Crispin Odey is a London-based hedge fund manager and owner of Odey Asset Management. In 2008, he gave himself a £28,000,000 paypacket after predicting the credit crunch would happen and subsequently betting that Bear Stearns would go bankrupt.[1]
Odey set up on his own in 1991 after quitting Barings Bank. He made huge losses in 1994 when the Federal Reserve unexpectedly lifted interest rates, but went on to thrive.[1]
He was selected as a "Business Big Shot" by The Times in 2008.[2]
He caused controversy in The Times in May 2009 after saying he would leave the country to avoid paying 50% tax.[3]
He was at the centre of further controversy when it emerged that he financially backed anti-EU campaigners in a referendum in Ireland[4] while some hedge funds had taken out specific bets on the insolvency of the country in the event of the vote not been carried.[5] The Treaty passed by a margin of 67.1% to 32.9%.[6]
In May 2010, Odey Asset Management formed a new investment management firm with Geneva’s Bruellan Wealth Management called Odey Bruellan.