AUM: $226 billion
Employee count: 870
AQR Capital Management LLC, Greenwich, Conn., is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2018 with a series of engaging events throughout the year.
Some of the most popular events included an exclusive screening of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" just for AQR employees; an outing to a "Subway Series" matchup between the New York Yankees and New York Mets for all employees; and a special tasting of "great wines to toast and drink to the moment," said David G. Kabiller, co-founder, principal and head of business development.
As the firm enters its third decade of managing alternative investments, AQR's senior executives remain committed to "the restless desire not to rest on our laurels and to continue to improve," Mr. Kabiller said.
Generous benefits, a collegial culture and an extensive program of continuing education and personal development are very much appreciated by AQR's work force.
"AQR cares about its people," said one employee in response to Pensions & Investments' survey, adding "more so than any place I've worked, it is clear at AQR that … senior leadership care about the lives of their employees beyond the work they can do for the firm. Meetings with managers often revolve around your job satisfaction, not your work."
The word obviously is out about AQR's desirability as an employer: The firm received 35,000 applications and conducted 10,000 interviews for jobs so far this year, Mr. Kabiller said.
Less than 1% of applicants were hired.
Despite the flood of applicants, AQR is not attracting as diverse a group of applicants as management would like and the company is working with colleges and universities to bring more people from different backgrounds into money management, said Mr. Kabiller.
