Viking Global’s veteran trading chief is leaving the $55 billion investment firm

Stuart Brown to Depart Viking Global as Head of Trading

• Stuart Brown is leaving his position as head of trading at Viking Global, a hedge fund managing $55 billion in assets.
• Brown has been with Viking Global for nearly two decades, according to the firm's website.
• Last year, the fund posted an 8.6% gain, lagging behind the broader market and several other Tiger Cub funds.

Andreas Halvorsen, the billionaire founder of Viking Global, is preparing to see another trusted executive move on.

Stuart Brown, who has overseen trading operations at Viking Global for many years, is stepping away from the firm to take a break from his career, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Business Insider. Viking Global declined to provide a statement, and Brown was unavailable for comment.

Brown has spent 18 years at Viking Global, one of the well-known "Tiger Cub" hedge funds that originated from Julian Robertson's Tiger Management. Prior to joining Viking, Brown worked in corporate credit sales at Credit Suisse.

One insider noted that Brown's exact departure date has not been finalized, but he will remain at the firm during a transition period to assist with the handover.

Viking Global has seen several senior leaders exit in recent years. The firm currently employs 275 people, according to its website.

On the investment side, former Chief Investment Officer Ning Jin left Viking in August 2024 to launch his own fund, Avantyr Capital.

Operationally, Andrew Genser, who previously served as Viking's general counsel, joined Avala Global—the fund led by former Viking portfolio manager Divya Nettimi—last summer. Kevin Curtis, the former director of recruiting, moved to Bobby Jain's fund in September 2025, while Savina Boyadjieva, who headed investor relations, recently became a partner at Joshua Kushner's Thrive Capital.

Viking Global is grouped with other long-short equity hedge funds like Tiger Global, Coatue, Lone Pine, D1, and Maverick. However, Viking tends to have less exposure to technology stocks compared to some of its Tiger Cub peers. This approach can be beneficial in certain years, such as 2022, but when major tech companies like Nvidia, Amazon, and Microsoft drive market gains, Viking may not capture as much upside.

For example, in the previous year, Viking's flagship fund delivered a return of under 9%, according to a source close to the firm—falling short of the S&P 500's performance.