Fred Desobry, a former portfolio manager at BlueCrest Capital, has joined London-based crypto hedge fund Bastion Asset Management as its Chief Investment Officer as crypto trading continues to gather momentum, according to a report by eFinancial Careers.
Desobry’s appointment strengthens Bastion’s leadership team, which includes Xander Savenberg, a former Citadel quant and fellow BlueCrest alumnus, and Philip Scott, a former partner and COO at Rokos Capital Management.
Since leaving BlueCrest in 2016, Desobry has worked at several firms, most recently serving as CIO at BlueFire AI, a capital markets intelligence firm led by Luke Waddington, ex-global head of BNP Paribas’ electronic markets.
Despite its promising roster, Bastion has struggled to retain key executives. The firm has seen high turnover among its chief technology officers, with Florion Doyon departing for the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority after 18 months, followed by Iain Buchanan, who left for G-Research after just six months. Additionally, Chief Risk Officer Alexandre Loreau exited in June to join Qube Research & Technologies.
