Eric Mindich

Eric Mindich (1967- ) started working at Goldman Sachs after high school, and spent summers at the firm while earning a degree in economics at Harvard. In 1994, at the age of 27, he became the youngest partner in Goldman's history.

He learned the trading business on Goldman's risk-arbitrage desk betting on corporate mergers.

Youngest Ever Partner at Goldman Sachs

At 27, Mindich was and still is the youngest person to make partner at Goldman Sachs. Because of his superior performance, he was capable of achieving this milestone while most others his age were fighting to be promoted to Vice President. At Goldman Sachs, considered by many to be one of the most competitive firms, Mindich became a Partner Managing Director (PMD) in the most competitive of divisions within Goldman Sachs: Sales & Trading. Sales & Trading has been known to be the most cut-throat divisions where only the best of the best are even considered to be promoted, much less promoted to Partner, and much less at the age of 27.

tarting his own money management firm

In late 2004, he succeeded in launching a hedge fund, named Eton Park Capital Management, sized at more than $3 billion, making it one of the largest start-up funds on record. The successful start of the fund came despite heavy fees and other difficult terms for potential investors. For example, investors had to invest their money in the fund for as long as 4½ years to avoid a 6% redemption fee. Mindich's investors also had to invest at least $5 million and pay fees of "2 and 20," an annual management fee of 2% plus 20% of all profits.

It is claimed that he planned to invest as much as 70% of Eton Park's money in traditional equity strategies involving both purchases and "shorting" (the sale of borrowed stock in a bet the stock price will decline). But given just how much money is now in equity hedge funds, he assured his investors that he would invest globally to produce big returns, including Latin American, Eastern European and South African markets. Also, as much as 30% of Eton Park's funds may have gone into less liquid "private" transactions.

Mindich is on the boards of the Horace Mann School and Lincoln Center Theater.

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