Alex Friedman: A Question of Trust

The 48-year-old American's tenure as CEO of GAM turned into a thankless task: an inauspicious acquisition and a whistleblower led the Swiss asset manager to the brink. Alex Friedman left as clients fled and withdrawals piled up.

His career until GAM was stellar: first at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and later at UBS. After Friedman's handling of the GAM whistleblowing, Switzerland represents scorched earth for him. finews.com's prediction: Friedman will use his connections to return to finance in the U.S. or U.K. when he is ready.