TTP - The Top 10% Podcast with Craig Whiting
TTP - The Top 10% Podcast
TTP - The Top 10% Podcast is a deep dive into the world of hiring, recruitment, and career growth, exploring the strategies, challenges, and trends that shape how companies attract, hire, and retain top talent.
Hosted by Craig Whiting, this series brings together tech leaders, recruiters, and industry experts to share their insights on what it really takes to build high-performing teams in today’s evolving job market.
What to Expect in Each Episode:
🔹 The Hiring Landscape – How companies find, assess, and secure top talent.
🔹 Recruitment & Industry Insights – The evolving role of recruiters, agencies, and internal hiring teams.
🔹 Leadership & Culture – How company culture and leadership styles impact hiring and retention.
🔹 Career Growth & Development – How candidates can stand out and advance in their careers.
🔹 Future of Work – The impact of remote work, AI, and new hiring trends on the job market.
Whether you're a business leader, recruiter, or job seeker, The Top 10% Podcast will challenge your thinking and provide practical, real-world insights to help you navigate the ever-changing world of work.
TTP - The Top 10% Podcast with Craig Whiting
The Top 10% Podcast with Craig Whiting - Ep. 8: Connor White on Hedge Funds & Tech's Future
In this episode, Craig Whiting sits down with Connor White, veteran technologist and hedge fund leader, for a deep dive into the evolution of engineering within financial services and what it really takes to succeed in the fast-paced, high-stakes world of hedge funds.
With nearly 30 years of experience, Connor shares how he went from coding in risk systems to leading global teams at elite hedge funds. They discuss the striking differences between sell-side and buy-side tech cultures, why many engineers struggle with the transition, and how the hedge fund environment shapes sharper, more well-rounded developers. The conversation also explores what hiring managers really look for, the traits that separate the top 10%, and how AI is already reshaping the job of the software engineer.
Whether you're an engineer thinking about making the leap to the buy side or a founder trying to build a top-tier team, this is an unmissable masterclass in modern technical leadership.
🎙️ Key Topics
🔹 The sell-side vs. buy-side tech culture shock
🔹 Why traders don’t care about your code, they care about delivery
🔹 The hiring red flags and green flags Connor looks for in interviews
🔹 Why domain curiosity beats academic perfection every time
🔹 How AI is transforming software engineering today and in the near future
Show Notes & Timestamps
[00:00] – Opening & Introductions
Connor’s journey from quant developer to hedge fund tech leader
“Your money is the byproduct of success.”
[03:00] – Life Inside the Bank
From giant tech teams to rigid frameworks
How institutional structure limits learning
[07:00] – Transition to the Hedge Fund World
Culture shock, speed, and personal accountability
Iterative development in the real world
[12:00] – Leadership by Delivery
How Connor organically stepped into leadership roles
Why performance beats politics
[17:00] – The Buy-Side Mindset
Understanding the business problem is not optional
Why good tech = business value, not cool tools
[23:00] – Hiring the Right People
The “tell me about a project you’re proud of” litmus test
How depth, curiosity, and communication separate top candidates
[30:00] – The Role of Recruiters
What good recruiters do—and what most get wrong
Why less is more when it comes to CVs
[36:00] – Breaking In from the Outside
Advice for candidates in banks looking to pivot
How to show curiosity, research, and long-term mindset
[38:00] – AI’s Impact on Engineering
Productivity boosts, hidden risks, and future shifts
Could developers become the next business analysts?
[45:00] – Final Thoughts
Why the top 10% mindset is about delivery, not ego
“You focus on being really good at your job—and the rewards follow.”