Sjoerd Gehring, chief people officer at Citadel, has left the $67bn hedge fund less than two years after joining from Apple, underscoring ongoing leadership churn amid fierce competition for investment and recruitment talent across the industry, according to a report by Business Insider.

Gehring, who arrived in late 2024, oversaw firm-wide hiring, talent development and compensation strategy. Citadel confirmed his exit and said its people function remains focused on attracting and retaining top-tier talent. His profile has been removed from the firm’s website.

The move comes as large hedge funds continue to scale up specialist recruiting teams and compete aggressively for experienced portfolio managers and analysts. Talent acquisition has become a core operational priority as firms expand across asset classes and geographies.

Alongside the HR leadership change, Citadel has also seen broader turnover within its business development function, which is responsible for sourcing and evaluating investment talent across trading teams. Recent months have included internal reshuffles, promotions and multiple external hires from major banks including JPMorgan and Barclays.

Several senior recruiting roles have been reassigned internally, while new hires have been brought in to support equities and macro strategies. The firm has also strengthened its credit-focused recruitment capability with incoming leadership from rival hedge funds.

The changes reflect a wider pattern across large multi-strategy managers, where competition for high-performing traders and portfolio managers has intensified as firms scale assets and diversify strategies. Recruitment teams have increasingly become strategic functions embedded within investment platforms rather than purely administrative units.