Daniel Och
Daniel Och is a renowned hedge fund manager and philanthropist, best known as the former Founder and CEO of global hedge fund and alternative asset management firm Och-Ziff Capital Management, now Sculptor Capital Management. During his tenure, Och-Ziff was considered one of the world’s largest hedge fund managers based on assets under his control. He stepped down as CEO and Chairman in 2019 after years of client withdrawals and controversy. The firm changed its name to Sculptor Capital Management and formally cut its ties with Och. Today, Daniel runs his family office, Willoughby Capital, a growth equity investor with a portfolio that includes Robinhood, Coinbase and Instacart.
Daniel Och Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer
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Head of Proprietary Trading in the Equities Division and Co-Head of U.S. Equities Trading
Academic History
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B.S., Finance
CURRENT AFFILIATIONS
Member, Robin Hood Foundation
OCH-ZIFF CAPITAL MANAGEMENT
Daniel Och founded Och-Ziff in 1994. Under his leadership, the firm grew to be one of the world's largest hedge funds at its peak.
The hedge fund paid Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe $100 million for platinum-mining rights. The firm had agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge of conspiring to bribe officials in Africa.
Och-Ziff paid a $412 million fine as part of a deferred-prosecution agreement to settle both the criminal and civil charges.
He stepped down as chairman of his hedge fund, the largest publicly traded firm of its kind, and no longer has a role.
Prior to Och-Ziff, Daniel spent 11 years at Goldman Sachs.
He began his career at Goldman Sachs in 1982 in the Risk Arbitrage Department.
He became the Head of Proprietary Trading in the Equities Division and Co-Head of U.S. Equities Trading at Goldman Sachs before leaving the firm in 1994.