The most interesting hedge fund job you haven’t heard of
When you imagine your dream job in banking, you might imagine it on Wall Street, or in the City of London. It might actually be in Washington DC – or in Westminster.
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Governmental relations is a subtle discipline. It’s probably also better known as lobbying, although that particular word has some baggage associated with it.
“It’s a fascinating role,” says Rob Hailey. “There’s a lot to be done.” Rob Hailey is an MD and head of EMEA government affairs for the Managed Fund Association (MFA) – or, in other words, a lobbyist for hedge funds (and others on the buy-side). Hailey represents the interests of firms such as Marshall Wace, Rokos, and Man Group, among others.
“Most banks have a person like me in-house,” he says. Hailey previously worked for the likes of Santander, Bank of America, and Lloyds. Working outside of a bank’s well-established structure can mean a lobbyist’s role “isn’t more appreciated”, Hailey says, rather diplomatically. But “if we weren’t doing it, then it wouldn’t happen.” Be the change you wish to see in the world, after all.
What does it take to get involved in government relations as a profession? Hailey studied politics and economics at university, which he credits as part of his interest in the field, as well as a “general interest in current affairs.”
Hailey says the job is wide-ranging. “The subject matter that we are working on is constantly evolving,” he says. “The breadth of issues that you get the opportunity to get stuck into is very broad.” There’s a lot of internationalization – Hailey deals with both UK and EU regulators, based in London and Brussels, while also keeping up with the Americans, who could be based in Connecticut, New York, or e ven Miami, where he was attending a conference later in the month. “We’ve done similar events in London and Paris in the past.”
What is Hailey lobbying about now? Not a lot of stuff that gets into the public eye. A very recent win for MFA was a change in how the UK government regulates short selling, a common strategy employed by hedge funds. The changes were something that MFA "particularly championed", Hailey says. The job is not about "tearing up the rules," he notes. "It's making them work better for the markets."
Hedge funds haven’t been quite as targeted by recent governments as private equity has, for example (such as via Labour’s carried interest loophole close), but they’re easy enough targets to attack for populist politicians who simply see opaque money printers that fund their rivals.
“It feels like the regulatory spotlight is shifting towards this part of financial services,” Hailey says. “For someone in my line of work, that’s great. It keeps me entertained.”
Pay for government relations jobs is hard to pin down. London-based recruiter Door 10 says that a public affairs professional can earn anywhere between £28k ($35k) and £210k ($261k) in the City, depending on seniority.
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