Hedge fund executives in the U.K. say Gideon Nieuwoudt knows everyone who is anyone in the City and beyond. Nieuwoudt, 36, moved to London in January 2000, after graduating from ­Stellenbosch University in South Africa. He worked for several years as a consultant in the hedge fund practice of investment advisory firm Watson Wyatt Worldwide (now Towers Watson), in both London and New York.

Former colleagues credit Nieuwoudt for questioning the credibility of Bernard Madoff, now convicted of fraud, during his time as head of European and Asia research for Union Bancaire Privée Alternative Investments. More recently Nieuwoudt’s analytical approach has helped him drive the expansion of Silver Creek, which has $6bn of assets under management, beyond the US.

Swiss bank Union Bancaire Privé kept hundreds of millions of dollars of its wealthy clients' money in Bernard Madoff's alleged Ponzi scheme despite warnings from its own research team, according to people familiar with the matter.