Former London Stock Exchange chief Xavier Rolet close to City return with hedge fund CQS

Former London Stock Exchange (LSE) chief executive Xavier Rolet is in advanced talks to become a co-chief executive at leading hedge fund manager CQS. 

The Frenchman left his job at the LSE Group in contentious circumstances last year, after being asked to step down by the board a year earlier than planned in a bid to end a row with shareholders.

Rolet now looks set to return to a big City job and is in discussions with CQS about one of the top roles at the manager, according to reports by Sky News.

CQS manages over $17bn (£13.2bn) for investors and was founded in 1999 by one of the Conservative Party's biggest benefactor, Sir Michael Hintze. 

Hintze has reportedly donated over £1.5m to the Tories as well as the Vote Leave campaign in 2016, being a staunch Brexit supporter. He has amassed a fortune of £1.4bn, according to the Sunday Times 2018 Rich List. 

The 59-year-old played a key role at the LSE Group during his eight-year tenure, overseeing the company's business diversification and transformation into a critical provider of financial markets infrastructure.

Since leaving that role, Rolet has joined boards at pharmaceutical Verseon Corporation and fertiliser company PhosAgro​.

CQS did not immediately answer request for comment.