Optiver hires former Rokos Capital partner as global quant head

Optiver has hired Andrius Jankunas, a former partner at Rokos Capital Management, as its global head of quantitative modelling and strategy, according to a report by eFinancialCareers. This move bolsters Optiver's senior trading leadership in London. Jankunas joined Rokos in 2018 and held the global head of quantitative modelling and strategy position until his recent departure.

He has been out of the market for the past two years due to a non-compete agreement. Prior to Rokos, Jankunas spent nearly two decades at Goldman Sachs, where he held senior quantitative strategy positions in commodities, credit, equities, and fixed income. His last role at Goldman was head of commodities strategies for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

Optiver's appointment of Jankunas to this key role underscores the London operation's steady growth alongside the firm's trading businesses in Amsterdam, Chicago, and New York. This hiring also reflects the ongoing competition between hedge funds and proprietary trading firms for top quantitative talent, especially as proposed UK reforms to non-compete restrictions could affect recruitment in the sector.