London hedge fund four included in Trader Monthly top 30 under 30

Date: Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Author: Helen Power, Telegraph.co.uk

They are the masters of the universe in training.

Hedge fund bible Trader Monthly will today publish its list of 30 of the world's top traders under 30, and four London traders are included.

Alexander Baring, a scion of the famous banking family and a trader at The Children's Investment Fund (TCI); Stephan Marks, an independent trader; Alex Rogers, of Marex Financial, and Mona El Isa, of Goldman Sachs, one of just two women to make the grade, are all on the list.

At 29, Mr Baring just sneaks in, although he is still one of the youngest partners at TCI, the hedge fund run by billionaire philanthropist Chris Hohn, who gave the children's charity run by his wife, Jamie Cooper-Hohn, £460m earlier this year in the UK's biggest single charitable donation.

Mr Baring worked at JPMorgan Cazenove as an analyst for five years.

"One might assume he has simply feasted on the benefits of his fortuitous ancestry, but Baring, we understand, has worked hard putting himself through all the necessary paces to reach the top of the hedgerow," Trader Monthly will say.

Mr Marks, 23, started trading with a few thousand dollars and a spread-betting account. Today, the South African, who has lived in the UK since he was 16, has a fund of $1m. "Maybe the only difference is possibly my risk management. I put that before everything - even profits," he said.

Mr Rogers, 28, had his first taste of working life at the Prudential's investment arm M&G where he did a summer internship, but found its wealth managers too demure.

"When I first started out interviewing with different wealth managers I found them almost too quiet, too measured," Mr Rogers told Trader.

Ms El Isa, 25, trades equities for the proprietary trading desk of Goldman Sachs.

"A chorus of voices from all across the globe clamoured for El Isa's inclusion. She is the best at what she does, hands down, one admirer gushed," Trader will say.