Google has opened its own trading desk to manage its $26.5 billion in cash and short-term investments, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. Heading the team is company treasurer Brent Callinicos, who joined Google from Microsoft in 2007. Under Callinicos, Google has built a “state of the art” cash management system, with technology that allows traders to see the company’s holdings across the globe in “near-real time.”
“The investment team has grown to more than 30 people, up from six three years ago. Many of the new arrivals are former Wall Streeters who left lucrative careers at Goldman Sachs (GS), JPMorgan Chase (JPM), and other banks.”
Job posting watchers have noticed the number of finance positions advertised on the company web site, including open positions for foreign government bond trader, mortgage-backed securities portfolio analyst and treasury analyst.
Among the analysts, NPR profiles “Google’s Rock Star Banker” Ranidu Lankage, ex-Lehman Brothers, who calls himself the “undisputed icon of Sinhalese RnB and hip hop” on his web site raniduonline.com. You can watch his videos too. Lankage hails from Sri Lanka.
Businessweek notes that Callinicos wouldn’t comment on the pay rates for his new staff, but in the article a recruiting expert says that Google pays finance staffers less than what they would make on Wall Street.
Salaries for some finance jobs at Google — at least for non-US citizens — can be gleaned from the US Department of Labor database of visa certifications, available at the Foreign Labor Certification Data Center . Fiscal year 2009 H1B visas included finance manager $140,000 and financial analysts at $95,000 and $105,900. Fiscal year 2010 data not yet online.
Fri, May 28, 2010 at 11:46 am