Early life and education
Bessent was born in Conway, South Carolina."Meet The Hedge Fund Superstar George Soros Just Hired To Take Over His $25 Billion Fund,"Investment career
Throughout his career, Bessent helped orchestrate some of the most legendary bets in markets history."Scott Bessent is Preparing for ‘The Great Divergence’," Australian Financial Review, November 4, 2018 The Wall Street Journal hailed him as “one of the most powerful investors on Wall Street.” Bessent was featured in Crain's “40 Under 40,” which proclaimed, “If hedge fund managers are the rock stars of Wall Street, Scott Bessent is the front man.” He is a frequent speaker on economic and investment panels around the globe."Soros Mentee Among Speakers at Sohn Conference in Melbourne," Bloomberg, November 15, 2018 The Australian Financial Review noted that “In the world of macro hedge funds, Scott Bessent could be regarded as royalty.” Bessent was previously the Chief Investment Officer of Soros Fund Management, the $30 billion family office of billionaireInitial investment experience
Bessent was fortunate to have been mentored by some of the greats in the investment management business. After beginning his career at Brown Brothers Harriman, he moved to the Olayan Group, a Saudi family office where he reported directly to Hutham Olayan.“Soros Hands Top Money Man Bessent $2 Billion to Start Firm,” Bloomberg, August 4, 2015 From there, he became the first analyst for acclaimed short seller Jim Chanos at Kynikos Associates.First stint at Soros Fund Management
Bessent first joined Soros Fund Management (SFM) in 1991 and was a partner there throughout the 1990s. At the age of 29, he was asked to head SFM's London office.“Soros’ European Investment Head Bessent Leaves,” Bloomberg, June 8, 2000 He was one of the two youngest Managing Directors at the firm. According to Sebastian Mallaby's history of hedge funds, ''More Money Than God'', Bessent's analytics played a key role in helping George Soros and Stan Druckenmiller construct SFM's fabled wager against the British pound, which netted the firm a profit of $1 billion (see “Further reading”).“A Top Soros Money Manager Is Leaving to Start Own Firm,” Wall Street Journal, June 9, 2000 “George Soros ‘Makes $1.2bn Betting Against Yen’,” The Guardian, February 15, 2013 In addition to heading the London office, Bessent served as SFM's head of global research and co-head of external manager selection.2,3,5,16 He also directly managed $1.5 billion of the firm's capital. By the time he decided to leave SFM in 2000, an SFM memo described Bessent as “a trusted advisor for nearly a decade.”Other ventures
After resigning from SFM in 2000, Bessent founded a $1 billion hedge fund, which he converted to a family office in 2005. He was also a senior investment advisor at fund-of-funds Protégé Partners. Bessent was in the process of starting a new fund in the summer of 2011 when George Soros asked him to return to SFM as CIO.CIO at Soros Fund Management
Bessent served as the Chief Investment Officer of Soros Fund Management from 2011 to 2015.“George Soros Gets Most of His $2 Billion Back from Bessent," Bloomberg, May 14, 2018 Under Bessent's leadership, the firm made a profit of $10 billion.“Ex-Soros’s Bessent Raises $4.5 Billion For New Hedge Fund Firm,” Bloomberg, January 5, 2016 In February 2013, Bessent was credited with helping Soros Fund Management make more than $1.2 billion in profits, in part by betting that the Japanese yen would weaken against other major currencies. Bessent had a reputation for the strength of his convictions, holding onto his investment theses even when they differed from those of George Soros. In August 2015, it was announced that Bessent would be leaving Soros Fund Management to start his new firm, Key Square Group, with $2 billion of George Soros's money. In addressing his departure, an SFM memo praised his skill and dedication, noting that “Scott will continue to advise SFM on an informal basis and remains close to George Soros and the Soros family.”Key Square Group
Key Square Group was the largest hedge fund launch of 2016 and, at that time, the third-largest hedge fund launch ever. The firm's name alludes to the pivotal position for a player's king during the endgame in chess. Bessent founded Key Square Group with Michael Germino, who had been the Global Head of Capital Markets at SFM. A number of the pair's former colleagues from SFM followed them to Key Square. Key Square received a $2 billion anchor investment from George Soros. By the end of its first quarter of operation, Key Square was managing $4.5 billion from a close-knit group of trusted investors. The firm was oversubscribed at launch, and had to turn away some capital. At the end of 2017, Key Square's assets were $5.1 billion. Bloomberg in May 2018 reported that Key Square had mostly outperformed rival macro managers and continued to generate significant investor interest. As part of a pre-arranged deal, the firm gradually returned the Soros capital as it took in other assets. Its investors include Australia's sovereign wealth fund.Philanthropy
Bessent has been very active at his alma mater, Yale University, where he sits on the University Council. He and his sister donated the Bessent Library to Yale in honor of their father, H. Gaston Bessent, Jr.“Annual Report of Giving to Yale, 2000-2001," www.giving.yale.edu Bessent has also endowed three scholarships at Yale, including one for students who are first-generation college matriculants, one for students from South Carolina, and one for students from the Bronx. Bessent previously served on the board of God's Love We Deliver, an organization founded to deliver meals for homebound people with AIDS. He is a supporter of The Harlem Children's Zone, where he has chaired their annual dinner and mentors recent graduates.“Harlem Children’s Zone Annual Benefit, April 24, 2013.”Personal life
Bessent resides in Manhattan with his husband, a former New York City assistant district attorney, and two children. He has been identified as the most prominent gay hedge fund manager on Wall Street. Bessent is featured in several books on hedge funds and a number of his articles have been published in ''The International Economy Magazine''.''References
Further reading
Steven Drobny