Key Takeaways
- • Chris Willis, head of quantitative analysis at Brevan Howard since 2012, resigned this week, marking the latest departure from the multistrategy hedge fund's technology leadership ranks.
- • Willis's exit follows a documented pattern of senior technology departures at Brevan Howard, with at least seven senior technology professionals having left the fund in recent years according to September reporting.
- • The resignation occurs despite Brevan Howard's aggressive technology restructuring under Mike Sanders (hired as head of technology in 2024), who has brought in talent including Tim Mace from Man Group as head of AI, Joey Allcock from Goldman Sachs as COO, and Valdo Durrleman from defunct hedge fund Eisler.
- • Willis had spent five years at Coremont, Brevan Howard's portfolio management software spin-out, before returning to the main fund in 2023 when the firm began consolidating technology capabilities in-house.
- • The departure signals ongoing organizational stress at Brevan Howard despite efforts to stabilize operations, including graduate pay hikes to £150,000 and expansion of technology infrastructure in Abu Dhabi and India.
Summary
Brevan Howard, the London-based multistrategy hedge fund, has suffered the departure of Chris Willis, its head of quantitative analysis, who resigned this week according to multiple sources cited by eFinancialCareers. Willis, who joined Brevan Howard in 2012 as a quant analyst, represents the latest high-profile exit from the fund's technology leadership, compounding a broader pattern of attrition among senior technology professionals.
Willis's fourteen-year tenure at Brevan Howard included a significant five-year interlude at Coremont, the fund's portfolio management software spin-out, where insiders describe him as a key figure. He returned to the main fund in 2023 when Brevan Howard began transitioning technology functions back in-house following years of reliance on external platforms. Prior to his resignation, Willis reported directly to Mike Sanders, who was appointed head of technology in 2024 following Sanders's tenure at JPMorgan.
The resignation extends a documented exodus of senior technology talent from the fund. According to reporting from September 2025, Brevan Howard had already lost at least seven senior technology professionals in recent years. Sanders has actively recruited replacements, including Tim Mace from Man Group as head of AI (November 2025), Joey Allcock from Goldman Sachs as COO, and Valdo Durrleman, the former head of desk strategies at defunct hedge fund Eisler (January 2026). Despite these high-profile hires and organizational restructuring, Willis's departure suggests ongoing challenges in retaining quantitative talent.
Brevan Howard's technology infrastructure initiatives remain extensive despite the personnel turnover. The fund maintains technology staff in Abu Dhabi and is actively building a technology hub in India. The firm has simultaneously increased graduate compensation from £90,000 to £150,000 in an effort to compete for talent in a competitive market, signaling management's commitment to strengthening human capital. However, the continued departures of established senior figures like Willis indicate that compensation adjustments and geographic expansion alone have not arrested institutional departures at the leadership level.
Willis's fourteen-year tenure at Brevan Howard included a significant five-year interlude at Coremont, the fund's portfolio management software spin-out, where insiders describe him as a key figure. He returned to the main fund in 2023 when Brevan Howard began transitioning technology functions back in-house following years of reliance on external platforms. Prior to his resignation, Willis reported directly to Mike Sanders, who was appointed head of technology in 2024 following Sanders's tenure at JPMorgan.
The resignation extends a documented exodus of senior technology talent from the fund. According to reporting from September 2025, Brevan Howard had already lost at least seven senior technology professionals in recent years. Sanders has actively recruited replacements, including Tim Mace from Man Group as head of AI (November 2025), Joey Allcock from Goldman Sachs as COO, and Valdo Durrleman, the former head of desk strategies at defunct hedge fund Eisler (January 2026). Despite these high-profile hires and organizational restructuring, Willis's departure suggests ongoing challenges in retaining quantitative talent.
Brevan Howard's technology infrastructure initiatives remain extensive despite the personnel turnover. The fund maintains technology staff in Abu Dhabi and is actively building a technology hub in India. The firm has simultaneously increased graduate compensation from £90,000 to £150,000 in an effort to compete for talent in a competitive market, signaling management's commitment to strengthening human capital. However, the continued departures of established senior figures like Willis indicate that compensation adjustments and geographic expansion alone have not arrested institutional departures at the leadership level.
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