Point72 hires Schonfeld's top HR exec as hedge fund talent wars go beyond investors

• Jennifer Cohen, Schonfeld's onetime top HR executive, is joining the $38 billion hedge fund Point72.
• Cohen is set to start in January as the 2,900-person firm's chief human resources officer.
• She previously worked for the private equity firm Global Atlantic and Goldman Sachs.

The talent war between the industry's biggest hedge funds is not just over investing professionals — even if they're the ones being lured in with nine-figure pay packages.

Firms are also raiding each other for operations, human capital, and technology leaders. The latest big move is Jennifer Cohen's decision to join the $38 billion hedge fund Point72 from Schonfeld Strategic Advisors.

Cohen has been the head of human capital management for Steve Schonfeld's eponymous fund since 2022. An internal Point72 memo seen by Business Insider said she'd join Steve Cohen's fund in January as the firm's chief human resources officer.

"Jenn will play a pivotal role in advancing our human resources strategy, focusing on enhancing talent management, supporting organizational growth, and reinforcing our culture of excellence," Gavin O'Connor, Point72's chief operating officer, wrote in the memo.

"She is uniquely positioned to lead these efforts, bringing a data-centric and process-oriented approach honed over 25 years of experience across business operations and human capital," he added.

Cohen worked at the private equity firm Global Atlantic and Goldman Sachs before joining Schonfeld. At the multistrategy fund, she was a part of the leadership group that guided the manager through an unsteady 2023, which included rumors of a takeover by its rival Millennium and culminated in the layoff of 15% of the firm's total workforce.

The manager has since rebounded, with strong performance in 2024 and so far in 2025. Schonfeld did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Point72 has a larger head count than Schonfeld, with more than 2,900 employees, according to the Stamford, Connecticut-based manager's website. Schonfeld had 872 employees as of May 12, according to a regulatory filing.