Key Takeaways
- • Karyn Williams has departed Two Sigma Investments LP after less than two years as managing director and head of client solutions, a role she assumed in July 2016 as the firm's inaugural head of this function.
- • Williams was recruited to spearhead Two Sigma's data- and technology-driven product offerings and oversee the firm's advisory business, leveraging her background as CIO of Farmers Insurance and 12 years as a senior consultant at Wilshire Associates.
- • Two Sigma has grown substantially to over $50 billion in assets under management as of 2017, up from $6 billion in 2011, positioning it as one of the world's largest systematic hedge funds.
- • The departure occurs amid organizational changes at Two Sigma, including the firm's November announcement of plans to spin off Two Sigma Private Investments into a separate SEC-registered entity called Sightway Capital.
- • Two Sigma declined to comment on Williams' departure, and no details regarding her next move or the circumstances of her exit have been disclosed.
Summary
Karyn Williams has exited her position at Two Sigma Investments LP, ending a tenure that began in July 2016 when she joined as the hedge fund's first managing director and head of client solutions. Williams held the role for approximately 18 months before her departure in January 2018.
Williams was hired to build out Two Sigma's client solutions function with a focus on data- and technology-driven products and oversight of the firm's advisory business. Her appointment was endorsed by CEO Nobel Gulati, who highlighted her unique positioning across three distinct institutional investor vantage points: allocator experience, consulting expertise, and trustee perspective. Prior to Two Sigma, Williams served as chief investment officer of Farmers Insurance, a role she held following three years as head of insurance investment at the same organization. She brings substantial consulting credentials from a 12-year tenure as senior consultant at Wilshire Associates, where she advised large institutional investors, and holds a Ph.D. in finance from Arizona State University.
The departure coincides with a period of significant growth and organizational restructuring at Two Sigma. The firm has expanded from $6 billion in assets under management in 2011 to over $50 billion by 2017. In November 2017, Two Sigma announced plans to separate Two Sigma Private Investments into an independent business entity called Sightway Capital, with SEC registration planned for January 2018. Two Sigma's spokesperson declined to provide further commentary on Williams' departure.
Williams was hired to build out Two Sigma's client solutions function with a focus on data- and technology-driven products and oversight of the firm's advisory business. Her appointment was endorsed by CEO Nobel Gulati, who highlighted her unique positioning across three distinct institutional investor vantage points: allocator experience, consulting expertise, and trustee perspective. Prior to Two Sigma, Williams served as chief investment officer of Farmers Insurance, a role she held following three years as head of insurance investment at the same organization. She brings substantial consulting credentials from a 12-year tenure as senior consultant at Wilshire Associates, where she advised large institutional investors, and holds a Ph.D. in finance from Arizona State University.
The departure coincides with a period of significant growth and organizational restructuring at Two Sigma. The firm has expanded from $6 billion in assets under management in 2011 to over $50 billion by 2017. In November 2017, Two Sigma announced plans to separate Two Sigma Private Investments into an independent business entity called Sightway Capital, with SEC registration planned for January 2018. Two Sigma's spokesperson declined to provide further commentary on Williams' departure.
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