Six new London start-ups that may provide job opportunities
A good way to find under-the-radar job opportunities is to follow which firms are launching in the City. We’ve scoured the register of new companies receiving approval in the months of May and June to look for the more interesting prospects for financial services professionals.
C5 Capital is a niche private equity firm, set up by ex-3i director Christina McComb, which focuses on investments in the security industry. It received authorisation from the Financial Conduct Authority in May, but is still a small operation staffed by other 3i alumnus, Nick Kinsbury, as well as Tee Pruitt, formerly of Octopus Investments and Christopher Hay, who joined from Close Asset Management.
Cosford Capital Management:
Cosford Capital Management is another example of banks’ prop trading teams spinning out to launch hedge funds. Santiago Assalini, former managing director and chief risk officer for the investment bank at Standard Bank is a partner, but the prop trading unit of the South African bank make up Cosford’s investment team. David Feld, former head of principal trading at Standard Bank is its chief investment officer, Steven Hawkyard is portfolio manager, Javier Sanchez-Barrueco is chief investment strategist and Omotunde Lawal joins the trading team. Thomas Clifford also joins from the bank as a partner.
ENA Investment Capital:
Morgan Stanley better watch out. Launched in August by former Morgan Stanley managing director George Kounelakis, ENA Investment Capital gained FCA approval in June and has plans to hire 20 people. Already, it’s poached former Morgan Stanley analysts Mark Field-Marsham and Guillermo Galmes Diago, who both join as partners, while Rafael Garcia Arbej, a managing director at Och-Ziff Capital Management in London, has also signed up as partner.
Launched earlier this year by Mark Painting, previously a senior managing director and partner at Caxton Associates, Salt Rock Capital sticks to his expertise in global macro investment strategies. So far, it remains a small player, with former UBS product controller Rowan Levy signed up as COO and ex-Caxton portfolio manager Ashishkumar Patel on the investment team. More recently, in April, Ben Troke and Tristan Deighton joined as analysts from Cayuga Capital Partners. Isabelle Mather heads up marketing and investor relations.
Founded last year by Citi’s head of financial entrepreneurs group, Jonathan Rowland, and a former partner at Apax Partners, Neil Thomson, Tomorrow Partners received formal FCA approval last month. This private equity boutique has hired some former investment bankers this year, including Elina Chachko, an ex-leveraged finance associate at Unicredit and Yannick René, who was previously with Natixis.
Launched in January by Claude Wolos, formerly of Square Capital LLP, Wolos Capital has just received approval by the FCA and is gearing up to launch its first fund, the Total Return Balanced Fund. Describing itself as an “active investment manager”, namely a hedge fund, it is a boutique firm with just two authorised staff – Wolos and Ismail Guennouni, who worked together at Boussard & Gavaudan Asset Management.
