Bridgewater hedge fund exec accused of groping woman, relationship with another
A leading executive of hedge fund Bridgewater Associates was accused of groping a female employee and had a consensual relationship with another female employee who was later paid a settlement of more than $1 million, according to sources quoted by the Wall Street Journal.
Greg Jensen, Bridgewater's co-chief investment officer, who is said to be in line to replace firm founder Ray Dalio someday as head of the fund, is the target of the accusations, according to the Journal.
The report comes amid growing awareness of sexual harassment and abuse by powerful men in business, media, politics and entertainment.
A Bridgewater representative was not immediately available to comment Tuesday morning.
But Jensen told the Journal in a statement that the Journal's "accusations of my behavior are inaccurate and salacious. They are hurtful to my family and my reputation with those who don’t know me, so I am deeply disappointed with their sense of responsibility.”
The firm told the Journal that “while we are prohibited from speaking to this case, our track record speaks for itself. Because of the people, procedures and culture we have in place, Bridgewater, over the course of its 43-year history, has had very few incidents, handled them thoughtfully, comprehensively and fairly, and has had no material adverse judgements.”
With about $160 billion in assets, Westport, Conn.-based Bridgewater is the world's largest hedge fund.
In one of the incidents reported by the Journal, a female employee reportedly complained that Jensen "groped her buttocks."
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