Citadel Replaces Head of Agriculture as Crosby Leaves Hedge Fund

(Bloomberg) -- Citadel appointed Willis Kidd as its head of agriculture after Robert Crosby left the $53 billion hedge fund earlier this summer.

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Kidd, who joined the firm in 2014, is now running the agriculture team as a portfolio manager in Chicago, a company spokesman confirmed. The promotion follows the departure of Crosby, who was hired in 2019 to help Citadel expand in soft commodities, livestock and biofuels trading.

Run by billionaire founder Ken Griffin, Citadel has been growing its agriculture team, which has tripled in size since the end of 2018, according to the spokesman. The fund also invests in natural gas, power, crude and refined products through a commodities team led by Sebastian Barrack.

Kidd’s appointment comes as the company prepares to expand its office space in Miami, where the firm is establishing its headquarters. Citadel in late June announced the move from Chicago, with Griffin voicing his frustrations over the city’s crime rate and the political leadership in Illinois.

Kidd was with Louis Dreyfus Co., one of the world’s top crop traders, prior to joining Citadel. Crosby has worked for Balyasny Asset Management and Elliott Management Corp.

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