Fund professionals from F&C and Gartmore are leaving to join hedge fund specialists, adding to a trend for long-only managers and analysts to move into running long/short vehicles.

Mark Williams is leaving F&C to join a start-up hedge fund boutique where he will run money on a long/short basis, according to an F&C spokesperson. He was in charge of F&C's £369m (€542m) Pacific Growth fund, which is targeted at retail investors. Deputy manager and head of Pacific equities Mike Hanbury-Williams has taken over the vehicle but F&C is looking for another member for its Asia-Pacific excluding Japan desk.