Jennifer Croswell

Steven Cohen, the billionaire founder of Stamford, Connecticut–­based SAC Capital Advisors, gets his edge from having best-in-class investment and trading talent; hiring is essential. That job falls to people like Jennifer Croswell, 30, who as a director in SAC’s business development unit plays an important role in the $12 billion firm’s success.

Although Cros­well doesn’t have a recruiting background, she has proved adept at identifying and hiring traders and portfolio managers. The University of Mississippi political science and English major broke into the industry in 2004 when she landed an investor relations job with Avenue Capital Group. She joined broker-­dealer BTIG two years later and moved to SAC in 2009.