that Eisler’s next venture doesn’t fare well either, his latest employees can at least draw encouragement from the swift rehousing of his last lot.
Photo credit: Dan_H
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