Hedge fund Balyasny Asset Management has bolstered its AI capabilities with the hire of Matthew Henderey, former chief data scientist for the CIA’s Office of Artificial Intelligence, according to a report by eFinancial Careers citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
Henderey, who joins Balyasny as a director of data science in Virginia, spent 12 years at the CIA. Most recently, he led the development of AI platforms for the agency, including making advanced models accessible via the “top-secret cloud” across the Intelligence Community. Prior to that, he worked as a data scientist in the CIA’s cyber intelligence division, applying AI to enhance mission workflows.
While Henderey’s exact role within Balyasny’s AI team remains undisclosed, the fund’s applied AI organisation — led by former Google data scientist Charlie Flanagan — already provides tools used by around 80% of its staff, including BAMChatGPT, a specialised chatbot for traders.
Henderey has prior finance experience, having briefly founded the automated trading firm Zephyr Financial as a quantitative analyst, and later worked at SRA International analysing data from military operations to clinical research.
