Veteran hedge fund boss quietly opens Europe's largest yoga studio
Steve Cohen has baseball and now casinos. Jim Simons has cigarettes. Simon Davies has yoga. Big yoga. He is the man behind Europe's new biggest yoga studio in London, except you wouldn't necessarily know it.
Although Davies - who is CIO and founder of hedge fund Sand Grove Capital Management LLP - isn't shy about his yoga-passion, he's also not the public face of Mission, the 14,000 yoga space in a converted beer house in London's Shoreditch. That role falls to Genny Wilkinson Priest, a yoga teacher and former journalist.
Davies, who's parents were artists, has been practicing yoga for 15 years since a back injury. He spent 10 years at Cheyne Capital before leaving to found Sandgrove, which focuses on special situations and has circa £2bn in assets under management, in 2014. Last year, 10 partners at the fund shared £34m in profits following the fund's strong performance during the pandemic.
There's little indication that Sandgrove is currently hiring, but hanging around Mission could presumably provide an opportunity to network with Davies during hot yoga sessions. Practice may be necessary: he will likely be found in the 'experienced' classes, which are not for 'the faint of heart.'
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