Bosses at Crispin Odey’s hedge fund try to calm investors after founder is ousted over sexual assault allegations
- Report alleged Odey who sexually harassed or abused 13 women over 25 years
- Hedge fund said it took the misconduct allegations “extremely seriously.”
- Odey denies the claims against him, stating they were “nonsense.”
Pushed Out: Crispin Odey founded Odey Asset Management in 1991
Bosses at the hedge fund founded by Crispin Odey tried to calm investors over the weekend after its founder was ousted over allegations of sexual assault.
Odey was pushed out by partners on Saturday after an explosive report claimed he had sexually harassed or abused 13 women over 25 years.
Peter Martin, chief executive of Odey Asset Management, and Michael Ede, chief financial officer, said in a statement: ‘Crispin Odey is leaving the partnership. As of today, he no longer has any economic or personal involvement with the partnership.’
The hedge fund said it took allegations of misconduct first reported by the Financial Times “extremely seriously”.
Partners of Odey Asset Management were preparing a letter to investors this weekend, hoping to restore confidence in the company.
Odey, who founded the company in 1991, denies the claims against him, saying they were “nonsense.”
In an interview with The Mail on Sunday on Friday night before he stepped down, Odey said he was the “victim” of an “aggressive campaign”.
But the allegations have thrown the company into a crisis, with an industry source predicting “it’s all over” for the company: “It will never recover from this and the partners will simply use their own personal money under a different name.” to manage.’
Some of the world’s largest banks already started to distance themselves from the fund last week.
JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs are reviewing their relationship as prime brokers, entities that provide credit to hedge funds. And Schroders has sold its last remaining investments.
French brokerage Exane, part of BNP Paribas, is said to have cut ties with the fund, while Morgan Stanley has also cut ties.
According to reports last week, the city watchdog was still investigating Odey Asset Management and had expanded its investigation in light of the new claims.
Odey has been at the helm of the hedge fund for more than three decades. At its peak, the company managed more than £10bn in investments.
Odey, a Brexiteer, says he made £220 million gambling against the pound in 2016 when the UK voted to leave the EU. He began donating regularly to the Conservative Party in 2007 and his donations to date have totaled over £350,000.