By Andrea Vernon
Hedge fund manager Florian Homm was lucky to escape with his life last month.
Mr. Homm and a friend both were shot in the chest by an armed motorcyclist in Caracas, Venezuela, on Nov. 16. Both underwent surgery at a Caracas hospital and were moved to a Miami hospital Nov. 20.
He was back at work at London-based Absolute Capital Management Holdings Ltd. on Nov. 29, where he and his team manage about £1.2 billion ($2.4 billion) in eight hedge funds.
"With a degree of luck (regarding the entry of the gunshot), I was out of danger within hours of the operation and from the morning of the 17th of November, I was in regular contact with key management and my family," Mr. Homm wrote in a letter to clients and friends.
Mr. Homm, chief investment officer and co-founder of Absolute Capital, was not available for comment about the incident but said in his letter he was extremely impressed with the management of the firm during this "tumultuous time," noting the "Zurich partners managed to perform perfectly well without me. … Our second-line managers (also) passed the stress test with flying colors and are clearly prepared to take on more responsibility. A radical way to stress the team is how my wife put it!"
Mr. Homm assured clients in his letter that he is more motivated than ever after his ordeal. "The value of having both the physical and mental strength post this incident has made me realize how important ‘being in the ring' is."
