One of the hedge fund industry’s most high profile new entrants, Taula Capital Management, has pulled off a high-profile hiring coup, securing veteran Morgan Stanley trader Mehdi Belhachmi just weeks before he was set to join Goldman Sachs, according to a report by Bloomberg.
The report cites unnamed source familiar with the mnatter as confirming that Belhachmi, a highly regarded interest rate options specialist with nearly 14 years at Morgan Stanley, will join Diego Megia’s $7bn macro hedge fund as a portfolio manager in the coming months. His hiring derailed Goldman’s plans to have him co-lead its volatility trading desk alongside Jules Gruner.
Goldman Sachs had been expecting Belhachmi to start in August, but a last-minute offer from Taula – following interest from two other hedge funds – convinced him to pivot. Belhachmi confirmed his decision to forgo Goldman but declined further comment.
Belhachmi’s hiring marks the latest milestone in Taula’s aggressive expansion. Earlier this year, Megia brought in Alfredo Saitta, formerly of Brevan Howard, and secured Alex McCaffery, an ex-Citadel manager, who is set to join as a senior PM next year.
