new york dec 9 reuters  blackstone group has hired two executives who previously worked with billionaire investors bruce kovner and david tepper for top investment positions in the firms 81 billion hedge fund unit the company said on thursday david benur who managed kovners family money will join as chief investment officer of the units hedge fund solutions business atish nigam who worked at teppers hedge fund appaloosa management will become chief investment officer of the hedge fund units special situations investing business both men will join new yorkheadquartered blackstone in early 2022 and will work for joe dowling who heads blackstones hedge fund business known as baam our mission is to deliver exceptional performance and these are highly skilled investors who will help us achieve that dowling told reuters dowling a former endowment chief at brown university came to blackstone this year and has recruited staff as a number of senior blackstone executives left the firm benur was chief investment officer at cam capital where he managed assets for kovner and senior employees of caxton associates the hedge fund kovner founded in 1983 before that he was cochief investment officer at corbin capital and started his career at fidelity investments cam capital and blackstone also agreed on preliminary terms to manage cam capitals assets nigam was a senior analyst at teppers appaloosa a hedge fund that is now managing mainly teppers personal fortune blackstones baam unit is on track to post its bestever year with revenues and earnings topping last years records and assets at a record high blackstones fundoffunds portfolio baam principal solutions gained 122 over the last 12 months outpacing the hedge fund industry which gained 89 but the unit has also seen turnover benur will replace gideon berger who left the firm earlier this year while nigam will replace min htoo who is leaving at the end of the year